A frequent traveler’s post is going viral since Delta Air Lines appears to be going above and beyond when recognizing their Million Mile flyers. User @cbkaye posted on Threads: “Catching a 6 am flight to NYC for a long weekend. I board early and am sitting in my seat when a lovely woman bounces over and says I am reaching One Million Miles on Delta with this flight! She gives me a plaque, a gift, and asks me to hold this sign!! Pretty hilarious and completely unexpected!”
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This is way more recognition than I’ve seen in the past and more than what I received when I hit one million miles with American Airlines (AA). In 2019, I wrote, “My Los Angeles to Chicago flight was a watershed one for me as I crossed the one million mile mark on American Airlines. In short, it was very anti-climactic. Not a single mention or a peep from anyone. Not that I was expecting a big party or for Sam Elliott to come out of the cockpit like in Up in the Air, but I thought at least one of the flight attendants would come by and say thanks for spending so much time and money on American. Nope! I’m close to a million on United so let’s see if they’re any different.”
Other road warriors commented on @cbkaye’s posts with similar experiences on Delta’s competition:
@eliza_bennett11: I’m a million miler on American and got an …..email.
@burrowbk: Geez, my husband hit his on @united and they didn’t even have a coin for him. He actually never got it. Being Global Services didn’t help. 🤣 We did just receive a website printout plaque in the mail last week… so that’s something. Congrats!
However, a couple of Delta flyers posted the opposite:
@ak42664: “Congratulations. You’re going to enjoy the status bump. And the million miler gift package coming your way. I reached million miler in February! More first class. It’s nice being thanked for being a Diamond Million Miler. It gets noticed by everyone at Delta.”
@kathleenranneybindon: Yes. I always get recognized for being a million miler when I’m talking with a Delta rep. 😀 And thanked for my loyalty. I’ve been with the frequent flyer program for over 40 years!
And judging from one of Delta’s flight attendants’ comments, it looks like the crew is notified when someone is about to cross over a million mile milestone.
@cheftkkyle: I love when we get emails about a new million miler. We go out of our way to thank you. From flight attendant TK, congrats!!
I’m hoping it’s a new trend since it’s a win-win for everyone. The customer gets appreciation while the airline has a chance to go viral with some positive news.
I know United does a solid job appreciating their most frequent flyer, Tom Stuker, who has flown over 24 million miles on United including one million miles in a calendar year, which equates to 67 roundtrips between Los Angeles (LAX) and Sydney, Australia (SYD) to reach one million miles in a year. That’s absolutely insane.
United also honored ESPN’s Chris Fowler after reaching the two million-mile milestone. Here’s that story.
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I’m a DL 2MM. I hit 1MM with the DL/NW merger so wasn’t on a flight for any recognition. But I did get 2 gift offers – the Hartmann luggage wasn’t a good fit for me but my sister-in-law got good use from it. The Tumi that I selected for 2MM served me well for 10+ years, even getting it repaired once (and I was on a trip when it broke, so got a loaner to finish my trip and my repaired bag as shipped home). Handle broke again at 12 years and Tumi couldn’t repair it, but gave me a $205 credit.
I hit 2MM about 10 years ago on a Vietnam Air flight so no recognition on flight, but DL people at all levels recognize the 1 & 2MM. The MM status seems to be more significant than DM or PM status to DL staff. And DL’s decision to award PM “for life” was a way to really recognize long-term loyalty.
And DL’s of personalized metal brag tags this spring was a nice surprise.
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Great to hear they recognized you. I also bet 10 years ago there were a lot less 2M fliers.
I’m sad to warn you not to expect anything from United when you hit 1 million. I hit 3 million this past year on a trip from Chicago to Orange County. Not a peep. Even when I called to find out why nothing was said, I did not get a call back. Hard to take after 34 years of earning miles the hard way.