Does Delta have good rewards?

Delta Air Lines is a major airline company in the USA, providing services through its large domestic as well as international network. Delta Air Lines is one of the leading airline companies in the United States and it has a loyalty program called SkyMiles which gives members a chance to accrue points for various activities and then spend these points to purchase free flights and other incentives. But what are Delta’s rewards truly? Below is a comprehensive analysis of what Delta SkyMiles will provide their clients with.

Earning Miles

First, getting Delta SkyMiles is not difficult at all since the program offers so many ways to get it. They give you miles based on the flights that you take on Delta or, more to the point, any of the numerous affiliated airlines. The miles that the user earns differ according to the ticket price, the Medallion elite status that the user holds, and the type of fare that he has to buy for the journey. However, Delta co-branded consumer credit cards help you earn your miles through the usual spending. Miles can also be earned through Delta purchases, at hotels, car rentals, shopping through the SkyMiles shopping portal, and more.

In this regard, unlike some other airline programs, Delta has not put barriers when it comes to receiving miles for your spending as well as flying. This makes it possible for customers who rarely travel on Delta to accrue a balance of mileage that they can use to better their class of service.

Award Ticket Prices

However, the opinion on Delta when it comes to redeeming the miles is slightly different, with some positivity and a lot of complaints. The frequency required to achieve a free Delta Airlines Flight based on the number of miles is not constant depending on the route or the demand. Delta no longer has an award chart, which means you won’t know the exact number of miles required until you proceed to book an award ticket.

Specifically, economy class flight distances range from 2,400 to 6,000 miles one-way for short-haul flights within the continental US. He pointed to the fact that flights to Hawaii could cost as little as fifteen thousand to forty thousand miles for a round trip. First class and partner awards will set you back between 80,000 and 350,000+ miles per direction in intercontinental business class.

Although Delta does not restrict its awards with blackout dates or expiring miles, it is essential to note that the airline’s awards are on the rolling stock, meaning that availability is subject to certain predictions of travel demand. Atlanta-based flyers will usually find it less difficult to find the domestic awards whereas travelers flying from other smaller cities may face difficulty in locating the awards. Premium international cabin awards are scarce too.

Still, Delta seems to perform worse when it comes to how the actual process of redeeming your miles goes. Even when applying for an award ticket, you have no choice but to be very flexible with the dates and routes.

Medallion Elite Status

Of course, the high redemption rates are partly compensated for by the fact that elite Medallion members accrue more frequent flyer miles, receive no fees, and are given priority in upgrading to the first class or Delta One business class. There are currently four specific tiers of membership and these include Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion, and Diamond Medallion, with each of the membership levels entailing many privileges such as free checked baggage, and priority boarding among others depending on the level of membership.

Also, Delta uses the qualification of the elite tier, and the airline does not have a one-base system for that. They have reduced some of the hurdles that their most valued base of frequent flyer customers needs to overcome every year to qualify for Medallion status through features such as carry-over MQMs. Delta appears to grasp that high-value clients contribute much more than random members expecting free benefits. One might think that providing more benefits to the frequent flyers is beneficial to the company’s balance sheet in the long run, in this case, it is Delta Airlines.

Award Perks

It is important to note that there are some costs associated with Delta award tickets such as close-in booking fees, fuel surcharges for international flights, and taxes/fees that can easily top $100 round trip while Delta has recently added some advantages to flying on an award ticket as well.

Existing cabins of service are also incorporated whereby all passengers booking the flights are allowed to choose their seats without charging them extra fees. In addition to the Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding, which is allowed to passengers with economy tickets at no extra cost. Earlier, these were available for free only to the Medallion users. This places them in a similar position to where most other global airlines are with today’s elite and award customers.

Additional Partners

Lastly, Delta cannot be judged solely on its loyalty program offerings or its supply chain management system. Besides flights, its partners with American Express and other travel-related brands make SkyMiles a point of access to numerous benefits. It is possible to cash in your miles for gift certificates, select the rates that are lower for hotels and car rentals, transfer your miles to over 20 international airlines in the SkyTeam alliance, and others.

However, for Delta hub cities and for anyone who deals with Delta quite often for business or personal needs, the ability to access all of their partners is going to be a massive plus even if the actual process of redeeming awards through the program isn’t perfect.

The Verdict

Thus, as with any rewards program, it comes down to what is best for you: the frequent traveler or the infrequent flyer. Delta Airlines that are based in Atlanta can benefit from this strategy since they will be able to find better award availability than those in other regions. Road warriors may prefer getting upgraded more than the base while deal seekers will be focusing on the search of premium rewards such as international business or first class.

On balance earning miles on Delta SkyMiles is more rewarding than redeeming them. But for those who remain committed to Delta, their Medallion and lifestyle rewards can be truly valuable if using the program’s entire potential. While not ideal, Delta seems to be chipping away or moving forward in some ways with SkyMiles to compete with other US frequent flyer programs as they are today.

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