I find that Delta has a very solid operation. I don’t fly them a ton, although they used to have a hub in my home airport. Although they still have a decent route network from CVG, I can more often find better deals on American and other airlines
(SEE ALSO: Another 4.6 cents per mile redemption with American Airlines)
Though come to think about it, some of my most recent experiences flying Delta have been a bit more miss than hit, like when we got caught up in the Delta Crowdstrike Pain last summer and when they canceled my flight from Paris (though the compensation did mean I made money on my vacation)
(Another) Example Of Why SkyMiles Are Awful
I am trying to book a flight from Cincinnati to Boston in a few months. I pulled up my points explorer website of choice (PointsYeah) and I found
In case you can’t see the images, there are 3 different options for the exact same flight
- 11,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles + $5.60
- 9,500 Air France Flying Blue miles + $18.21
- And then Delta comes in wanting 27,500 SkyMiles + $5.60 (23,375 if you have an Amex Delta card)
In fact, you can get BUSINESS class (well, Domestic First) cheaper using Air France miles than Delta wants for economy.
For reference, the cash cost of this flight is $299 as a one way. I suppose that explains Delta’s pricing, since they seem to want to really tie the price with SkyMiles to the cash price at around 1 cent per mile, but it really shows that there isn’t a ton of value in collecting SkyMiles.
The Bottom Line
One of the other nice things about booking an award flight on Delta with a Delta partner such as Virgin Atlantic or Flying Blue is that you are usually booked into Main Cabin, rather than Delta’s awful Basic Economy. You can pick a seat, have a carryon and generally have a more pleasant experience than if you book the cheapest flight with SkyMiles, where you will get booked into Basic Economy.
I know that none of this is particularly new or earth-shattering news, but I thought I’d share just another reason why SkyMiles have become such an unhelpful currency.
Have you had luck collecting or redeeming Delta SkyMiles? Leave your strategies in the comments below
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at
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