With tensions in the volatile Middle East rising once again, Delta and United Airlines have canceled all flights to Tel Aviv effective today, and some European carriers are halting flights to the region as well. But despite earlier reports to the contrary, British Airways has said it will continue to fly, as will Israel’s flag carrier, El Al.

Delta in a statement said it is pausing flights between New York-JFK and Tel Aviv through Friday, Aug. 2, and suspending sales of flights for DL234 on Jul. 31 and Aug. 1, and DL235 on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2.

Delta.com notes that “our hearts are with all who are impacted as we work to find safe alternatives for customers trying to travel to/from Tel Aviv,” and offers a waiver to any customers currently booked through Sept. 6, 2024, who want to change flights.

United, which has been operating 14 flights a week to Tel Aviv, says that while its service to Tel Aviv is “currently suspended,” it still flies to Amman, Athens, and Dubai, where travelers can transfer to other carriers.

Cancellations are affecting European carriers heading to the Middle East as well. Lufthansa Group on Monday said three of its airlines — Lufthansa, Swiss, and Eurowings — have suspended flights to and from Beirut “up to and including” August 5, and Lufthansa on Wednesday night canceled a flight from Cyprus to Tel Aviv after Iran announced it was temporarily closing its airspace. Air France also suspended some of its flights, while other airlines changed their flight schedules.

Meanwhile, an ad in The Jerusalem Post notes that under EU regulations, travelers whose flights are canceled may be entitled to up to €600 compensation.

It may not last forever, but for now the new Delta Digital ID speeds passengers through security faster than PreCheck or CLEAR—and it’s free to boot.

After successful beta testing in Detroit and Atlanta, the biometric program now has expanded to LAX, LGA and JFK, and since the program is so new, its dedicated security lines rarely have a wait.

Delta Digital ID lets customers quickly move through bag drop and security checkpoints without having to show photo ID to an agent. To register, travelers must have:

• TSA PreCheck® membership
• Their passport information and a Known Traveler Number stored in their Delta profile
• A (free) SkyMiles membership
• The Fly Delta app

Eligible customers will receive a notification in their Fly Delta app when traveling from a Digital ID-enabled airport, or can opt-in through their SkyMiles profile on Delta.com once the four requirements have been met.

They then can use the dedicated bag drop line – the one with the green “Delta Digital ID” icon – and security line.

Using Digital ID this week, I walked right through security behind just one other passenger at LGA, while my husband spent 10 minutes in the CLEAR line.

A new private jet partnership will allow seamless connections with Delta itineraries; a new class of premium airport lounges is coming; NDCs are on the way, but not right now; and sustainability is a key long-term goal.

Those are the takeaways from Steve Sear, Delta Airlines EVP of global sales and distribution, at the opening session of the Global Travel Collection’s Elevate conference in New York today.

Chatting with Internova Travel Group’s EVP of partner relations Peter Vlitas, Sear promised that Delta’s investment in Wheels Up private jets will allow customers to get off a Delta flight and onto a jet in a partnership that delivers 100% on-time performance. “Operational excellence is going to be the foundation,” he promised. “It has to be 100%—they expect that jet to be there, to know the tail number. It has to work every time.”

Premium customers also soon will get a new kind of airport lounge, curated like the lounge in Charles de Gaulle in Paris, with a full dining experience. The first is scheduled to open in Los Angeles in Q3 2024, then in New York, Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit. “We learned from Virgin that sky clubs are important,” Sear said. “People see it as an experience.” Delta has opened nine new lounges in the past 15 months, adding 5,000 seats, and is enlarging others, including those in all eight of its hubs.

With the complexities of NDC plans, meanwhile, Delta’s first priority is to do no harm to the travel advisor. “For us, NDC is a small subset in our distribution strategy; we want to be where the customers want to engage Delta, and our commitment is to be best in class in every one of those channels,” he said. “We believe the change to NDC is inevitable and we are committed to that, but in an evolutionary way, not a revolutionary way; we are going to do it right, and make it as simple as possible.”

Also in the Delta game plan is a focus on sustainability. “We can’t be a dirty industry, that’s just not going to be a long-term viable situation so we are all 100% committed.” Delta has gone plastic-free on its planes except for coffee cups and is electrifying all ground service.

Surely Delta expected some push-back from customers when it announced changes to its loyalty program last month. But the carrier this week said it has listened to the disappointment its frequent flyers expressed—and is cutting back on the cut-backs.

“Over the past few weeks, many of you have shared feedback about the changes we announced to Delta’s SkyMiles Program,” the email from CEO Ed Bastion said. “What’s been most clear to me is how much you love Delta and the disappointment many of you felt by the significance of the changes. Your voice matters, and we are listening.”

In response, Delta has lowered the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD, or dollars spent) requirements at each tier of the program. Here’s how they compare with the previous announcement:

• Silver Medallion Status: from $6,000 to $5,000 MQDs
• Gold Medallion Status: from $12,000 to $10,000 MQDs
• Platinum Medallion Status: from $18,000 to $15,000 MQDs
• Diamond Medallion Status: from $35,000 to $28,000 MQDs.

In addition, Platinum, Platinum Business, Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Card Members will now receive a head start of 2,500 MQDs per card.

Perhaps the most contentious part of the changes involved access to Delta Sky Lounges, to which many Delta SkyMiles® and American Express credit card holders until now have had unlimited access. To cut down the growing crowds there, Delta had earlier cut the number of visits per cardholder. But now the following rules will apply:

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve and Reserve Business Card Members will now receive 15 days of Delta Sky Club access per year, up from 10 announced last month.
• Delta Platinum Card® and American Express Business Platinum Card will receive 10 days of Delta Sky Club access per year, up from 6.
• Each “Delta Sky Club visit” includes entries within a 24-hour period, including the departure city, connecting airports and arrival destination. A same-day round trip would count as one visit.
• Holders of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve, Reserve Business, or Platinum Cards from American Express also will be able to purchase club access for $50 per visit.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve, Reserve Business, Platinum Card, and Business Platinum American Express Card holders will earn unlimited Delta Sky Club Access after spending $75,000 on an eligible card in a calendar year. Unlimited access would continue for the remainder of the current Medallion Year as well as the following Medallion Year. Card spend tracking begins on January 1, 2024 for the 2025 Medallion Year.
• Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access under the current policy is available until February 1, 2025.

Delta also announced improvements to its Choice Benefits program, where Platinum and Diamond Medallion members now will be able to select various perks, such as SkyClub membership or bonus miles, and to choose an MQD Accelerator for the following qualification year.

Perhaps the most significant improvement involves Delta customers who have been saving up MQMs. Beginning in 2024, they can redeem 100,000 MQMs to maintain their level of status. If you have 500,000 miles that you earned and rolled over for the past few years, for example, you can use them to keep your status for the next five years, regardless of the other changes.

“I know the modifications we have made won’t solve for every disappointment,” Bastian wrote. “Our goal is to do our best to ensure we deliver the service and benefits your loyalty deserves.”

It’s a time when senators, mayors and congresspeople are dropping out of public service, CEOs are stepping down at an unprecedented rate and leaders are abdicating their positions in droves—overwhelmed by the extraordinary demands of the times. The person who stepped into the leadership position at Delta Vacations, however, is eager and plucky.

“I can’t think of a better time to be joining than the last couple of months,” she told me. “There’s so much opportunity on the horizon to really create a strong connection with our customers and our travel advisors. Now this is going to be the fun part.”

Kama Winters became president of the wholesale vacation packager on June 21, after Read the rest of this entry »