Believe me, my reaction was probably the same as everyone else’s when I glaced at the WSJ headline about Delta sniffing out the idea of a business deal for AA. “HUH?!” I’m not surprised that Delta, US Airways, and any other equity investment firms are doing their homework on the possibility of buying AA. Any smart businessperson should be looking at all possible scenarios, and my complaints about SkyMiles aside, I think Delta’s executives are among the smartest in the business.

That said, there are a lot of air miles between today and any kind of acquisition of AA by Delta or anyone else. Management has yet to present its own plan of reorganization which it has an exclusive right to do for several months. Then there’s the not so small issue of a Delta purchase of AA’s impact on the Oneworld alliance. The downlow on that – I don’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in hades that British Airways doesn’t find a way to keep AA independent and part of Oneworld as opposed to letting Delta buy the assets they can with the rest being parted out to other airlines. Long story short, no AA, no Oneworld, and I just don’t see it happening.

It’s going to be one heck of an interesting 2012.

It’s time (actually well past time) to think about next year. I’ve already made my bed for elite status next year, but there’s one last-minute question that I thought was worth discussing. That question you ask? What to do about Delta Medallion status? I’m going to end 2011 just shy of maintaining Silver Medallion. A little background: I’ve been Silver for a few years, and a very nice friend who happens to be Diamond Medallion gifted me Gold last year. My experience as a Gold Medallion has been light years beyond that of Silver, even though I’d speculate my upgrade rate as Silver was better than most just because of my penchant for choosing flights wisely. Seriously, I’m going to miss Gold Medallion!!!

Now I’m at a crossroads. It’s December, and I only have one more business trip this year, DCA to SEA on Alaska Airlines. I need 7,464 MQMs to maintain Silver Medallion. I’m figuring roughly 4,600 MQMs from that trip as I will be crediting my Alaska Air flights to SkyMiles. Through December 15th, I can buy MQMs from Delta in 2,500 mile increments (up to 10,000 MQMs). So…. 7,464-4,600 = 2,864 MQMs to go. Unfortunately, I can only buy 2,500 MQMs or 5,000 MQMs. $295 and $495 dollars respectively. In other words, I can hand Delta $495 dollars to settle this or buy 2,500 MQMs and hope for a low fare short-haul roundtrip from DCA (not likely around the holidays). Or I suppose there’s another answer, a coast to coast mileage run.

There’s a growing chorus of folks out there that will tell you that basement elite status is hardly worth having anymore since you can get a lot of what it offers by carrying the right credit card nowadays. I think they have a point worth considering, but I’m not quite ready to embrace that opinion just yet. I will continue to fly Delta just enough to make Silver Medallion almost worthwhile. The question for me, is it worthwhile enough to go out of my way to keep it right now? December 15 is coming soon, so I’d better get it together. What would you do?

Last night, I wrote a very brief blog post entitled, “Delta – I’ve Missed You.” In that post, I mentioned some of the things I enjoy about flying Delta like friendly employees, clean airplanes, consistency in service, and most of all, wi-fi. I apparently struck a positive nerve because I’ve had several comments to the post and the number of views of the post numbers into the several hundreds. I really like Delta Air Lines, but clearly, a number of people out there are either wondering what I’m smoking or share similar feelings.

As I mentioned in my post, SkyMiles can be a challenge. It’s not that the program is totally unusable, it’s just frustrating sometimes. I’m absolutely convinced that Delta’s website simply doesn’t “see” award availability that really is there, and when it does….something usually goes wrong to give you some kind of error when you try to book it. This has been covered at length by bloggers far more eloquent than me in explaining it so I won’t belabor the point. That said, it’s something that should be fixed. Given that my Google Analytics data clearly points out that there is interest in the topic, I thought it might be interesting to list the top 3 things I think Delta could do to improve SkyMiles, only one of which is even tacitly related to their well publicized “availability” issues. So here ya’ go.

1. Fix the Delta.com booking engine
2. Offer one-way awards
3. Make at least a token portion of their systemwide upgrades from Platinum and Diamond Medallions usable on any fare

So those are my 3 ideas for SkyMiles. See, I’m really not all that demanding, am I? What are your ideas?

OK, I’m done apologizing for it. I love flying Delta. Heck, I’d expect most people would at least like Delta if it weren’t for their less than stellar (OK, paltry) SkyMiles award availability, and questionable Delta.com award booking calendar. But let’s forget about awards programs for a minute. Let’s talk about transportation between points on a map, mostly personable employees, clean planes, comfortable accommodations, a certain amount of consistency, and oh yeah….inflight wi-fi almost everywhere domestically. Yeah, that’s Delta, and I love it.

The fact that Delta is adding “Economy Comfort” seating to their entire domestic fleet is just one more reason to love flying them. So now that we’ve established that, let’s delve a little deeper. Today, I flew from DCA to ATL aboard a Delta 757. Yes, my Medallion upgrade cleared and I know that always makes things nicer, but still. I was greeted at the doorway by pleasant people and the first class flight attendants were second to none. Personable, pleasant, and attentive without being annoying. Really, they were good. And did I mention that I had wi-fi access?

