If there's an airline which is aiming to commoditize their mileage currency, it's Delta. That might sound a bit counter intuitive, given that they also don't have award charts, and therefore their miles aren't worth specific amounts. But their long term goal seems pretty clear -- they want their program to be as revenue based…
Continue reading: Delta Now Lets You Redeem Miles For SkyClub Drinks
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I used to say I'd never purchase a drink in the skyclub but on my last trip I saw a lady enjoying a bottle of champagne, which seemed really appealing at that moment. I'm much more likely to part wih some skymiles rather than actual money though, so maybe next time.
I would prefer to have a few glasses of bubbles before a flight, it does seem to make miles worth less though.
I'm not sure why you see otherwise, but I view this reward as quite *aspirational*, if you will. It certainly is better than the crime that is redeeming 30,000 miles for a domestic roundtrip in the holiday season which our grandmothers love to commit. Sure enough, us mileage geeks are always eyeing the likes of CX, EK, EY in a premium cabin, but I'm certain that is not how my parents are spending their miles.
good to know in case i'm ever stuck on DL. i have about 10,000 skypesos only, so i'd be fine parting with them for half bottles of perrier-jouet at 2200 a pop.
Wow-thanks so much for this important and interesting update! I think there are some of us who would gladly wait for more substantial news/reporting if there is a current paucity of such...I know, a bit snarky just before Christmas...
@Abdelrahim Abdallah: If those round-trip flights would otherwise cost over $300 a piece, then they're still a better deal than this.
Now that they've enhanced the free drinks in the skyclub i dont think i'd ever pay cash or miles for a cocktail there. Stoli and their 'craft beer' usually do the job for me.
My only annoyance. They have a bloody mary listed on their cocktail menu for $8 which has grey goose in it. The bartenders however seem to have a hard time comprehending when I order a 'free' bloody with stoli (which imho is more than comprable to grey goose, especially in a bloody mary)
@Abdelrahim Abdallah redeeming 30k miles for a domestic round trip during holiday season hardly seems like a crime if you can do it. Tickets during the holiday season are generally more expensive - domestic tickets can easily run over $500. At that price it's actually one of the better redemptions you can make with skymiles.
To me, it would make more sense to let me pay for drinks on the airplane using miles. Why allow it one place and not the other?
The redemption rate for booze is 2¢ per mile. Not sure if this was an error in your article or if they just improved the rate since then.