Skift Business Traveler: Delta Changes Its 2016 SkyMiles Program, Customers Lose

What to Know Now

For the six of you still loyal to Delta Air Lines, you may now have another reason to drift over to American or United. The airline just ratcheted up the minimum spend required to earn status for the 2016 year. Only one year after changing SkyMiles to require a minimum spend of $2,500 to earn silver status, Delta has the gall to make the 2016 requirement $3,000. That same 20% increase applies to Gold, Platinum, and Diamond status as well.

What's going on here? According to my friend (and former head of DTW PR) Scott Wintner, "Delta is wisely recognizing that you make more money offering the best product than by the generosity of your loyalty program." But I think it's more than that. I think that current, loyal SkyMiles members are being categorically taken out back and shot.

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Social Quote of the Day

I will say simply that these #Delta thresholds are one of the reasons I am switching my loyalty to @VirginAmerica.

@GoldWineTravel | Erica Golden, Editor of The Golden Rules of Wine and Travel site

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Delta Air Lines Makes Mileage Program 20% More Expensive, Eliminates Upgrades For Discount Tickets: Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines continued the bloodletting in its SkyMiles mileage program late last week, announcing new qualifications for earning elite status in their 2016 program and eliminating upgrades on some deeply discounted fares. Read more at Forbes

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These stunning driverless trains are the future of London's Tube network: Want to see what the Tube could look like in the next ten years? Thanks to Transport for London and design studio PriestmanGoode, we now can, after they unveiled designs for a new fleet of driverless Tube trains due to be rolled out in 2022. Read more at Engadget

Hotels

Marriott Adding Futuristic Wireless Charging Stations to Lobbies: Marriott has quietly launched a partnership with Kube Systems to add cutting-edge wireless charging stations to 29 lobbies across the U.S. with more to come. Read more at Conde Nast Traveler

Lawsuit Claims W Hotels a Haven for Hookers: A lawsuit alleges the W Hotel chain is not only permitting sex workers to toil in its lobbies, but also protecting and managing them. Read more at Flyertalk

Marriott to adopt new hotel cancellation policy on Jan. 1, 2015: Starting Jan. 1, 2015, Marriott International will officially adopt a stricter reservation cancellation policy than what is currently in place at most of its properties. Read more at TravelUpdate

Your Turn

Grumpy American Airlines elites are grousing about service with the new US Airways over in the LA Times. Read the letters to the (travel) editors here.

Tips and Comments

Can be sent to gm@skift.com and @grantkmartin. We publish the Business Newsletter twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

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