Delta Air Lines is taking the expiration date off SkyMiles, hoping to keep frequent fliers happy as it faces increased competition from a merged United-Continental and other carriers.
Delta said Tuesday it has eliminated expiration on all accounts. Delta’s miles previously expired after 24 months with no activity.
Miles in other major frequent flier programs, including those at United, American and US Airways, expire after 18 months.
Delta -- which also faces the prospect of Southwest Airlines’ arrival in Atlanta via its buyout of AirTran -- has made other recent changes that affect its most frequent fliers at elite levels. But this one affects those at the other end of the spectrum: infrequent fliers.
Inside Flyer magazine publisher Randy Petersen said Delta has been “beat up a lot” about the difficulty of redeeming miles. Delta also previously allowed customers to restore expiring miles for a fee, but probably found “it really wasn’t that much income versus the badwill they were creating,” Petersen said.
“Once you expire somebody’s miles, they never want to see you again,” Petersen said. “So I think [Delta’s] long-term strategy is, ‘How can we continue to grow goodwill among all of our members?’” Delta’s move could cause ripple effects in the industry, particularly at United, he said.
Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly said the airline has been “talking a lot with our customers to get their ideas on things that kind of mean the most to them, and add the most value to their miles, and the expiration policy was an item that kept coming up.”
