Battle in Atlanta

Battle in Atlanta

A group dedicated to reversing some of the recent decisions made by Delta SkyMiles took out a half-page ad in USA Today on Sep. 24, outlining its grievances against the program.

The group, Save SkyMiles ( http://www.saveskymiles.com ) said in the ad that the changes to the program were driving away good customers, and that the 5,700 members of the group, representing over 3 billion SkyMiles, would stop flying Delta all together.

To add fuel to the fire, a copy of an alleged Delta internal memo was posted on the Internet shortly thereafter.

It read, in part: “A very small group of SkyMiles members placed an ad in the Georgia edition of today’s USA Today, stating that they were leaving Delta because of recent management decisions … This very small fraction of members — less than a quarter of one percent of the company’s 32 million SkyMiles members — are those who were accustomed to qualifying for Medallion status traveling on low-fare segments or earning limitless first class upgrades. The reshaped SkyMiles Medallion program ensures that DL’s highest revenue customers receive premium treatment with rewards that are based on fares paid as well as miles flown. As a result, customers who generate the most revenue for DL will reach elite status faster and are now truly recognized as the company’s most important customers …”

Delta has neither confirmed nor denied whether the memo is theirs.