As the coronavirus pandemic grows, exponentially increasing travel restrictions and the numbers of ... [+]
Delta announced some sigh-of-relief news for its loyalty members today: All elite statuses and benefits will be extended for one year, regardless of whether or not you fulfill the requirements during this calendar year.
Typically, benefits from a calendar year are awarded on a rolling basis and expire at the end of the following year. So for example, if you earned gold status by flying a lot in 2019, you would have that status for all of 2020. In 2021, your status would be dependent upon how much you fly in 2020.
What had a lot of members worried - not just from Delta, but from airlines worldwide - is how things would play out this year. Those who flew a lot in 2019 and earned a status for 2020, for example, are sort of stuck thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are they unable to enjoy the benefits they earned (seat selection, bonus miles, upgrades, etc) here and now in 2020, but they are also unable to accrue flying miles to ensure their status continues in 2021.
Up until today, no U.S.-based airlines had made any sort of announcement regarding loyalty programs, but with Delta now coming out and announcing the extension, it’s hard to believe that the other major players - American, United - will be far behind. After all, that would be a really bad look if they decided not to extend their programs as well, leaving their faithful customers hanging out to dry.
For Delta’s part, they certainly came to the table with their members in mind. Not only did they extend the statuses in relation to their loyalty levels (silver, gold, platinum, etc) for another year, they also will roll over the amount of miles you accure this year and apply them to your account for next year. Any miles you fly in 2020 will transfer over to 2021 and be applied to earning a status for 2022. In other words, you have two years of flying (2020 and 2021) to determine what status you will have in 2022.
Delta also extended the benefits for its credit card and Skyclub accesss members, and put a cherry on top by adding an extra six months on to the expiration date of any free drink coupon you might have.
In an email to Skymiles members that just kept on giving, CEO Ed Bastian announced the airline would, in response to customer feedback, be even more flexible on flight planning and itinerary changes going forward.
“We heard your feedback that you want the value of your tickets to be secure and redeemable for a longer period, so we have extended the ability to plan, re-book and travel for up to two years,” Bastian wrote. “We’ve waived change fees for your trips through May 31, 2022 if you have travel booked in April or May as of April 3, 2020, or canceled travel/eCredits from flights in March, April or May 2020. You can also change new tickets purchased between March 1 and May 31, 2020, without a change fee for up to a year from the date of purchase.”
Given all we’re going through in the travel industry, it certainly feels like a good day to be a Delta flier. Will other U.S. airlines follow suite? It seems like they have to, lest they want their members flocking over to Delta.
