In a First, Delta Did Not Involuntarily Bump a Single Flyer Last Quarter
During the height of the busy spring travel season, Delta Air Lines didn't involuntarily bump a single passenger.
Delta's CEO Ed Bastian singled out the milestone Thursday during the company's quarterly earnings call, saying it marked a first for the Atlanta-based carrier.
Bumpings, technically "involuntary denied boardings" in aviation parlance, is high on the list of travel nightmares for most passengers. As Delta aims to distinguish itself as a customer-focused airline, the achievement was important enough for Bastian to mention in his opening remarks.
What makes the statistic all the more noteworthy is it coincides with high load factors for the airline. Delta has seen a spike in ridership so far this year as some of its competitors struggle to fill gaps in their schedules resulting from the global grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX.
Airlines across the board have become more aggressive in trying to appease travelers following the 2017 PR nightmare of Dr. David Dao being dragged off a United Express flight in Chicago.
In the wake of that incident, a number of airlines raised their limit for how much gate agents could offer to entice flyers on overbooked planes to take another flight. Some carriers, including Delta, now allow agents to offer up to $10,000 per passenger, though offers like that are exceedingly rare.
The announcement Bastian made Thursday shows how generous compensation -- largely in the form of future flight credits -- can be extremely effective in convincing passengers on oversold flights to volunteer to change their travel plans. It also underscores how reliable Delta's operation has become in recent years.
Delta's achievement also comes as American Airlines, the world's largest passenger carrier, is facing something of a reliability crisis. It has had to cancel flights amid the MAX grounding, and an ongoing contract dispute with its mechanics has led to a rolling series of last minute delays and cancellations as aircraft are taken out of service with little warning.
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Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month