ATLANTA- Delta Air Lines (DL) is altering its approach to earning elite status, as, starting from the 2025 travel year, miles flown will no longer be the sole criterion.
Instead, Delta will employ a singular metric: money. This encompasses expenditures on Delta tickets, vacation packages, hotels, and car rentals booked through Delta, as well as spending on Delta’s SkyMiles credit cards, wrote Kevin Drum from Jabber Wocking.
Delta Credit Card Revenue
The magnitude of spending on Delta’s American Express cards is remarkable—amounting to nearly 1% of the entire U.S. gross domestic product, as reported in June by Bastian.
The airline anticipates that these modifications will result in a substantial increase in cash flow. In terms of revenue, Delta is projected to amass nearly $7 billion from American Express this year, encompassing the sale of miles, ancillary services, and brand fees, with a long-term target of $10 billion.
This figure is nearly on par with the revenue generated by the airline from transporting passengers in 2022.
Remarkably, Delta presently derives almost as much revenue from its credit cards as it does from its core business of transporting passengers.
One might speculate whether Delta’s stance reflects a broader trend among airlines, where the traditional focus on facilitating travel for ordinary individuals appears to be diminishing in significance.
SkyMiles Rewards Program
For the seventh year running, the Delta Air Lines (DL) SkyMiles program has been recognized as a top performer by U.S. News & World Report in their annual ranking of airline loyalty programs.
Delta Airlines has once again secured the coveted No. 2 spot overall, outshining all other global carriers in the evaluation of ten prominent U.S. airlines.
This year, Delta has received a multitude of new accolades from prestigious publications and organizations.
The Points Guy named it the Best U.S. Airline for the fifth consecutive year, while Skytrax hailed it as the No. 1 airline with the best staff in North America. Additionally, WalletHub named Delta the Best Airline of 2023.
U.S. News has historically considered five essential components of flight travel in its rankings. These factors include airline quality ratings, ease of earning a free round-trip flight, network coverage, added benefits, and flight volume.
However, this year, the evaluation was enriched by a sixth consideration — award flight availability.
One significant advantage of the Delta SkyMiles program is the absence of blackout dates for Award Tickets on any Delta flight.
Moreover, members can earn Medallion Status when utilizing their well-deserved Award Travel on Delta-operated flights.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.
