Yes, I know. I hem…I haw….I hem….I haw….. I procrastinate. I pontificate. After months of dithering about what I was going to do about losing Delta Platinum Medallion following a 2015 dip in travel, I did the unthinkable. I folded like a cheap suit. On December 31, 2015, I sent the materials needed to request a status match to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP 75K status. I won’t pretend that the constant internet beatings about being a Delta apologist didn’t have an impact, but in truth what I really wanted to do was test the possibilities of being a partner elite flyer in Delta’s biggest hub. What Happened?
Image courtesy of Alaska Airlines
The Match
When I finally decided to go for the status with Alaska, what did I do? Requesting a match with Alaska Mileage Plan is pretty straightforward. I made .pdf copies of my Delta Platinum Medallion materials as well as a copy of my driver’s license. Here’s the quick digits on status matching to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
Send an email to elite dot flyer at alaskaair dot com, and include following information.
- A copy of the front and back of your elite membership card. (I actually sent the digital card available on Delta.com. YMMV.)
- A copy of your current e-statement indicating your status.
- A copy of your driver’s license.
If you request the match now, it’s only good through 12/31/16. If you wait until October, it will be good through 2017, but do confirm that with Alaska Airlines. As I noted, I submitted my match request on December 31. On January 17, 2016, the status appeared on my Alaska Mileage Plan account, and the next day I received an email letting me know I’d been approved. Alaska highlighted some of the benefits I’d receive in the email.
- Top Priority for Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades
- Top priority on standby and waitlists on full flights
- Chance to nominate someone to MVP status
- Quick onboard access with Priority Check-In
- 4 Day Passes to our Board Room airport lounges
- 125% Bonus Miles on actual or minimum miles flown
My MVP 75K kit ultimately arrived in the mail. It included a membership card, two baggage tags, and four Board Room passes.
The First Flight
My first flight as an MVP Gold 75K was actually on Delta. I know, fitting. It was an FCM itinerary from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta booked into A class. I’d flown from Atlanta to Miami days before. While could have credited that itinerary to Mileage Plan, I thought it might make for an interesting comparison with the flight from Fort Lauderdale as the flights were of similar mileage.
On the surface, the only differences I noted with the flight were a reduction in complimentary checked baggage allowance from 3 pieces as a Medallion member with Delta Amex to 2 pieces as a mere mortal MVP 75K. Other than that, airport check in was pleasant, as was my visit to the Sky Club at Fort Lauderdale by virtue of my Amex Platinum card. Inflight service was as impeccable as I usually expect from Delta. I did not detect any kind of service difference being an Alaska elite on Delta metal.
The Mileage Difference
What I’m sure you may be most interested in is the difference in miles earned between SkyMiles and Mileage Plan. The numbers weren’t that far off, but I earned more with Mileage Plan than I did with SkyMiles. In the interest of fairness, I plugged the numbers into the SkyMiles mileage calculator on Delta.com for my then current Platinum Medallion status as well as the Silver status I currently hold. Granted, this ignores MQM bonuses I could have obtained with Delta, and are rough estimates based on the fare paid. Here are the results.
For the purposes of our discussion here, the numbers on the right are the only ones that matter as they reflect the SkyMiles 2015 revenue-based earnings. As a Platinum Medallion, I would have earned 1,413 miles. As a newly minted Silver Medallion, just 1,099 miles.
However, as a Mileage Plan MVP Gold 75K member, I earned 1,743 Alaska Airlines miles.
Life changing? Hardly. An interesting look at the differences between the programs? Sure.
Conclusion – None Yet
I have a lot of research to do here, and I am by no means convinced that every Delta flight I take this year is going to get credited to Mileage Plan. One flight is not a verdict, and to be sure, there are disadvantages to accruing miles with a partner program when you primarily fly another carrier. I will cover some of those in a separate blog post. That said, I’ve only just begun. We have some American experiments to accomplish, and no doubt, more with Delta too, including a #TeamBoardLast opportunity. All this, and I haven’t even gotten to the benefits of MVP 75K status on Alaska metal yet. More soon.
-MJ, February 19, 2016
Silver Medallion members, general SkyMiles members and non-members may only fly same-day standby for a flight that is earlier than their original flight.
@Will, with a Very Rare exception, I always clear the first class upgrade list and you completely missed my point. I have relationship with AS. They are my carrier of choice and they appreciate my business. I don’t fly DL or AA exclusively and credit all of my miles to AS just because AS miles are worth more. These people that abuse AS are freeloaders. Will, your comment about me suggests that you are one of these freeloaders.
Steve, I hope you never get upgrades again and that sit #1 while a freeloader gets your seats as you cry your way to coach.
I am sorry but have to agree with Steve’s post above. Status matchers clog up our tried and true system. Averaging 90 to 100K a year on AS at then end of the day they take better care of their FF’s than any of the other big three.
So hoping you earn your keep on AS or move back to DL
Travel safe
I appreciate your thoughts, Ghostrider and Steve.
Marshall,
I read your column every day but you struck a nerve with me today. I have been an Alaska mileage plan member for 20 years. I really gave a disdain for freeloaders. What is a freeloader/. It’s an east coaster that fly’s DL exclusively, status matches with AS and credits all of their miles with AS because we all know that skymiles is crap. I hope that AS puts the brakes on freeloaders.
On one hand, I value AS mile a whole lot more than DL, even from Tampa.
1743 AS and counting, is worth a lot more than sky pesos. I used to be DL platinum too.
Ooooh, you went to the dAArkside. Wait, wrong airline. đŸ™‚
@Disco,
The dAArkside dwelleth within me for many years now. đŸ™‚
Best of luck with Alaska! I totally enjoyed last year with the status match but in the end I decided Delta still rules my world. Would be different if they offered more flights to and from TPA but TPA-SEA is a rarity for me and that’s the only route. Guess I could credit my DL flight to Alaska but as a DM that would hurt. Bad.
As I book travel this year I keep a watchful eye for opportunities to travel with Alaska. If everything is near equal I will book Alaska when I can.
Graydon,
That’s likely going to be my conclusion as long as I’m living here. But I thought it was worth the time to experiment a little. I’ve got a lot of SEA/PDX/other west coast coming up, most of which will be on AS metal. We’ll see how it goes.
I log most of my Alaska EQM by flying Delta. ALaska’s hard product can’t compare with Delta. Also, in 3 years, I have been upgraded just 4 times as an Alaska Gold on Delta flights. On Alaska flights I never miss upgrades unless I change flight timings at the last moment.
So question, you really didn’t take a flight on AS just flyer number ? Maybe you can amend after you actually fly AS and tell us your thoughts on the difference ? Or is that another post
That’s a future story. Shopping some west coast trips right now, in fact.
Marshall when you book your delta flight did you enter your mileage plan number as opposed to sky miles? Also how does delta know you’re elite with Alaska or is that something that happens behind the scenes? I have the Alaska credit card but i think those benefits only happen if I’m flying Alaska metal.
I actually booked it with my SkyMiles #, but removed it and added my Mileage Plan number after the fact. Airline partners share elite information behind the scenes through some sort of data exchange. It took a few days to be recognized as AS elite, but it eventually happened. The card benefits are only for AS flights.