Somehow, I’m going to find a way to make SkyMiles work for me, starting with frequent reads of Delta Points right here on Boardingarea.com. Who else loves flying Delta? I know you’re out there!

I recently received a question from Reader P who lives in Greensboro, North Carolina (GSO). He has started a new career that will have him in the air a bit, and he sought my advice on which airline and hotel programs to choose.

Reader P (Note: I’m editing several emails into one for clarity)

“I need to pick your brain about travel rewards and what you think I need to do to maximize my return.  Looks like I’ll be traveling quite a bit in 2012 and I want to get the most bang for my buck. I live in Greensboro, North Carolina and will be flying quite a bit more than I have in the past, with a focus in the south, east, and west. Further, I’ve never really paid much attention to hotel programs. Which one do you think is best? Also, what do you think of the Amex Platinum Card? Should I upgrade my Amex to Platinum?”

MJonTravel Responds

Living where you live, either US Airways or Delta will probably be your best bet. All things being equal, I’d rather fly Delta than US Airways, but all things aren’t equal. If you fly Delta, you have to go to Altanta. If you fly US, you have to go through Charlotte (or Philadelphia)….OR you can get in your car and drive to Charlotte if you need to. Either airline can fly you up and down the east coast, and to the west when you need to head that way.

As for the miles, in my opinion, US miles are better than Delta miles IF you intend to redeem your miles for international travel. If you are mainly going to redeem for domestic flights, then Delta will work just as well. US Airways is part of the Star Alliance, and that’s a better alliance than Delta’s SkyTeam. In either case, it’s always best to pick one airline mileage program and try to fly that one airline (or one of their alliance partners) as much as you possibly can. Not only will you build miles, you’ll be building “elite” miles and segments towards earning elite status…..and that’s what you want.

For hotels, if I ruled the world, I would only stay at Starwood hotels. But since I don’t, either Hilton HHonors or Marriott Rewards will probably serve you better. It’s a little easier to get to mid tier elite status with Hilton….16 stays or 28 nights will get you to Gold…..  making you eligible for room upgrades, and best of all, they give you free internet at all their hotels if you have Gold status. I’m always torn between Marriott and HIlton….on the whole, I like Marriott hotels better….but it can be more difficult to achieve and maintain elite status with them. Starwood’s points program is the best. The SPG Card from Amex is one of the most popular cards out there. SPG points transfer 1 to 1 to most airline programs including American AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles. The good thing about Marriott or Hilton is…that usually…no matter where you are going, they have some kind of hotel….whether it’s a Courtyard or a Fairfield Inn….or a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn with Hilton. With Starwood, they mainly have properties in your big cities in the US and around the world. Whichever you go with, my advice is the same, pick one program and stay in their hotels as much as possible. You want elite status.

I am a big fan of the Amex Platinum Card. It is not cheap, but if you get the business version, you might be able to write off the annual fee as a business expense? (Note: I’m not a tax professional, and the deductibility of business card annual fees is something you should consult your tax professional about.) It will get you into the airport lounges of US Airways, Delta, and American on the day of travel. Just hand them your card and a boarding pass for your flight. Heck, US Airways will even admit you with it whether you are flying them that day or not. US also happens to have a lounge in Greensboro. Between the lounge access and the Amex Cruise Privileges program, the card pays for itself as far as I’m concerned. You can read a few of my thoughts on Platinum here.

So….. Delta or US Airways, pick one and fly as much as you can with that program. If you decide to go US, you need to read this link and sign up for their Trial Preferred program. I don’t know if US flies to Colorado Springs (which I understand could be a frequent destination for you) or not. It might be cheaper to fly into DEN and drive down? Don’t know. If you wind up on United, you can credit your flight to your US Airways program and earn miles and elite miles/segments too!

What do you think of my advice to this reader? Are there other options that I’m not considering? Comment to the blog if you’d like to share your thoughts.

This is big news. Delta Air Lines has announced that it is introducing its Economy Comfort product to its entire domestic fleet, including two-class regional jets! While I haven’t had the opportunity to partake of the product, some colleagues of mine have and felt it was worth the price of gold. By next summer, Delta expects to have the new product installed, and will make it available to Diamond, Platinum, and Gold Medallion members at the time of booking for free. Full fare economy customers can select the seats free of charge as well. Silver Medallions can confirm Economy Comfort seats at a 50 percent discount at time of booking or select a seat for free at check-in. Fees will range from $19 to $99 dollars for non-Medallions.

Delta’s move in this direction with its international flights must have paid off for them to be doing this domestically. With the 2 largest US airlines now offering a superior economy product, can AA afford to ignore this? Is it time for a “More Room Throughout Some of Coach” effort? Time will tell. In the meantime, I say this is a good move!

Hat tip to Gary.

I received an email from Delta SkyMiles this evening that I thought was worth sharing. It’s apparently a targeted offer, so your mileage may vary. That said, Delta is offering a rebate on SkyMiles award tickets to some customers.

