Delta Air Lines announced changes to the changes to its SkyMiles rewards program.
In the span of a little more than a month, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's dominant carrier debuted ramped-up requirements for obtaining elite status and all its perks, fielded a siege of customer outrage, admitted it "probably went too far" and ultimately scaled back the alterations.
In a Wednesday email to SkyMiles members, Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian offered several adjustments to mid-September's program changes that had made gaining status more difficult, expensive and exclusive.
"I have read hundreds of your emails, and what's been most clear to me is how much you love Delta and the disappointment many of you felt by the significance of the changes," Bastian wrote.
About two weeks after the initial changes, Bastian publicly discussed the backlash and explained the airline erred in its pursuit of balancing the growth of the program's membership during the pandemic with the company's need to deliver premium service experiences.
The plans announced in September aimed to base status solely on the amount of money flyers spend with the carrier or via their SkyMiles American Express credit cards rather than miles flown. Delta had also confirmed it planned to cap the number of entries to its Sky Club lounges starting Feb. 1, 2025, for premium card holders.
Now, though, Delta will decrease the number of "Medallion Qualification Dollars" (MQDs) required to achieve 2025 status, further enhance the Million Miler program to reward long-term loyalty, increase Delta Sky Club access for holders of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card and enhance options for rollover medallion qualification miles.
For example, here's how the MQD requirements have changed for each tier in the past month:
