Delta’s SkyMiles changes have convinced me to stop chasing airline status, and that’s liberating

14.09.2023 - 20:31 / thepointsguy.com

Two years ago, I took a daytrip from Boston to Los Angeles to hit AAdvantage Platinum Pro frequent flyer status on American Airlines. The status I earned on that trip went along with two other airline elite status levels I also held at the time: Delta Air Lines Platinum Medallion and United Airlines Premier Gold (I hit the higher Premier Platinum tier the following year).

I valued having airline status — I got tangible benefits and fun perks like upgrades and other freebies from the various programs. But now, just two years later, I'm planning to give up all of my elite airline statuses.

Over the past year, I've been leaning this way anyway. Since having a baby, I've found myself putting a greater value on my time at home. Not to mention, this past summer brought numerous travel headaches stemming from weather disruptions. Regardless of your final destination, it seemed like every connection added extra risk to your itinerary.

But the changes that Delta announced to its SkyMiles program yesterday were the proverbial nail in the coffin. Whereas even just a few years ago it was mostly about how far you flew and what kind of tickets you bought, now, airline status levels are so difficult to achieve.

Gone are the days of simply flying a lot or paying a higher fare to lock in status. Today, earning elite status is all about credit card spend and other kinds of purchases, such as hotel rooms and items bought through online shopping portals. That's convinced me that the perks of status just aren't worth the effort and cost.

I've already locked in my Delta Platinum Medallion status for next year, but come 2025, I'll likely be without status.

After years of being in the chase, that feels liberating.

Unless you fly the same nonstop routes repeatedly (and that's it), chances are you've done some pretty irrational things to achieve status if you deliberately seek it. I'm certainly guilty of that, picking vacation destinations around flights, spending more money to fly a particular airline and choosing crummy connections over nonstops, all for the sake of chasing elite status. (Remember that otherwise unnecessary daytrip to Los Angeles?)

As an airline free agent, I can finally go back to picking the most reasonable flight, defined by whatever hits the right balance between being the cheapest and the shortest or easiest option — not the one that gets me closest to the next status level.

If you're now reevaluating your travel habits, too, here are a few things that are pushing me to change how I fly that you may also want to consider as you weigh your options.

Part of what's making it easy, and even somewhat pleasant, for me to give up on status is the fact that you really don't get as much for having it anymore.