There are so many things that can end up creating a KLM travel voucher for you. In fact, you should always, for any kind of delay, either swing by the “Crown Lounge” or, even faster, one of the automated kiosk machines all over the airport and just scan your boarding pass to see if a pre-programmed voucher spits out.

No matter how big or small your voucher is they have a really kool perk when it comes time to redeem them for Delta travel. Why? Notice what Delta.com says about many of these types of certificates.

Paper vouchers may be redeemed at Delta, Air France and KLM ticket counters. Redemption’s at www.delta.com/redeem will not incur a transaction fee. Fees will apply if voucher is redeemed through any other Delta location.

One way to get to a Delta “ticket counter” is to mail it in. Now the mail does take a while so Delta will put your ticket on HOLD until the vouchers get to them should you choose to redeem them that way. You can hold a ticket this way up to 10 days. I have in the past forgot to mail it in and I was not successful asking for an extension so I just went ahead and payed the total due with my Delta AMEX card before the 10 day hold expired (and then used the voucher on another ticket and remembered to send it in this time)!

So be on the lookout for one of these little gems if you get one save it  if you can as most are valid for one year and also keep in mind since they are paid out in EURO’s you will get an even better return vs the dollar (at least at the current going Euro to Dollar rate)! – René

PS – You still have time for SWAG Saturday Skyclub & GoGo pass giveaway!

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Last month I had a post about the fact that you should never start at Delta.com to rent a car because the codes do not always work and most times you can get a better deal with other codes. But you know, I owe Delta.com a very, very, small apology. Here is why.

When I used the Delta.com code and link to look for a car, only some pulled up. The “same” car I found on the list of least cost cars was not the same as the Delta.com ones. I was under the assumption the USAA code I used was just better, that is, more car for the price. But something was wrong and I had more time to tinker with my latest rental.

A while back Delta.com had a real issue. It was displaying a different set of prices when you were logged in and then another set when you were NOT logged in to Delta.com. That issue is fixed and over. But what about Hertz?

Here is where it gets a little dirty (and I say this as someone who loves my Hertz #1 club gold)! When I was logged in as me I got one set of cars as the cheapest. When I was NOT logged in I got  another set of cars  as the cheapest. Grrrrr. Now to be 100% fair, the car was on the 2nd page and you had to click on “select quote” and THEN and only THEN did the price show up the same as when logged in or not logged in. But so you understand, the list they put up is not the same unless you did all this! Hummm..

The finality of all this is I could, with the Delta.com codes and links, get the same price and have a chance to earn a bunch more Skymiles as long as I clicked on all these extra pages and steps. OK that sounds great right? Nope.

I searched around on BoardingArea.com (something we all should do and can use the search from ANY of the BA blogs btw – it is the default search choice).

I found on my fellow blogger Deals We Like site a AAA code (I am a AAA member btw) that included a ton of stuff like CDW so I did not have to pay with my Delta AMEX to get that for $24.95 and pay a foreign transaction fee. Rather, I used my Chase Sapphire to get no foreign transaction fee and Ultimate Rewards points for the rental ( I did pay the upchage for personal liability, but that is worth it as it is not included)!

After all this it shows that when it comes to car rentals I am not an expert at all. I am smart enough to know that just about everything Delta.com offers is NOT the best deal, but worth checking. So I am sorry Delta.com for my last post that was in fact Hertz’s fault, but I still have to tell readers to not use your site as it is still not the best “Deals We Like“! – René

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I was one of the very first to both break then news that you could register for Delta & SPG’s crossover rewards program and to take a trip that would get points for both (my Istanbul mileage run flights & stay at the SPG Sheraton AMS)!

I have found that my Delta points (like the ones from my ticket purchased with FlexPerks points above) do post very quickly to SPG, but my SPG points take a while and sometimes do not post at all, but most of my SPG stays are on points anyway and yes the below points are sad but they all count, right?!

I love being able to earn Delta Points from my Delta AMEX Reserve card, from my AMEX SPG card and thus with CrossoverRewards double dip in all sorts of directions. My question to you all who are taking part in the program, are your points posting both correctly and in a timely fashion? I would love to know so please share your experiences so far below on the blog below – René

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A few bloggers have found out about the draft information about the new partnership reward program with Delta & SPG. While some of this information was correct, some was not. Here are the facts from the official release at Delta.com and the one from SPG is here:

The program, called Crossover Rewards, begins March 1 and provides elite members of both loyalty programs reciprocal benefits.

