FlyerTalk Forums - The Definitive “Soft Landing” Questions and Reports on Delta Air Lines Thread (2024)

This email went to those who dropped a level in Medallion status. The price shown with the discount code (DSCMR) will be $50 higher than your email, as it will also include the $50 initiation fee if not a current (or recent - last 30 days) Delta SkyClub (DSC) member.

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Other note: \
- AA offers soft landing 1 level, and/or you can buyback if at least 1 AA flight in the previous year if you didn't do that the year before (and has DQM in 2 markets DFW-LAX/SFO right now too);
- UA is offering "challenge buyback: $$$ + 10,000 miles to Premier / 15,000 miles to Premier Exec" this year.
- CO sent a few emails offering buybacks yesterday to lowered Platinums/Golds - not sure how extensive.
-USAir has a purchase / fly-for-fewer-miles trial challenge program that only precludes doing that in the year before and usually starts the DEQM frenzy.

Yeah, I didn't mean to be critical of Delta - I was simply adding a data point to the question asked at the top of the thread.

Delta is totally in the right in how they want to run their FF program. At the same time, given that they have access to my past flying patterns, one could surmise that I am now flying on other airlines and that my business is going elsewhere.

I did get an unsolicited soft landing from Flying Blue last year (Gold to Silver), which I thought was a classy move by KLM/Air France. A similar move by Delta would have been welcome and, in my case, would have caused me to look at flying Delta/Sky Team for some upcoming trips. However, a complete lack of status most definitely causes me not to chose their flights.

Indeed you do.

I agree you would think that, but they do not know if you switched carriers, jobs or routes.

I was a multi-year PM, but I haven't been on an airplane (any airplane, not just DL metal) since October of 2009. If someone at DL corporate headquarters surmised that my business went elsewhere, they were wrong!

The Medallion year is March 1st - February 28/29th, so March 1 is when one finds out whether a soft landed was granted. I don't think there would be any news about soft landings in April.

does delta do soft landings anymore? PM with very little travel on delta this year due to serious travel budget cuts.

thanks

I doubt it. I was PM last year and became FO this year, and later GM, only because I earned enough MQMs for it.

I am DM for the last two years, Platinum for 7 years before that, 1 Million Miler.

This year has been ugly and I have hardly flown at all. In fact I have 18,400 miles so far this year.

My two questions are:

1). Has anyone had any experience in keeping some elevated status level given my history or is "What have you done for us this year?"

2). As a Million Miler I assume that I will get awarded Lifetime silver at this point (Lifetime meaning however long Delta decides to do it)

I'm not claiming any right to keeping any more staus than I flew and am not whining about what I have done in the past. I am just wondering if I might expect a soft-landing and if there is anything I can do to help that along.

Thanks in Advance!

One would hope that they would let a DM down easily (say to GM), but I strongly suspect (in these days of MQM carryover) that it will be "But what have you done for us lately?"

When did you pass 1MM miles?

If it was before May 1, 2003, you are "lifetime" FO.

If after then, you should receive "annual complementary" FO status, year-to-year, as long as this policy is maintained. See this post:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/17212186-post360.html

Good luck.