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Delta Air Lines announced a year ago significant changes to its SkyMiles elite program and access to its Sky Clubs. The spending requirement for top status was increased from $20,000 to $35,000. Credit card spending would count towards this status, requiring $350,000 spent on their $550 annual fee credit card or $700,000 per year on their mid-tier card. Additionally, club visits using the premium credit card were capped at 10 per year, with American Express Platinum cardholders receiving just six.
Delta's message to customers appeared clear: "stop being poor." This led to severe backlash as Delta was not offering any additional benefits while demanding more from customers. Both Delta and American Express were evidently concerned about the reaction since they failed to meet their $7 billion relationship revenue goal for 2023 amidst pandemic-induced inflation.
In response, Delta moderated the changes significantly and even introduced improvements to lifetime status. However, airline CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged that it was a mistake to implement all changes at once but did not believe the changes themselves were wrong. Delta's long-term goals remained unchanged.
