Oh, Delta. I used to be shocked, flabbergasted and even upset when you did things that were bat crazy when it comes to prices and SkyMiles. Nowadays, I hardly even yawn and have come to expect less value and more cost for everything.
Back in August this year, Chris posted about a ridiculous price Delta offered him for a one hour flight (see the post here). It was for a 223 mile flight from Fargo to Minneapolis. The quick and dirty math of his post breaks down like this to upgrade to first class:
$504.17 i.e. $2.26 per mile flown
or
46,900 Skymiles i.e. 197 SkyMiles per mile flown
Yowzers!
That is a lot of both dollars and or Skymiles for such a short flight with little in terms of service or extras.
But I now have Chris beat and beat by a LOT (even for Delta that is saying something). Take a look at the offer I have on a flight from Detroit to Lansing I have booked next year and see if you are impressed:
Let me again take the time to break down the math for you just how much Delta wants to charge me for this “First Class” upgrade experience that is for a 74 mile flight (BTW one of the if not now the shortest flight Delta flies):
$305.30 i.e. $4.13 per mile flown
or
28,400 Skymiles i.e. 384 Skymiles per mile flown
I WIN!
Well no not really, but wow that is shocking and sad. Also keep in mind for both of us the upgrade is / was for a Delta regional jet and they are even less exciting than Delta mainline jets. I mean…
This was my recline button on my flight home to South Bend from Atlanta earlier this week. Yeah, even these better than CRJ200 jets are showing their age.
Bottom line I don’t ever remember seeing north of $4 bucks per mile for an upgrade price. Maybe you have personally seen higher? If so please let us know in the comments below! – René
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So sad…
I only got into the game a couple years ago and read your posts religiously. Now I’m seeing that 2023 may be my last year as a Diamond Medallion member. Delta steadily disappoints me. We flew from ATL to MIA for Thanksgiving and got to the lounge well ahead of our plane departing…I patiently waited for the gentleman ahead of me to scan his boarding pass, when a bell sound went off and he had to go to the counter (I secretly thought he was in the wrong lounge). THEN I proudly walked up and couldn’t wait to “scan ‘n go”. Not so fast…the same thing happened to me! Clearly a computer glitch (I thought).
I scan my boarding pass again at the counter and the agent greets me with a smile and thanks me for my business & for being a Diamond medallion member and turns her attention back to the screen….THEN any guess as to what her next statement was?!?! She informs me that my son and I would be 1 hour over our stay. Clearly dazed and confused, I asked her to repeat herself. She informs me that it’s only a 3 hour stay in the lounge and we were there 4 hours ahead of time. In pure shock, I asked her if she was politely asking me to leave (the Diamond Medallion Member)? She said she couldn’t ask me to leave and was informing me of the policy! IMHO, that’s not how you treat your top tier medallion members…*sigh*
All that and now I’m on a Virgin Atlantic flight (ATL – LHR – JNB) with the first leg being operated by Delta. Imagine how shocked I was when I couldn’t use any of my GUCs (that expire 1/31/23) to upgrade to Delta One from ATL – LHR?!?! But hey…now I have plenty of time to catch up on all of the Eye of the Flyer posts!!
Delta has gone crazy on its prices! When are people going to wake up and choose NOT to fly Delta? Here’s a comparison: You can fly from LAX to Singapore in FIRST CLASS (REAL FIRST CLASS) for $2.74 per mile. Or from LAX to DOH on Qatar in Biz for $1.49 per mile. These two are arguably the best two airlines in the world. Use these as a comparison to judge whether $4.13 per mile is worth it. WAKE UP PEOPLE. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/10/best-airlines-in-the-world-skytrax-ranking.html
I’m with @Don. Delta has just worked so hard to destroy value for the flying public and particularly for Skymiles members that it’s tough to be anything but offended. Unless you’re a hub captive I’d genuinely like to hear some valid arguments in favor of sticking with Delta when they are so apparent about holding engaged customers in contempt. If it’s “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” then what does fool me dozens of times mean?
I’m a hub captive, but my M.O. for 2023 is not to fly exclusively DL, but rather consider the price as well. I’ve been Diamond – ever since they began Diamond, and have been paying my own way (not being reimbursed by a company). I may end up as only Platinum or Gold, and will see how that feels and works out when it happens.
The highest Upgrade that I have been offered is ATL-JAX=$695 for a 28-30 minute flight!!NUTS
Guano crazy? Of course! As the saying goes, though, “When life gives me lemons, I make a whiskey sour”. Let’s accentuate the positive: DL dropped service to LAN entirely for a while there, just as it did for BGR. In fact, I remember trying to fly MCO-BGR (typically with a stop in LGA) in 2021 in order to enjoy a white Christmas and DL had the unmitigated gall to recommend MCO-LGA(or JKF)-PWM. The whole point of choosing BGR as my final destination was to AVOID the 2-hour drive up the tollway. If I were content with MCO-PWM, I would have flown B6 MCO-JFK-PWM and saved AT LEAST HALF off the fare with a nicer coach experience, including superior WiFi (free of charge for many years, including the pandemic) and real snacks (even snack boxes for purchase on both legs). IN other words, there’s batty in fare pricing and deranged: your choice!
“When life gives me lemons, I make a whiskey sour.”
My kinda guy!