Delta is selling intra-Asia connections on Singapore and ANA, but there's a catch
When Delta Air Lines was awarded several more slots at Tokyo's Haneda Airport earlier this year, it made the long-expected announcement that it would close its Asia-Pacific hub at Tokyo's Narita Airport.
With its Narita (NRT) hub closing, Delta also announced the fate of the last two remaining flights from its once-significant intra-Asia network: It would be ceasing service to Singapore (SIN) and moving its service to Manila (MNL) to fly out of its partner hub at Seoul's Incheon Airport (ICN).
With its Narita hub no more, Delta is now preferring to connect its Singapore-bound passengers to its joint-venture partner Korean Air or to its other close Asian SkyTeam partner, China Eastern. However, with its own intra-Asia flights from Tokyo coming to an end, Delta has also begun selling intra-Asia connections onto two airlines outside of its SkyTeam alliance: Singapore Airlines and ANA.
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Such an itinerary is likely to be appealing to many Delta flyers, as both ANA and Singapore Airlines are known for having great onboard products, especially in their premium cabins.
While you probably won't be able to book Singapore's fantastic first or Suites classes since Delta doesn't offer an international first-class product, Singapore's business class is definitely not a bad way to connect onward from Tokyo to Singapore.
Unfortunately, it appears that Delta is not selling award flight itineraries with these segments operated by Singapore Airlines or ANA, either alone or in combination with Delta flights to Asia. So, if you want to book an award flight from Tokyo to Singapore with Delta miles, you'll still need to connect through another city on one of Delta's SkyTeam partner airlines, such as Korean Air, China Eastern or China Airlines.
Related: The advanced guide to maximizing Delta SkyMiles award tickets
How will these flights affect earning miles and status credit?
When members of the TPG Lounge Facebook group began seeing these flights listed for sale on Delta's website, their first question was naturally how these flights being operated by Singapore Airlines or ANA would affect earning miles and elite status credit on Delta.
Since Delta doesn't have a codeshare agreement with Singapore or ANA for these intra-Asia flights, the flights are marketed directly with their Singapore (SQ) or ANA (NH) flight numbers. As astute Delta flyers may know, flights marketed with the flight numbers of another airline earn Delta miles and status credit according to the partner earning charts for the marketing airline on Delta's website. When you're flying on a close Delta partner airline, that can be a very good thing. However, since Delta's website lists no earning chart at all for either Singapore or ANA, my hopes were not high for earning miles on these flights.
Related: What is Delta elite status worth?
Trial bookings on Delta's website appeared to confirm my suspicions. Even in business class, the flights operated by Singapore or ANA would earn no miles or status credit at all.
The first example I tried was a booking from Atlanta (ATL) to Singapore via Seoul with the flights between Seoul and Singapore operated by Singapore Airlines. As I suspected, the numbers of SkyMiles, MQMs and MQDs in the estimated earning totals were only including the Delta-operated flights from ATL to ICN and back.
No credit at all was given for the ICN-SIN segments operated by Singapore Airlines. Since ATL-ICN is 7,153 miles and business class earns a 50% bonus on MQMs, the 21,460 MQMs that this itinerary would earn were only for the Delta-operated flights. Additionally, the total fare before taxes and fees was $6,400, but the mileage calculator showed only $4,566 of that counting for MQDs.
Attempting ATL-NRT-SIN round-trip with the NRT-SIN segments operated by ANA yielded a similar result. Only the Delta-operated segments between ATL and NRT were earning any SkyMiles or Medallion status credit.
When I reached out to Delta, they confirmed that my understanding of the rules was correct here and no Delta miles or status credit would be earned for the flights that Delta is selling on Singapore Airlines or ANA metal.
Related: Credit cards that can help you earn airline elite status
Bottom line
With Delta's hub at Narita closed and its flights to Singapore terminated, its interline agreements with Singapore Airlines and ANA present additional options for Delta flyers to connect within Asia on nice products. But, if you want to earn Delta miles and status credits for your intra-Asia flights — and since you're reading The Points Guy, you probably do — you'll likely want to avoid these itineraries and stick with SkyTeam carriers like Korean Air or China Eastern for your intra-Asia connections instead.
And if you want to use Delta SkyMiles to book an intra-Asia award flight, you're going to have to booking flights on Delta's SkyTeam partners.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.