How to fake it: The Delta rewards kerfuffle
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Delta is revamping its rewards, which affects its Sky Priority program. Photo: Bertrand Guay /AFP via Getty Images
If you're just a casual flier like the Axios Twin Cities team, you probably haven't been paying much attention to the changes that Delta Air Lines announced this month to its rewards program.
- But if you're sitting next to a grumpy passenger in coach on your next Delta flight, here's your guide to sounding like you know what you're talking about.
Catch up fast: In mid-September, Delta announced sweeping changes to how its customers gain "status," which allows them to skip check-in lines, board planes ahead of most travelers, and get free upgrades to comfort and first-class seats, among other perks.
- In short, Delta's new qualifications require its customers to spend a lot more money on co-branded credit cards.
- Plus, business travel warriors will have a much harder time achieving status because of heightened thresholds for spending on Delta flights.
- Delta also announced that it will drastically limit how often cardholders can access Sky Clubs, where the airline offers free food and drinks.
Why it matters: More than 70% of passengers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport flies on Delta, making pursuing Delta status a no-brainer for Twin Cities frequent flyers.
What happened: People got mad. Really mad. One of the ways to achieve the lowest status — silver — previously required spending $25,000 a year on a Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. Under the new Delta plan, that customer would need to spend $120,000 a year, according to Thrifty Traveler.
- That's a figure unattainable for most middle-class Americans.
The other side: CEO Ed Bastian, speaking earlier this week, said that so many people had status that staff couldn't serve those customers effectively anymore. Plus, lines to get into lounges stretched down terminals.
The latest: Reacting to the backlash, Bastian said the airline would walk back some of the changes over the next few weeks.
The bottom line: While many Twin Cities Delta cardholders have fumed, it's not like they have a lot of options to get status with another airline. American and United each have less than 5% of MSP's market share.
- Thrifty Traveler weighed the pros and cons of keeping your Delta card.