Delta Backtracks Recent SkyMiles Changes, Boosts Lifetime Perks For Some Members

18.10.2023 - 21:49 / forbes.com / Ed Bastian

In an email to consumers Wednesday afternoon, Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian shared an update to the drastic changes made to the SkyMiles program last month. They included limiting Sky Club access for many American Express cardmembers to a few times a year and raising the requirements to achieve elite status (while dropping the ability to earn it on segments). Following much speculation, Bastian said that the overwhelming email response of disappointment led to a slight “walk back” of these changes. Taking effect in 2024 for the 2025 Medallion status year, these are some of the anticipated updates for members.

While earning status will still be based on dollars spent (instead of the number of flight segments and miles flown), the amount needed will be reduced. The previously announced Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) requirement to achieve status was higher. The new levels drop the requirements to:

Travelers with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business, Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Delta SkyMiles Business Platinum American Express Card will receive an automatic $2,500 MQD bonus each year, effective Feb. 1, 2024.

Delta has experienced significant overcrowding in its lounges, in part due to the superior experience it offers in its Sky Clubs. The lounges are often newer, with more impressive food and beverage options. The prior changes were mostly focused on American Express credit card holders who used their card to access the lounge. Today’s announcement walks back some of those downgrades, but only slightly.

Effective February 1, 2025, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card will now have 15 days of access throughout the calendar year. One day will cover a 24-hour period from the first entrance, which allows those on “red-eye” flights to access the lounge in more than one airport on the same “day.” Previously, the announcement was that cardholders were only allowed 10 visits per year, with each entry counted as one visit.

Once the allotted number of days has been used in a calendar year, cardholders can pay $50 for an entrance pass. Those who spend more than $75,000 on the card will unlock unlimited access.

Those who use The Platinum Card from American Express to access the lounge will now have ten days of access per calendar year (up from six). This was one of the primary gripes of cardholders in social media circles who used the card for lounge access. Instead, anyone with Medallion status can purchase an individual membership to the lounge for $695.

Airlines often tally the number of miles a passenger flies over their lifetime and offer an incentive to stay loyal. For Delta, this is known as Million Miler status, and the carrier