Crossover Rewards allows Delta and Starwood elites to share program benefits and earn more miles and Starpoints. SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members will have access to added benefits including priority check-in, 4 p.m. late checkout and free in-room internet access when staying at Starwood Hotels and Resorts. All Delta Medallion members also will earn one mile per dollar spent on eligible room rates when staying with Starwood in addition to the Starpoints usually earned for their stay. In turn, SPG Platinum members will receive one free checked bag, priority check-in and priority boarding when flying Delta. SPG elite members will earn one Starpoint per dollar spent on eligible flights in addition to the miles usually earned for their flight.

This is great news and will add even more value to both programs. You will have to be a PM or DM to enjoy all the perks and Platinum with SPG to get the Delta perks listed.

To me, if you are an SPG Plat, you are basically getting Silver Medallion “lite” as you get some perks but not the really big one of free upgrades. As a Delta PM or GM, with no status with SPG, you are getting many of the perks of GOLD SPG status.

The clearly big win is the ability to earn not just 1x Skymiles but now also 1x SPG points for flights and if you are part of Skybonus 3x points total for each dollar you spend with Delta. – René

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I get asked all the time what other ways are there to fly Delta and get Delta points. One other way is with Hawaiian points. They offer nice perks like the ability to pool miles from you, your family and even any friend you have that has miles too (as long as they too have a Hawaiian credit card that is)!

Seriously, anyone can send Hawaiian miles to ANYONE else in any amount you want up to 10 times maximum per calendar year as long you both, at the time, have a card.

Bank of Hawaii has a 35,000 points card with $1000 in spend (1st year fee NOT waived and NOT my link but one to consider with a churn)! For just the one year fee you have enough points to fly coach class from the USA to Grand Cayman Island. You can also get this new card bonus even if you had the card in the past from most reports.

The award chart is reasonable but being a Delta flyer we should already know, finding seats can be somewhat of a challenge with Skymiles. Finding seats with Hawaiian on Delta is just a teeny, tiny, bit harder (ok much, much harder). But it is not impossible. For example, I am collecting Hawaiian points to be able to book a return trip to Grand Cayman Island next winter.

The key is that the only way seats can be awarded is if low level seats are available. Also, the seats must be not just available on Delta.com, but must be available for the Hawaiian miles center to award. This can be a challenge especially with Delta regional partners that are officially bookable but I have found them practically impossible. I searched every day, every single day, from South Bend to Detroit or Atlanta and there was not one seat for 330 days! Not ONE single seat (I asked the rep to check and she did, it took a long time)! So, unless you are near a Delta HUB city, I would not try to use Hawaiian miles on Delta Air Lines where you will be able to find some availability. The next big key is booking a long way out. I mean up to 330 days if you can. And be willing to spend a long time on the phone to get your seats.

To give you an example, I have now booked from DTW (Detroit) to GCM (Grand Cayman) for next winter for 35,000 points each. These tickets would cost $500-ish each so you can see the value of these points that I got for just the one year fee of the card. I will have to drive almost 3 hrs to DTW compared to the quick 40 min drive to SBN (South Bend) but I can live with that to save $1000 in airfare (and I can maybe get a schedule change to change it to SBN, maybe ).

First know the rules. You can ONLY fly on Delta jets or Delta regional partners. You cannot fly on KLM or AF or others. Only Delta. Code shares do not work. After that, step one is calling the Hawaiian Miles Service Center, Monday-Friday: 7:00am – 4:30pm HST – i.e. NOON-9:30EST (1-877-426-4537). Be ready to be patient. I was on the phone for almost 2 hrs to get my seats booked. Then make sure they are issued before any holds at Delta expire. They may tell you it will take a few hours, but until you have a ticket issued, you are not DONE!

Next, once you have found your tickets, you will be able to get the Delta confirmation number and will be able to see the reservation online. You will also then be able to enter in your medallion number if you have it and will be eligible for ALL the same medallion benefits had you booked the ticket using Skymiles.

Other rules do apply. You will NOT be able to make free medallion changes as the ticket, even though it is now on Delta flights with a Delta PNR, was issued by Hawaiian so any changes (other than a schedule change) must be done by Hawaiian. This is to be avoided as you are then playing by Hawaiian rules not Delta’s.

