Better than a poke in the eye (Delta Skymiles)

Member Name: ahenry

Product:	Delta Skymiles
Date:	03/07/01 (182 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free, Avoid queues

Disadvantages: Not very generous

The reason for collecting Delta Skymiles is not so much to get freebies, but to reduce the amount of queuing. You get a point for each mile that you fly, with the usual range of bonuses for flying with expenisive tickets, on under-used routes, and on wet Tuesdays in November. This means that you get about 7000 miles if you fly a return trip from Gatwick to Boston.

To get a free return transatlantic flight takes 50,000 miles. A one-way upgrade to business class is 20,000 miles. However with only 10,000 miles, you get a Medallion card. This means you can avoid the long queues at check in and use the same desk that the Business class users use, and of course you don't need to spend the points to get this - you just have to have earnt them.

Compared to other reward schemes, Delta Skymiles are pretty ordinary. A Medallion card is easier to get than a BA Silver card, but with a Virgin Atlantic Freeway card, then you get a free return transatlantic flight after flying just 30,000 miles.

Summary: