This has been widely blogged about in too many places to name here (Dan Webb gets the hat tip because I read it on Things in the Sky first), but I wanted to throw my 2 cents in. Delta has announced a big SkyMiles promotion for travelers between New York – JFK and Los Angeles or San Francisco. Purchase a roundtrip BusinessElite ticket in this market and you’ll get yourself 50,000 SkyMiles. Purchase what Delta refers to as “Premium Economy” (meaning Y, B, or M inventory) and you get 25,000 SkyMiles. You have to register for this offer at delta.com/transcon. American quickly matched the offer. Here’s the link to AA’s press release. You have to go to aa.com/offers and enter promotion code TRNSN to register. Travel must be completed by June 30th with both airlines.
My take? Here’s an excellent opportunity to earn some significant bonus mileage if you’re prone to buying high fare tickets. Delta is obviously serious about capturing a significant portion of the New York market, and this promotion is just one tool in their arsenal. I wonder if United will join in the fun? Both American and United offer a 3-class transcon product which may be more attractive to some. We all know that I feel AAdvantage is a superior mileage program to SkyMiles, but Delta is a very formidable competitor with great people and a great inflight product. I could envision this promotion enticing a few American and United regulars to give Delta a try.
