Delta deserves a strong reputation for its cheap fares, including cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages. However, its reputation for award seat availability is less than stellar.
Delta frequent fliers are often disgruntled because they are not able to redeem Delta miles at a minimum mileage level for a free ticket.
Deltas SkyMiles frequent flier program offers a free round trip coach ticket within the continental United States for 25,000 miles. Many frequent fliers have found that it is almost impossible to use that amount of miles for a desired flight and must instead spend either 40,000 miles to secure a free seat, which is Deltas medium level award, or 60,000 miles, its high award.
While award seat availability is a common frequent flier complaint, regardless of the airline, experts say it is more difficult at Delta. Delta tends to be the most expensive (i.e., require spending the most miles) to secure an award ticket.
Delta says it offers its customers a unique advantage by having three mileage redemption levels, unlike two at other airlines. Its Medallion frequent fliers are given a mileage bonus (1.25 miles for every mile flown) so that its members can use the highest award option to redeem miles for tickets if other award levels are not available according to the airline.
Delta refuses to say whether every flight has at least one free seat available at the lowest mileage level when it first goes on sale. Its award seats mileage requirements vary depending on the route, date of travel, and customer demand.
A survey in May of 2012 ranked Delta last out of 23 airlines in seat availability. Delta says that over 262 billion Delta miles have been redeemed for more than 11 million free seats. 8 percent of Deltas revenue miles flown in 2012 were for award travel, according to the airline.
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