So while this is a very hard redemption that is even more limited than Skymiles, it can be one more way to fly on Delta jets and enjoy the perks of your medallion benefits if you hold status with Delta – René

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Following the news that Delta is buying out Pinnacle Air, and is dumping their CRJ-100/200′s, I just thought it would be a matter of time before I had a good flight on one of their jets. My last flight back from my ski trip I reviewed yesterday changed all that. Being based out of SBN I spend a lot of time on CRJ’s. I really hate the plane. Some of the crews are horrible, others are exhausted from 3, 4 or 5+ hops per day. Then there was this flight and Lauren.

Now most CJR hops are so short there is no time for any kind of service. The SBN-ATL run is over an hour so sure there will be time. I have never ever been on a flight where the service cart has not squished me so much that I cannot wait for them to get past me. Also, most of the time, when the FA is getting ice, little bits go flying and I get hit. Then there is the return trip and the elbow bang. Carts have no business on a CRJ (ok people either).

Saturday night, Lauren, after a very long day, was kind, chipper and best of all, she went back and fort to the galley for each row’s order. NO CART. After drinks she pulled out the snack bin and walked with it back and forth. Can you imagine? No flying ICE. No banged elbows. And cheerfully smiling service on top of that! There was even a passenger suffering with motion sickness and she was attentive, warm and kind to the flyer.

I know that CJR crews cannot be part of the Chairman’s club but this FA got a $25 gift card from me and one of MY Chairman’s cards I give out now and then. I will also, for a second time during this trip, send a compliment comment to Delta about this FA!

Delta, if you can, CALL NOW and steal away this FA to mainline. Better yet, promote her and let her train ALL the CJR crews on how to run a CJR. Employees like this are rare and hard to find (are you listening Delta)? – René

PS – I have a ReTweet contest going today!

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I was spot on a year ago when in this post I talked about the END of the CRJ-50 seat jets. Not only are these Barbie jets incredibly uncomfortable for anyone over 120 lbs and taller than 5’5″, but they are not very fuel efficient compared to today’s modern regional jets. The question was if Pinnacle would survive. I did not think so with the current plotted course and basically, Delta agreed with me, so they will run the airline with CRJ-900′s. As you can read about here in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Delta will purchase 100% of Pinnacle Airlines (PA) but keep it flying as an independent company owned by Delta.

But what I want to talk about is why? Why did Delta bother to buy yet another regional airline? Back in August I had a post describing how, of the 8 remaining Delta connection carriers, they are only owned by 4 companies.

What is one thing we know about Delta and the current management? They are all about making money, and are doing a good job and the share price of DAL reflects that, and they are also all about control. Control? Check this out:

• C1) Fuel. Trainer Oil Refinery, even though it did not make money starting up last year, has already had an impact on negotiating fuel prices out of MSP. Control of fuel is just HUGE to any airline.
• C2) Employees. Delta has successfully kept FA’s non-union. Remember they, the FA’s that is, voted to stay this way. They feel the company is rewarding them so well the way it is that they see no need. While I’m not saying unions are good or bad, this does give more control to the company.
• C3) Routes. International is where the money is. Look at the HUGE amount of flights Delta now has EACH DAY to Europe. Control of such a huge block means they can dictate much of the price to get there and compete fiercely if need be in a price war or bonus offer.
• C4) Jets. Rather than committing to a ton of new jets, Delta is banking on a modest new order of 737-900′s and running a ton of MD’s of all flavors. Remember Delta has one of the biggest jet maintenance companies in the world. Control to sell jets if they need to and service the ones they have.

The last one brings us to why to buy PA. Delta needs the partners to bring “us” to the hubs so we can fly those lucrative international routes. If there are fewer players in this market, prices may just go up. Now, since Delta will own PA, they can run them as they want from the cost side. Just like with Trainer, control and power over that arena! To be able to dictate terms to those you buy from is an amazing advantage and smart business.

