Some days I don’t know if I should laugh or cry about the airline I love to fly. Again with a HT to fti at FlyerTalk, this started the other day with a thread about low level seats showing up for those who have the DELTA AMEX card of any flavor.
I have received an answer back from a query to my Delta corporate contact and can now CONFIRM that this “situation” does exist and has in fact existed for quite some time. However, this is not a “published benefit” for having the Delta American Express card either from Delta or AMEX.
So just how does this little gem work? Basically this works as a targeted offer to Skymiles members who hold the Delta American Express card. Sometimes they will receive and find lower priced award availability if they have the card, but sometimes not. I was not given a set of strict parameters when members can 100% receive this perk. This offer simply is extended “sometimes” to Delta AMEX card holders when they go to search for Skymiles award seats on Delta.com. The one thing I can tell you 100% is those without the card will never be targeted for this increased availability of low level seats!
So many Delta flyers are upset about the lack of transparency with Delta recently with the unannounced change to mid-level award seats requirements. Now we have this one; just how much else is there left for us to “find out” on our own in order to know about it? Delta claims that there are legal requirements that prevent them from being as transparent as we would like them to be. I am not a corporate lawyer so who am I to say but, as Gary from a View from the Wing has pointed out on his blog, why is this not the case for other airlines?
Bottom line. If you are going to have to fly Delta, you had better have the Delta AMEX card. They do extend a bunch of other perks to card holders and this is just one more in the list that you will only get if you have the card! Ah… the never ending search for low level seats goes on! – René
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I have dl reserve and plat cards and have great success with low level award seats, maybe its the card or maybe my timing…..??
@Norman – now we KNOW it is not a fluke. Delta is extending this unpublished benefit to DL AMEX holders now and then (maybe many many times even) – Rene
Is it for International Awards too or just domestic?
I do not understand why such a benefit would be unpublished or unpromoted, Rene. It makes absolutely no sense. And to have such a benefit, that only exists when a computer decides it’s going to offer it to you is even more silly. The more likely scenario is it is just another technical glitch of the airline’s ridiculous award search engine.
I fear that you are being played by your favorite airline.
I have been a Diamond since they introduced that level and obtained the Delta Amex Platinum Reserve a few months ago. Since having this card, I have made several award searches – mostly international – and do not notice any difference (inventory availability appears to be the same before I got the card). Actually, I might be upset over this ‘benefit’ if they are releasing inventory normally reserved for Diamond and Platinum elites to anybody with a Delta Amex card – basic law of supply and demand would suggest that decreases the higher elites from obtaining low-level seats.
I wondered from time to time why people say it is hard to find low level award while I didn’t see it being THAT hard. Now I understand my Delta AmEx Plat was quietly working some magic for my search.
united has a similar thing going with the chase cards..
so, if I have a delta options amex that is basically dormant, should I put that info in to my delta profile as my “default” card on file, and then, once I’ve gotten an award, use whatever other cards I wish to for purchases?
@Kathy K – you need to have a Delta GOLD or PLAT or Reserve card and they will show up in your account as you can see HERE. You do NOT have to pay for anything with it, just have the card. – Rene
My best friend , Judith Feinstein , fought breast cancer for 12 valiant years. It metastasized everywhere except her brain. She underwent chemo and surgeries a mind boggling amount of times and still did not give up believing she needed to Luce her life to the mist extreme degree for as long as she could. Finally after one more and last abdominal surgery her skin would no linger fuse closed and she was held together with binders and given a PRN morphine drip and privacy – I for the call and flew to LA went to kaiser p hospital to bid my best friend ( sister) a grande journey she gave me a ring she had always wanted to give me and I had always refused it but this time I did not knowing it was the last time . She was an AVID traveler and never succumbed to her massive pain – once her colostomy bag exploded whilst flying ( always business) she was mortified but still flew.. Once she pulled her “c” card and asked to be let into the
Admirals club in AA b/c she was not feeling well she moved her wig to show she was bald and the desk admittance people let her in– she was SO appreciative
She needed many transfusions and platelets in her compromised state of health …. She passed with a fight but finally had to let go as her quality of life was beyond living .
So for dear Judith I
Donate platelets. At a hospital center in long island – it is a lengthy process much more cimucated that giving blood . I donate to cancer causes and I do this in honor of my amazing friend Judith Feinstein who was a woman of valor
She is buried in Westwood LA pierce brothers
A tiny cemetery where Marilyn Monroe is also laid to rest along with many other public people
Sorry for being so verbose
But Judith deserves accolades and thus is how I keep her alive .
Everyone should donate platelets as I do……
Namaste
How do you show you (how do they know) have the card when searching for low level flights?
@BDF – You will see the card at Delta.com when you click on “My Delta” left side what Delta card you have or don’t have! – Rene
I have a Delta Gold but it doesn’t show in my profile. Is it something I have to enter? Or is the system supposed to do this automatically?
@SteveH – it should automatically update. I would tweet to @DeltaAssist or send and email to confirm it shows in your account.