Well, here’s our first status run and mini-vacation post of 2024!
Before I go any further, let me explain that this is sort of a litmus test. Delta Air Lines reduced the MQD earning percentages on its partner airlines. For example, discounted business class fares went from 40% of the distance flown to 30%. Premium economy dropped from 30% to 25%.
Before the devaluation, we usually shot for a minimum +/- 3X MQD return on your airfare/investment. Those would be post-worthy. (Although the later in the year we got, we’d usually relax those minimums because people were a little more flexible as their needs became more urgent.)
The now-reduced earnings are making that a bit harder for us — at least to start.
For example, the trip below is in premium economy and earns a little under 2.3X the MQD return. Please let us know in the Comments section if this kind of trip interests you. For example, you might want to actually visit Dubai. Why not take a trip and earn at least double MQD while not suffering in Main Cabin? Or you might think they’re not worth your time.
SFO to Dubai Status Run and Mini-Vacation
KLM is running a Premium Economy promotion right now. We found a trip on KLM — but all the flights are on Delta and Air France. You fly from San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX) in Delta’s Comfort+. From there, you’re taking Air France’s Premium Comfort to Paris (CDG) and then on to Dubai (DXB). You’ll stay a few days before flying DXB to CDG to SFO.
(The sale spans a number of days, so feel free to play around with the dates. But double-check that you’re booked in Premium Comfort or Premium Economy. Some of the long hauls are available only in Economy. )
The trip is estimated to travel 18,073 miles. That means the KLM “A” fare class will earn 25% of that in the form of Delta MQD WHEN YOU BOOK THE ITINERARY AS A KLM-MARKETED TRIP AND ENTER YOUR DELTA SKYMILES NUMBER AS YOUR PREFERRED PROGRAM WHEN PURCHASING THE TRIP. You will not book the trip through Delta. (If you’re worried you’ll screw something up, contact the point.me Mileage Run Department and have them do it for you.)
That comes to a projected $4,519 MQD. It’ll also pull in 27,111 redeemable SkyMiles. So, for the $1,973 airfare, that’s about a 2.28X MQD return.
“Can You Create a Mileage Run for Me?”
There is a team of people who can tailor a mileage run for you: the point.me Mileage Run Department. They are professional mileage run finders and bookers. They will work with you to create a mileage run tailored to your preferences, schedule, needs, preferred airports, airline alliances, etc.
They can also help book hotels and arrange some other trip details for you. Contact point.me today.
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Question on how mileage runs will work as we move forward.
Right now I am at 800,000 lifetime miles on Delta. I am Platinum for 2024. If million miles will now make one lifetime gold, does it pay to do a a few mileage runs a year for the next couple of years to get to the million?
Are there still bonus miles for premium cabins or is that all gone?
Thanks
I have a question into a Delta spokesperson and will update when I get an answer.
On KLM’s pop-up on the Delta partner earnings page, it says, “Partner-marketed flights will earn miles based on a percentage of distance flown* as determined by the fare class paid… *For purposes of calculating mileage credit and MQDs, ‘distance flown’ means the calculated distance between origin and destination, as determined by Delta in its sole discretion, regardless of the actual distance traveled on any individual flight.” That makes it sound like the fare purchased would be taken into consideration.
Then on this page, it says, “Flight miles flown on flights marketed by Delta’s partner airlines will also count towards Million Miler Status, except for Basic Economy and similar fares.” There’s no mention of fare class.
A Delta spokesperson told me it’s flight miles flown.
So, it sounds like it’s just 100% of flight miles flown. That’s still better than a kick to the head but…
Chris, this is very interesting. I thought I was done with mileage runs, but I will have only two more years of Diamond medallion status starting next month. I live in a Delta hub and will miss the automatic upgrades to C+ for me and my plus 1, a lot. I have 1.84M miles and will consider doing a couple of runs a year just to get the to 2M mark and “lifetime” Platinum. This will give me the ability to book Main cabin and get C+, along with a few choice benefits.
So keep these coming. I will be interested in the really high Skymiles runs for decent money, but I swore off main cabin runs several years ago. Premium cabins only!
Thanks for the feedback!
Please keep them coming and maybe propose some trips for those of us that have >1.5 MM and < 2MM and who want to get quickly (or as quick as one can) to 2MM
The premium economy cabin on Air France 777s, with the exception of the few that have been retrofitted with the new seats, are torture. You are better off in economy and I will never travel in that cabin, with those seats, again.
Booked SFO-CDG this summer and, after a night in a PE seat, my back hurt so bad the next day that I could barely walk (literally). The gods smiled on me, though, and I was upgraded to Business on the return. First time ever I had an unsolicited upgrade to a lie-flat seat.
A few comments… I agree with JohnnyBoy’s comment about Air France’s PE. Of all the Delta tier 1 Partners, I would say Air France’s PE seats & services are the worst. 2 weeks ago I did a mileage run from JFK-CDG-HDN and back on AF’s PE. My seat was not comfortable at all. There pillow was flat like a postage stamp. The food was basically the same food that they service in economy, as far as I can tell. On the other hand, I think VS’ and Delta’s International Premium Economy are much better. Delta actually uses memory foam pillows which give firm and excellent support. Needless the say, VS’ is always a good choice.
My 2nd comment centers around chasing after million miler status. Currently, I have 2.2M miles in my million miler status; and I have enough rollover MQD to get me to Diamond status until the end of 2026. This means that I have 3 years to get up to 3M miles and then I be life time Diamond. Therefore, my main focus is not on MQD but on act qualify miles earned toward million miler status. When Delta updated their million miler qualification, it states that million miler status will be “based on miles flown.” Well, just last week on (1/1/2024), I flew from JFK to EZE. I booked a main cabin seat but I was able to upgrade to D1 using my Global cert. The actual base miles shown, according to “My Delta” activity, was 2500 miles; and I also received 3,000 bonus miles because I am a Diamond. Then, when I checked my million miler status after the flight on (Jan 3), Delta awarded 5,281 miles toward my million miler status. I guess I am still not certain how Delta is calculating miles that are used to qualify million milers status. Is it just based purely on miles flown (ie. the base mile) or is the bonus miles also count toward the qualification? This has a major implication on whether I will do my mileage run in economy/main cabin or in business cabin. EX: Korean Air Business Seats will give me 200% miles earned, which means double the base mile.