The one thing Delta should never ever forget about is us. As I talked about Sunday, if Delta upsets its most valuable customers it does not matter how much control they have over every segment of the business if there are no passengers to fly! – René

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My trip to Grand Cayman was great. There are not enough adjectives to describe just how great it was and all winter I will be thinking of going back. Gosh I love this place even with their “funny” way of just deciding that the USD is always worth just 80 cents in “CI” (KYD)

My outbound trip on Pinnacle Air was what I have come to expect from that Delta regional partner (click here to learn who you are really flying with) and mechanical delays kept going as my flight from Grand Cayman was delayed due to an issue with the MD88 in ATL. So, I had to do the Atlanta “dash” from E to C. Then, the “plane train” would not work – AGGGGG!

Then I truly entered the twilight zone once I made it to the last flight of the day from ATL-SBN (Delta had rebooked me on an AM flight and my guess is, had I gone to a self service kiosk, a free hotel night voucher and dinner and breakfast coupons would have come out). Our regional was run by ExpressJet that is owned by SkyWest. Jerry was our FA and was training Jessica. Jerry was, well, great and different. I really did not know what to say. He was entertaining (a bit over-the-top) with the safety demo, but I did listen and that is saying a lot! He then took his list and personally thanked EACH medallion on the flight. On a CJR, really – Jerry, who are you? Wow! Then, for those GM+ he said 1st round was free. What, free Woodford? (I said no as I had enough “CayBrew” for the day already). Then, just before landing, he went through the cabin with a tray of candies & mints etc. that looked like it was personally purchased.

Regionals with no first class are not fun to sit in. But Pinnacle Air could learn a thing or two from this 1st class FA from the “zone”. Well, maybe they should fix their jets first and THEN learn a thing or two from Jerry!- Rene

***********************

BTW, I have two sets of 2 Delta Drink coupons that expire 31DEC2012 and if you WILL BE flying before then, comment if you have ever had GREAT CRJ service before and what Delta partner was it with for chance to win these coupons late tonight via Random.org!

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When seats went on sale out of SBN to Denver I jumped on them & redeemed my “Buy One, Get One FREE” (+tax) Delta AMEX certificate from my DELTA AMEX Reserve card. Shortly thereafter I got a friendly reminder from AMEX telling me how nice a benefit this provision is from my card (underline and big yellow arrow are mine btw):

The reason for this post is that each week I get an email from a reader saying: “at the AMEX site it no longer talks about the cert“. So is it then still a benefit of the card? If you take the time to please look back at this post from January, I talk about these certificates! You will see in that post a screen shot from the AMEX web site talking about the free cert. That verbiage no longer shows up as it did before.

But, as you can see from my email, it STILL IS an annual benefit of the card ( after your first year when the fee bills to your card ). I have also been ASSURED directly from AMEX that this is:

“still a core benefit of the Delta American Express card”

I have never ever failed to get mine ever and have only missed spending ONE of them last year (gosh I hate that when I do that). Just to be 100% clear, if you get the GOLD DELTA AMEX card you get a buy one, get one for $99+tax in COACH ONLY. If you get the PLATINUM DELTA AMEX card you get a buy one, get one for FREE+tax in COACH ONLY. If you get the RESERVE DELTA AMEX card you get a buy one, get one for FREE+tax in COACH or BUSINESS (limited fare class redemption with all of these btw). These are good domestic lower 48 ONLY and not Hawaii, unless you live in Hawaii then you CAN use them to fly to the mainland from the islands.

There are other pro’s and con’s to this cert. The pro is you can let anyone use it as talked about in the other post. The con is NO upgrades even if you are DM and you buy a coach seat. However, you can pick Economy Comfort seats  if you are GM or higher for free (that is what I did for my Denver trip).

Anyway, I hope this helps clear things up a bit about these certs and I have also added the post talking about these certs to my Essentials tab at the top of the blog under E19!  – René

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This is more an info update and may just be due to regular schedule changes but take this as a “now you know what I know” post.

Thanks to my 7 days of 24/7 flying for 35,000k MQM mileage run I have now seen the COMAIR flights go bye-bye since that airline will soon be extinct.

Now, a bunch of my Pinnacle Air 50 seat CJR-200 flights have been swapped out for ExpressJet CRJ-700 flights. I have gone from flights with NO EC and NO 1st to birds with both!

I would LOVE more feedback from readers if you also see Pinnacle Air flights going away as this will be a telling statement! Feel free to POST a comment here or e-mail me ( rene@deltapoints.com ) if this is happening to you too. Thanks – Rene

PS – you still have time to win the Delta Points luggage tags to be given away tomorrow afternoon!

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