The great author Douglas Adams once wrote: “It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the phrase, ‘as pretty as an airport.'” In keeping with the often bleak aesthetic of this world’s travel centers, the experience of air travel has lost a lot of its appeal over the last 20 years.
While most people enjoy traveling, it’s mainly the arriving they look forward to these days as the process of getting anywhere exotic requires flying. With cramped planes, reduced services and additional fees at every turn, the joy of flight is for the birds. (See what I did there?)
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Now, with airlines merging or collapsing altogether (…We hardly knew ye, America West, Midwest Express, Continental, U.S. Air, etc.), less competition means the airlines have a captive onboard audience. So, even the most loyal customers are getting less for their money.
It goes something like this: An airline knows there are fewer choices for travelers. While they once used their frequent flyer programs to encourage passengers to do business with them more often, they realized they no longer need to offer as much to attract business anymore. There are just not that many flights and airlines to choose from, so there’s less motivation to offer inducements.
As a result, it now takes longer to gain frequent flyer status via miles, and everything airline customers look to snag becomes a little more expensive. In the recent past, loyal airline customers would pile up miles that could be turned into free or discounted flights, improved seat classes, free services, etc. Now, the airlines are ratcheting up the restrictions, pushing status farther away from a traveler’s reach.
I’ll offer a case study. I travel a lot in this job, and I earned elite status on two separate airlines last year. I’m flying just as much this year, but I’m accruing status at half the speed of last year at both companies. For example, Delta now counts both miles flown and dollars spent to credit status — and they count higher priced tickets with more regard than coach seats.
Deducing all of this, I wrote the following letter to Delta Airlines, letting them know it would be included in my writing work:
As a longtime traveler on your airline, a Platinum Medallion member, and a professional travel writer, I would like to know how the changes you made to your Skymiles loyalty program would encourage customer loyalty. Last year, I made Platinum status before autumn.
This year, as of July 16, I flew 78,504 miles on Delta – easily enough for me to earn Platinum and well on my way to Diamond by year’s end. However, due to changes in your regulations, I haven’t emerged from the basic Silver Medallion level yet. I wondered why, so I contacted your customer service staff and did some research of my own.
To put it succinctly, I’m no longer gaining status at the rate of past years because you’re punishing customers who buy lower class tickets. It’s clear that you count money from business class or first class more heavily than coach or Delta Comfort tickets. You’re essentially saying, “You did fly our airline, but you didn’t spend as much as we would’ve liked while doing so. Therefore, you’re not getting much credit for it here at Skymiles.”
I understand you screwed those financial bolts much tighter for 2016. So, if I’m reading the new Skymiles operating policy correctly, I am not being rewarded for my continued loyalty to Delta. I am instead being punished for not buying the proper class of ticket. In other words, you’re not all that concerned with customers choosing Delta over your rival airlines. You’re only interested when they do so at the most expensive class they can manage.
All that said, I’m sitting here with 75,000+ miles flown on your airline this year with five months to go until 2017. I’ll spend that time wondering more so than in past years why I bothered to show your airline more loyalty than you show your regular customers.
I promptly received the following response from a Kevin at Elite Online Customer Support Desk:
Thank you for your email to Delta sharing your disappointment with our SkyMiles program. We certainly recognize, as a Platinum Medallion member, you have invested significant time with Delta, and we appreciate your business and loyalty.
Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs), which are used to earn Medallion status, will still be based on distance flown. Plus, benefits like Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades, waived baggage fees and Priority Check-In will not change. We also understand the 2015 program updates will affect members in different ways, but they best balance the needs of our customers and our business.
We’re confident the updates are the right moves for our customers and airline. Members who spend more with Delta will receive more miles, and customers who purchase lower fares will still receive a great value for their ticket. This model, based on dollars spent, is common for many businesses, including those in the travel industry. Hotels and rental car companies have used it for some time, and other airlines have moved in this direction.
You also will enjoy more redemption options in 2015, including the ability to:
- Redeem miles for any Delta flight, with no blackout dates.
- Enjoy more Award Seats for fewer miles and more redemption levels overall.
- Take advantage of new One-Way Awards (half price of round trip).
- Choose new Miles + Cash Award options (pay for a portion of a ticket with miles and the other portion with cash).
- Experience improved Award Ticket search and shopping, including an all-new Award calendar.
We take customer feedback seriously, and your comments will be forwarded to our SkyMiles Leadership Team for consideration. Mr. Lewinski, we appreciate your Platinum Medallion status and hope we remain your airline of choice.
The key phrase in all of that corporate-scrubbed response was “…We also understand the 2015 program updates will affect members in different ways, but they best balance the needs of our customers and our business.”
Truer words were never written, except the concept of balance is subjective. Suffice to say, in the modern world of air travel, the needs of the customers are going to cost them. And, that will definitely take care of the “needs of an airline’s business.”
