✈ Delta’s frequent flyer backlash; will a shutdown snarl travel? And more! ✈

September 27, 2023

Delta redefines 'elite'

by Ben Mutzabaugh, Managing Editor for Aviation

Hello TPG readers!

I’m coming to you this week from sunny Portugal, where I’m in Lisbon to attend the World Aviation Festival.

Look for highlights in upcoming TPG coverage, but — for now — let’s recap what’s been making aviation headlines since our last newsletter.

There’s talk of a government shutdown, flights are on sale to an entirely new airport serving Mexico’s Riviera Maya and there are lots of interesting new routes to talk about.

However, even with all that, the biggest buzz still centers on Delta Air Lines’ dramatic frequent flyer program overhaul and changes to Sky Club access that the carrier announced two weeks ago.

If you missed it, Delta is now prioritizing spending — and lots of it — as the one and only way to earn elite status. The airline also will limit the number of visits many customers can make to the airline’s Sky Clubs — even if they’ve shelled out for very expensive credit cards that used to confer unlimited access when flying Delta.

That’s led to a backlash from many Delta loyalists, who’ve vented their frustration with the changes. Are customers fed up enough to switch carriers — or even become “free agents”? That remains to be seen, but at least two rival airlines — Alaska Airlines and JetBlue — are openly courting Delta elite members to change teams with status-matching offers.

Here’s what else we’ve been talking about since last time …

Travel headaches could be on the horizon as the U.S. teeters on the brink of a government shutdown. TPG’s Meghna Maharishi breaks down the details — including how a shutdown could lead to a spike in air traffic control delays, longer waits in airport security and increased processing times for passport and Global Entry applications.

In Mexico, flights are now available to the country’s newest airport. The new Tulum airport — code TQO — gives the increasingly popular destination along the Riviera Maya its first international airport.

And there is the usual slew of route updates.

San Antonio is celebrating its first transatlantic route, announced last week to great fanfare in the Alamo City. Breeze Airways is growing its map, adding a new state in the Midwest — and “tripling down” in Florida while also teasing an international expansion.

Delta is in the mix too, unveiling a summer schedule for Europe that includes two new routes and the expansion of 11 others. On the downside, Delta will drop one German city altogether. Domestically, Delta’s updated summer schedule features two new routes from Atlanta, one from Seattle and more flights on 11 others. Speaking of Atlanta, Delta rival Alaska Airlines added its own new route to Delta’s megahub – a move announced just after Alaska rolled out its status-match offer targeting Delta elites.

That’s it for this time. Safe travels, and may your upgrades always clear.

Ben

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Photo Credit: BEN MUTZABAUGH/THE POINTS GUY.

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