I am frequently called a Delta apologist by nice people. Others call me worse. Of course, the majority of flights I have flown this year have been on airlines not named Delta, but I digress. I am not mad at Delta, its frequent flier program, or anything else. I made a decision to fly some other airlines in the past year for purely selfish reasons – I saved money at times, saved myself a bit of time every now and then, and it made for some material to share on the blog that hopefully served as useful information to other travelers.
However, here I am 8 months into the year facing a question – does someone who flies frequently for business and pleasure and lives in Atlanta really want to swear off Delta and SkyMiles? The answer is no. Depending on your travel needs, there are definitely options to Delta in Atlanta. Southwest is a decent airline, and one that I will continue to fly when it makes sense. But if you value your time, and live in Atlanta, you are likely going to fly Delta. While they aren’t always the “cheapest” at first glance, if you count the benefits of elite status and a schedule that works, they are, more often than not, the best option in my Georgia-based travel world. Could I status match to Alaska, and get the best of both worlds? Maybe, but I’m just not sure how long that option will last.
In the end, I use an airline for transportation between points on a map with a reasonable level of care, some dedication to operating a published schedule, and making things right when they go wrong. The rest, well that’s just gravy. I’ll make the best of it while I’m living here. And that really is…..no seriously……I mean it this time….my last word on the evolution of SkyMiles.
-MJ, August 13, 2015
Of course your regular readers will see the irony here: you’re accused of being a Delta apologist while, in reality, we all know that you’re actually an American Airlines guy. It’s funny how the world works sometimes.
I live in Atlanta as well and have been trying to fly AA more domestically even though that usually means an extra stop. Not sure if it is worth it.
On the international side, I’m excited about Qatar and Turkish coming to town next year. Will make my quarterly trips to India so much easier.
well, I second the commenter above as well. I wouldn’t consider you a fan boy OR apologist, just someone who is a geographic hostage and attempting to make rational decisions based on those circumstances. I don’t post, just lurk, but I like the content / debate and hope u continue despite those conspiracy theorists on the fringe who always seek to escalate. FWIW, I don’t fly delta, pretty much loathe them, but this blog provides a good reasonable counterpoint to me that I use to assess whether I’m being too hard on them. Maybe not your intent of the blog,… Read more »
Hey,
These posts have been fantastic to read, and I urge you to reconsider ending your columns on the subject of Delta. I’ve loved hearing your thought processes. It’s also been great hearing your P.O.V. on American and Southwest. Keep up the good work, and keep on writing about the devolution of Delta’s FF program. I’m sure you’ll have much to say as the program continues to change.
Hi Clint. I’m not going to stop posting about Delta. When I said last word on evolution of SkyMiles, I meant last word on converting to a revenue-based program. Right or wrong, it is what it is, and I don’t piling on is going to change it. If enough people vote with their wallets…who knows? I’ve let it go and moved on to what’s best for me as an Atlanta-based traveler. Sometimes it’s price, sometimes it’s schedule, sometimes it’s a little bit of both.