Delta CEO said they 'probably went too far' with SkyMiles changes. Tweaks are on the way.
Delta Air Lines is announcing changes to the changes it announced to its SkyMiles program.
In a presentation to the Atlanta Rotary Club on Monday, Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian said executives heard the pushback from customers about sweeping changes the company planned for how SkyMiles members earn status and access lounges and were reevaluating some of those changes.
"We're still assessing what we'll do, but there will be modifications that we will make, and you'll hear about it sometime over the next few weeks," Bastian said.
Here’s what we know.
Delta's SkyMiles Changes
Earlier this month, Delta announced it would shift status earning to an entirely spending-based metric. Rather than accounting for miles flown in addition to spending on tickets and co-branded credit cards, the airline would consider only the monetary aspect in awarding status for 2025 and beyond.
On top of that, the airline said, it would limit SkyClub access for many members and credit card holders, perhaps in an effort to address crowding that has been a point of contention for many frequent flyers.
Full details: Delta says goodbye to Medallion Qualifying Miles in frequent flyer program overhaul
The backlash
SkyMiles members were generally not pleased with the announcement, and many took to social media to voice their frustrations.
Worst blunder in airline frequent flyer program history. Clearly the Marketing and SkyMiles team has no pulse on its true customers. I was waiting for the rollback as soon as they sent the email 2 weeks ago. Get better staff, @Delta. https://t.co/Xp6j6bX5xs
— Kenisha (@heyitskenisha) September 28, 2023
Dropping, leaves, change. All words that describe how formerly loyal customers will treat Delta after the horrendous SkyMiles update :)
— Stu (@HotBoyStuBoy) September 26, 2023
I've been a 10 year Platinum Member with @delta and an Amex Delta branded card which I will be changing after next year unless the new program changes. Terrible move Delta! https://t.co/isycfg7cWh
— Big Russ (@RavusVulpes) September 25, 2023
What’s next?
Although Bastian didn’t announce specifics about how the airline planned to modify updates to its frequent flyer program, he did promise changes were coming based on traveler feedback.
“No question, we probably went too far,” Bastian told the Rotary Club. “I will tell you that we're listening to the feedback, we're reading the feedback.”
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: More SkyMiles changes are coming as Delta hears traveler feedback
