There are running jokes about different features and benefits that airlines copy from each other.
- American and United totally copied that from Delta!Â
- Delta is absolutely copying United and American with this!
Well, Delta Air Lines recently instituted a major change in its SkyMiles Medallion program — and made it purely spend-based. American Airlines and United Airlines have been in that game for a while.
But there’s a customer-friendly move Alaska Airlines recently announced. It’s a very cool idea — and one I think would appeal to Delta’s “most loyal customers” (as they love saying).
Million Miler Metal Tags
Alaska Airlines customers who accrue at least one million miles will receive luggage tags made from the skin of a retired Alaska aircraft.
What if Delta did the same thing? I know it would mean replacing the oh-so-exciting plastic tags.
A longtime Delta Million Miler received a metal tag when he crossed the 1,000,000 mark. “But the 2 Million Miler crapola plastic is a joke.”
You may recall that Delta and American Express teamed up for a promotion offering new and existing Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card cards made from the skin of a retired Delta-operated Beoing 747.
(My friend Derrick Tennant once told me a restaurant server saw the 68,000,000 miles flown on the front of the card and said, “Wow, you’ve flown sixty-eight million miles?!” True story.)
The offer turned out to be so popular that supplies were soon exhausted for existing cardholders.
So, there clearly are people who enjoy and appreciate metal tags. Especially those who love telling you they’re Million Milers.
Delta definitely improved the lifetime Medallion status for its Million Milers — which I’d take over a metal bag tag. But I bet there’s at least one old Delta plane sitting out in the desert just waiting to return to the air — even of it’s just as a brag tag.
What do you think?
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Not that it really is important to me, since I am about twenty years away from becoming a Million Miler with my current flying pattern 😉
Even if it were a lot closer there is no denying that the b(r)ag tags are not quite the most important benefit but still I think it would be appreciated if it were metal and not plastic. Especially, when not just any metal but some part from a retired plane.
As it often is with little touches … not really the most important thing, not the most valuable or whatver … but still nice touches.
I would settle for a million miler gift. I never received the gift I selected because of the pandemic. When Delta brought back gifts I was offered a choice from a fairly substance selection. My million miler plastic tag broke a while ago and Delta also won’t send me a replacement. Delta also isn’t sending yearly Diamond bag tags anymore either.
That’s weird that you’re not getting the yearly bag tags. I’m only Platinum and I’ve received them the last 3 years. The Job Well Done certs also returned with the most recent set of yearly tags that I received a few weeks ago after requalifying for 2024. That was the first time I had received the JWD certs since before the pandemic, but I’ve been getting the bags tags again since 2021.
As long as you don’t actually use the tag for your luggage, it’s fine :), Years ago, when DL first issued metal tags for Diamonds, reports started surfacing that their checked luggage would come off the carousel with the tag missing. By coincidence, there was a big secondary market for the tags on Ebay (hmmmm…). The brag tags may be useful to put on your carry-on or backpack to indicate to your fellow passengers how pompous you can be, but not much else.
I think my first set of Million Mile tags were metal, the 2 million plastic. Also, I got a great Hartmann tweed bag as my first million mile gift (about $1000 at the time) and a tiny plastic Hartmann bag worth maybe $200 for the second million. Obviously Delta downgrades everything, constantly. I love my 747 reserve cards, as I probably flew on that aircraft and love my metal diamond cards. More metal the better IMO. I’m spending way more money per flight on Delta and getting way less in benefits, which is why I fly other carriers when convenient – previously I would absolutely not go outside of the NWA/Delta system. But I am sure that wall street is happy and that’s what they really care about….
I jumped on the 747 Delta/Amex reserve card. But, it’s already shot. The vinyl started peeling off about 6 months ago and now it can’t be inserted. I recently I ordered a new regular replacement card. Too bad it only lasted less than three years.
It would be nice if the tags had a way of identifying the owner.