Delta Air Lines (DAL) is changing its Sky Club lounge access rules and how customers can qualify for elite status levels. The company announced that premium American Express (AXP) cardholders no longer have unlimited access to the Delta Sky Club lounge. Customers with Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express credit cards are only allowed ten visits to the lounge per year, while Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express cardholders are only allowed six visits per year. Yahoo Finance’s Pras Subramanian, Josh Schafer, and Alexandra Canal discuss how Delta’s new changes may impact customer loyalty.
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Canceling my delta platinum, terrible business decision on their part!
I’m canceling my Delta Reserve as soon as the next time I have to pay the annual fee rolls around. I have already opened a different co-branded AMEX travel card.
WHICH CARD? iM THINKING OF DOING THE SAME! @dresadin
As a formerly loyal Delta flyer (platinum level with Delta, on and off for 15 years, Amex Reserve card), yes, people will change loyalty over this given how extreme the changes are to the ability to earn status using AMEX cards. Yes, the lounge perk was nice, but the really, really bad changes are what they did to ability to earn status. Last year, $25,000 on an AMEX card was sufficient to waive spending requirements to get to Platinum in Delta’s frequent flyer program (of course, you had to do a certain number of miles, as well). After this change beginning with the 2025 sky mile year, it will take $180,000 of spend with the Reserve card – a 700% increase. Alternatively, you can spend $18,000 on flights booked directly or use Delta to book hotel and vacation reservations (note that they are also alienating travel agents, since booking a Delta Flight or vacation using a travel agent is subject to the 10:1 rule), which I don’t think I have ever done. I won’t quite flying Delta completely, but no longer will I look to book Delta instead of United or American. And 1 out of 2 times I book first class, fully refundable tickets.