From the email: “Book a Delta or Delta Connection® round-trip Award Ticket and earn a 20% mileage rebate in BusinessElite®, First or Business Class and a 10% rebate in Economy Class. Plus, earn a 25% mileage rebate for each additional BusinessElite, First or Business Class Award Ticket and a 15% mileage rebate for each Economy Class Award Ticket.

Award Tickets must be booked by October 31, 2011, and travel must be completed by April 30, 2012. There is no limit on the number of rebates you can earn. Rebates will appear in the redeeming member’s account after travel is complete.”

Again, I believe this email to be targeted.

Every once and a while, I get emails from readers with various questions about my thoughts on something travel related. Historically, I’ve kept them to myself for no real reason, so I’ve decided they might make interesting blog material. For every one question, I’ll bet 10 others have been wondering the same thing anyway. With that, on to the question. Reader M. asks:

“I need some help. I want to have your thoughts on Delta medallion membership. I am a silver this year and am about 2k shy of making Gold. I could take a quick trip but I am not sure if I should go for the gold or take the rollover miles of about 24k and go for it next year. I am based out of LAX so the upgrades as a silver are nil.

My problem is that I will make silver again next year for 2013 but I don’t think I will come close to 50k in trips. My trips for next year are LAX-JFK twice, YYZ once, FLL, once, SLC twice, and finally DUB or Rome with a stop in London.

As you seem to fly Delta often I would like your thoughts.”

And MJonTravel responds:

“Thanks for reading, and your note. I’d have to say the answer to your question from my perspective is an unhelpful “it depends.” I’ll begin with saying that the difference between Gold and Silver is, in my opinion, noticeable. Sky Priority service when the upgrade doesn’t clear is reason enough to have Gold in my book. (even though I expect I will only be a Silver next year)

Based on your travel plans, it appears that alone is enough to make Silver for the following year. Might as well go for Gold and enjoy the benefits next year, even if you only are able to maintain Silver in 2013. If you weren’t going to fly as much next year as it appears you will, then I might recommend banking those extra miles to rolling over into next year and having an easy climb to maintain Silver again in 2013. 

Just my thoughts.”

How do you feel about my advice? Do you have a different take on things?

I received an email from Delta Air Lines today announcing that they are adding premium wines and spirits to the normal complimentary Sky Club bar fare. Premium offerings are something that Continental has offered for a while, and American along with United have continued to offer after finally seeing the light with complimentary adult beverages in their clubs last year. Admittedly, these premium offerings are something you could expect for free in the lounges of most major international airlines. But let’s face it, that model simply doesn’t match the lounge model of the domestic US airlines, so I will take what I can get.

I’ll admit that I’m one who typically goes for the “premium” offerings in lounges that make that an option. I think this is good news, and something that I look forward to trying during my next Sky Club visit. Kudos to Delta for expanding its Sky Club menu. They are not forcing you to purchase, and complimentary bar options will remain available.

It should be noted that these options are not currently available at all Sky Clubs, but more locations are coming. Right now, you can partake from the Luxury Bar at Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), West Palm, Seattle, and Washington, DC (DCA). You can review the menus for the new options here:

Wine Menu

Cocktail Menu

Spirits Menu

I’m comfortably ensconced into seat 2A aboard Delta flight 5285 from DTW to EVV. The flight is operated with an ASA CRJ-700, and much to my surprise, as I boarded I saw the “Wi-Fi On Board” decal. Hot damn! Now, this flight isn’t really long enough to accomplish much of anything, but the $4.95 price point was certainly workable for me just for the sake of saying I’d surfed the net from an RJ. So here I am. Blogging from an RJ. Who woulda thunk?

Delta announced the first install of Wi-Fi a little over a month ago. It’s good to see it in action.

Hello from the B/C terminal Delta Sky Club. It’s early on Saturday morning, and I’m taking a quick break for electricity, coffee, and blogging while I wait for my connecting flight to Evansville. Yes, I said Evansville, as in Indiana. Headed there for a wedding this afternoon. The over $400 dollar airfare that was available when I finally decided to buy was just a little too much of a bite out of my October travel budget considering I will be spending 2 weeks at sea on the world’s largest cruise ship later this month. So, I did something I don’t usually do, I spent miles (32,500 to be exact) for a roundtrip ticket from DCA to EVV. Before you ask, no, I don’t regret using miles in this case because I just don’t have the same amount of love for SkyMiles that I do for other, more user friendly mileage currencies. That said, it’s worked out OK for me.

My Medallion upgrades cleared at the window for both of my outbound flights. The return tomorrow is via Atlanta, and the first leg is on a 50 seat CRJ. The flight from Atlanta to DCA is on a 757, but I’m not holding out much hope. Lots and lots of heavy metals fly to DCA on Sunday afternoon, so I’ll probably be cooling my heals in coach. I have quite a lengthy layover in ATL, so I’m hoping to same day confirm onto something a little earlier anyway.

All in all, I’m glad I used miles for this trip even if I wouldn’t normally recommend doing so for a domestic flight. What is your opinion on using miles for domestic flights?