Delta Air Lines is likely to win over some air travelers, and, more importantly, members of its SkyMiles loyalty program, as a result of expanding options when it comes to booking award travel on partner airlines.
The move comes nearly two months after Delta came under fire for removing the awards charts from its website, leaving members of its frequent-flier program both confused and frustrated.
As Nick Vivion of USA Today's Road Warrior Voices pointed out on Wednesday, the newly expanded inventory includes Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Garuda Indonesia, GOL and Vietnam Airlines. Those airlines join Air France/KLM, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Korean Air and Virgin Atlantic as Delta partners eligible for awards booking.
On top of the new partner additions, Delta has made life easier for SkyMiles members by including those other airlines into the search interface and identifying them much more clearly.
"We continue to adjust the SkyMiles program to give members more value and options, including making it easier to redeem more Award travel at lower prices," said SkyMiles managing director Karen Zachary in a statement last month. "Delta is committed to providing industry-leading operational performance and on-board product and services, while remaining innovative in meeting our customers' needs."
The expanded award travel inventory comes on the heels of Delta's announcement that SkyMiles members are eligible to earn Mileage Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) on most partner airlines regardless of the ticketing carrier.
Other recent changes for the better include being able to book award travel tickets via the FlyDelta mobile app on your smartphone and increased availability for one-way domestic awards.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
