Delta Air Lines’ frequent fliers will keep their status for yet another year, even if they haven’t stepped foot on a plane since the pandemic began, the carrier announced late Tuesday.
Medallion members will see their benefits extended into 2023, and the carrier is continuing with existing incentives for people who continue to fly and rolling out new ones.
Members who earn a new status level in 2021 will be cleared for upgrades ahead of people at the same tier whose status was automatically extended starting Feb. 1, 2022. They will also continue to earn points toward the next Medallion status level on award travel—flights paid for with frequent flier miles—through Dec. 31, 2022.
With this extension, Medallion members will maintain their current status through at least Jan. 31, 2023.
“Your loyalty to Delta has never been more important, and we’re committed to earning it as we move into the recovery and beyond,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian in a letter to members.
The Medallion status updates were just one of the promised changes from Bastian.
The company is also adding as many as 5,000 new employees, he said, to reduce wait times for customers who call the carrier and at airports. Delta’s website is being upgraded to allow people to do more there, too. Customers flying Basic Economy, for instance, will be able to make changes to flights occurring through the end of the year. And both expiring and newly purchased tickets in 2021 will remain valid through Dec. 31, 2022, Delta said.
“We know traveling looks different than it did before the pandemic,” said Dwight James, S.V.P. Of Customer Engagement & Loyalty and CEO of Delta Vacations. “No matter what your situation has been throughout the past year, we want to do all we can to make your return to travel seamless and rewarding.”
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