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Besides nicer seats and better food, passengers traveling on paid Delta One, Premium Select, and domestic first class reservations also enjoy increased MQM.
Full first and business earn 200% MQM. Discounted first and Premium Select fare classes award 150% MQM.
Heck, even Y & B coach tickets earn 150% MQM.
But Delta Air Lines’ Comfort+ product — which is a more expensive fare than discounted Main Cabin/coach tickets doesn’t have an MQM bonus.
C+ entitles the ticket holder to a couple of inches more legroom than most other coach seats, priority boarding (even before Sky Priority), complimentary alcoholic beverages, and an upgraded snack basket.
Delta touts this as a premium experience — yet doesn’t award premium MQM.
Diamond and Platinum Medallions almost always can select complimentary C+ seats immediately (space providing) after booking Main Cabin reservations. It’s pretty much pointless for them to ever buy C+ seats. (Golds and Silvers may be upgraded 72 hours and 24 hours prior to departure, respectively — provided their seat of choice is available.)
We’ve written why C+ usually isn’t all that great. At least, not as spectacular as Delta seems to think it is. Paying for C+ reservations seems like a waste of money — especially for Platinums and Diamonds (unless that’s the only spot within your budget left on the plane).
However, if Delta increased the MQM earnings for this “premium” and upgraded experience, it might be somewhat tempting to pony up a few extra bucks and purchase these fares.
But how much MQM would make you consider buying a Comfort+ seat? I think a 25% bonus (or 125% total MQM earning for a flight) isn’t unreasonable. I’m all for paying the lowest fare available allowing me to select a seat, so I’m not saying I’d jump at the chance to buy C+.
But it could make some mileage runs a little more beneficial for those who need MQM.
What do you think?
— Chris
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Your next to last sentence captured exactly what I was thinking as I was reading the post. I would love to see what kind of mileage run values it might create if they did so.
While I’d love the extra MQMs from flying in C+, I’d venture to guess they would remove or reduce the existing benefit of letting me choose C+ at booking time as a Diamond Medallion in an attempt to squeeze even more revenue out of it. I’d probably end up sitting in Main Cabin more since my company policy likely wouldn’t let me buy the C+ fare class even if it were only marginally more expensive. I’d rather have the upgrades than the extra MQM I’d never get.
Buying Comfort Plus puts you higher on the upgrade list, which is a big deal these days.
MQM are not my concern. I need more ways to get MQD. It’s absurd that I can get more MQD flying on a partner ticket that I would with the same flights bought through Delta. It’s also absurd that people overseas don’t need MQD. If you are going to encourage people to get Delta Amex cards and increase the ways of earning MQM (like they just have), don’t make it so hard to get Diamond. I have been Diamond for the last several years and I just don’t agree that there are too many of us.
i agree if u buy up to C- you should get rewarded also if u by first class up should get better MQD VALUE AS THE TAXES (LOTS) we pay for our flights are money spent so should count toward MQD’S