Delta revolutionizes Skymiles program and changes (again) lounge access policies

Yesterday Delta announced a total revamp of its loyalty program, a 360-degree change involving how points are obtained, status renewal, and lounge access.

Certainly many of the changes will have a significant impact on Skymiles' U.S. customers, but it cannot be ruled out that the U.S. strategy will, sooner or later, be taken as an example on this side of the Atlantic as well.

Delta's goals with this change

Before addressing the details of the change, it is only fair to Talk about Delta's motivations for revamping the program.. To understand the reasons for the change, it is enough to know that Delta.com and the U.S. carrier's other properties are the 5th largest U.S. e-commerce by transacted business.

Not just flights, but vacation packages, hotel reservations, car rentals, and more. This means that more and more users are using Delta to take advantage of services that are not flights, and these services will be rewarded with more Skymiles points ( or Skypesos) as the program's detractors call them.

Goodbye MQM and MQS

Until now, obtaining Medallion status with Delta was a crossover of different metrics, although for members residing outside the U.S. it was different, Of the three values, only MQD, Medallion Qualification Dollars, will remain., this will be the only metric used as of January 1, 2024 to obtain/renew status.

• Delta and partner flights: you earn 1 MQD per dollar spent on the ticket price for a Delta-marketed flight operated by Delta or a partner airline.
• Flights booked and issued by partners eligible will earn MQDs at the same rate as today, based on the fare class purchased and distance traveled.
• Car rentals: earns 1 MQD per dollar spent on completed car rentals booked through Delta direct channels.
• Hotel stays: earns 1 MQD per dollar spent on completed stays booked through Delta direct channels.
• Delta Vacations: Earn 1 MQD for every dollar spent on the entire vacation experience in addition to what you earn for your flight by booking directly with Delta Vacations

The way points are accumulated through the use of credit cards also changes, but they have no impact on Italian travelers except for those who are U.S. residents with American co-branded cards. The news here is that Delta has used the axe to drastically reduce the possibility of obtaining status simply by everyday spending.

For non-American members, the change is not so dramatic, at least as long as flights with Air France, KLM and other Skyteam partners continue to accumulate points based on distance and class of ticket rather than cost as with tickets issued by Delta.

Achieving status will require more points

Too easy to have status so too many people have status, so no one feels special. For this Delta aims to make the race to the elite level more complicated, especially to the highest level the Diamond, the one that also gives surprises such as the transfer in a Porsche.

Therefore, for the third consecutive year, Skynmiles raises the number of MQDs needed to obtain the 4 different elite levels of the program. In order to have status in 2025, it will then be necessary to achieve the following points during 2024:

• Silver Medallion 6,000 MQD
• Gold Medallion 12,000 MQDs
• Platinum Medallion 18,000 MQD
• Diamond Medallion 35,000 MQD

The entry level the Silver doubled from 3k to 6k in 24 months. The Diamond level in 2023 was obtained with 15k MQD from next year 35k points will be required.

Other changes

Not only are these changes announced, but many new features have marginal impact for Italian passengers and the few frequent Delta Italian travelers can surely find info and details on the star-studded blogs.

Delta has planned a buffer period, a phasing out of rollover points, will also change the rules for Million Milers, and anticipated the introduction of some Choice Benefits to be announced in the coming weeks.

Objective to empty the lounges

Delta is pursuing a major revamp of its lounge offerings in the US. I I visited the beautiful Skyclub in Los Angeles. and look forward to visiting the new openings in new york and beyond.

The overcrowding issue, however, is increasingly main stream and that is why yet another change (for the worse) for Skyclub access was announced.

After having Closed the door in the face of passengers with the status, also to Skyteam partners, now it is the turn to hit credit card holders. Without a business class ticket, access to Skyclubs will be restricted, which means that depending on the credit card held you will have a maximum number of admissions allowed.

To date, the holders of American Express Italian Platinum have, like their American colleagues, free and unlimited access to Skyclubs when flying Delta (or Skyteam) with a guest. As of February 1, 2025, things are set to change and it will have to be seen whether and how these changes will be transposed by charters issued outside the U.S.

Included in Amex Platinum, regardless of whether personal or business, there will be only 6 free accesses, quite a cut from the current All You Can Visit. If this for a regular Italian user might not be a problem, What definitely turns the nose up at is the fact that as of next January 1. 2024 you will no longer have access if you travel Delta (or Skyteam) on a basic economy ticket, even if you show your Platinum card.

It is good to remember that all these changes apply, at present, only to passengers on domestic flights not for those flying from the United States to an international or intercontinental destination.

There is one exception, however, the same exception that Amex has adopted for Centurion Lounge admissions around the world and that applies only to customers of U.S.-issued cards. If you spend at least $75k/year with one of the Amex cards owned both will have access to Skyclubs regardless of status, ticket or destination.

In conclusion

If everyone is special, no one is special. This is the sentiment that prompted Delta to change the rules, milestones and the way points are accumulated. In Europe we do not have American abundance and so we are not yet at collapse, given the changes it is easy to predict a Drastic cut in lounge attendance and a reduction in people in Skypriority lines at embarkations, obviously starting in spring 2025.