delta
71% Eye of the Flyer
29% Miles to Memories
Delta Air Lines has been in the news for a range of legal, operational, and product developments.
Legal Action Against a Fraudulent Pet Transport Site
- Delta filed a lawsuit against DeltaPetTransit.com, a website that mimics Delta’s branding and displays a Delta 747‑400, claiming it has no affiliation with the airline.
- The complaint says the site uses Delta’s logos, telephone number, and email address to deceive customers into paying for bogus pet‑air transport services.
- Delta alleges the site advertises “Delta Dash” and other options that are entirely fictitious, aiming to dupe victims into believing they are dealing with the airline.
Changes to Seat Map Options
- Customers have reported that Delta recently blocked the ability to choose seats on its seat maps, a shift from earlier enhancements that briefly allowed more visibility.
- The blog post suggests the change may be an attempt to limit upgrade opportunities amid first‑class monetization efforts.
Planned Delta One Lounge in Minneapolis
- Delta is considering a 20,000‑square‑foot Delta One lounge at Minneapolis‑St. Paul International Airport, with a feasibility study potentially funded by $1 million in public money.
- The lounge would be located above Concourse G if approved, adding to Delta’s three existing Sky Clubs in Terminal 1 at MSP.
- Currently, Delta One lounges exist or are announced in Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York (JFK), leaving Minneapolis, Detroit, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta as the remaining hubs without one.
Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) Policy for Vacations
- Starting January 1 2024, MQD is the sole metric for earning elite status on Delta, applying to the 2025 SkyMiles year.
- Delta Vacations bookings earn $1 MQD for each $1 spent on the vacation package, excluding taxes and fees.
- Purchases made through the separate “Delta Cruises” service do not earn any MQD, even though they are marketed under the Delta brand.
- To maximize MQD earnings, travelers should book airfare and hotel through Delta Vacations and use one of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Platinum American Express cards.
Introduction of Delta Premium Economy
- In November 2016, Delta announced an official Premium Economy product named Delta Premium.
- Seats in Delta Premium offer up to 38 inches of pitch, 19 inches of width, adjustable leg rests, a 7‑inch recline, and a TUMI amenity kit with Malin + Goetz skincare products.
- Passengers also receive Westin Heavenly® blankets and pillows, the same premium items provided in Delta One cabins.
Financial and Operational Updates
- In its first‑quarter 2016 conference call, Delta reported that it had stopped hedging fuel, resulting in a per‑gallon fuel cost that was 55 % lower than the previous year.
- The airline also noted ongoing changes to ticket pricing structures, including a shift from one‑way to multi‑segment pricing on Delta.com, though details were not publicly disclosed.
Eye of the Flyer From “enhancement” to “shenanigans” Delta is now blocking seat map choices! A bug or something else?
Oh Delta. Delta, Delta, Delta (not the fraternity – just irritated and repeating Delta). What are you up to this time. Please stop this. What am I talking about? Last week I had a post where it seemed Delta may just have improved what seats we can see on Delta jets (but this enhancement did not last long). Today things are different and even worse than before. We know our dearest Delta does have the habit of making changes, often massive changes, and telling no one until we sleuth them out. This is shameful and most irritating. They
Miles to Memories Delta Eyes Minneapolis for Next Delta One Lounge
A new ultra-premium lounge could soon be coming to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). While there is no official timeline yet, Delta is eyeing a 20,000-square-foot space to open its next Delta One Lounge. Star Tribune reports that this week, airport officials will consider a measure to spend $1 million in public funds on a project feasibility study as part of the airport’s capital improvement plan. Delta has signaled its intent to build Delta One Lounges at all of its international hubs. Currently, four locations have been established or announced in Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York
Eye of the Flyer My take on today’s Delta 1Q16 conference call. Bombardier? AMEX, FCM, branded fares & more!
I would venture to guess very few Delta flyers spent their morning listening to Delta Air Lines $DAL 1Q16 financial conference call, but if you had you would have taken away some interesting bits. To a man they all put forward that everything is great at Delta. They are crushing it financially and will continue to do so going forward (gosh I hope they share with the Pilots some of this gain after all the cuts they took). They focused on the fact that Delta has a “premium product” as well as “travel experience” and international growth is looking
Eye of the Flyer Will Delta Vacations Cruise Bookings Earn Delta MQD?
We hoped there’d be at least a glimmer of hope when Delta Air Lines announced massive changes to its SkyMiles program last week. Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) will be the only metric that counts toward earning elite status on the Atlanta-based carrier, starting January 1, 2024 (for the 2025 SkyMiles year). Delta said that trips purchased through its Delta Vacations travel portal will earn $1 MQD for each $1 spent on a vacation booking (excluding taxes, fees, etc..). Well, we thought at least we could earn MQD for buying cruises. (Not that many of us will pursue