Becca

My husband and I use a Delta American Express card to rack up frequent flier miles for our trips to the Caribbean. We currently have around 70,000 miles that we plan on using for next summer. I have heard a lot of talk the past few days that Delta may file for bankruptcy. Does anyone know what will happen to my frequent flier miles if that happens? Is there any way to protect my miles? Thanks!

gail

Go to the "Airlines" section of this forum and do a search - much discussion on various airlines, FF points and bankruptcy.

It is anyones guess. USAir has been in and out of bankruptcy and keeps flying - and we keep using our FF miles. Since no one knows, you will get mixed opinions. Mine is that if another airline merges/takes over Delta, your miles are fine. If for some reason Delta were to cease operations with other airlines buying routes, gates and equipment, you will probably not be as lucky.

And even if Delta goes on as is - be sure to read posts on difficulty of actually using FF miles to destination at time you want.

Not trying to be negative to be a brat - just want you to be forewarned.

orangetravelcat

Best place for info on all freq flyer programs seems to be www.flyertalk.com
I am using up my DL miles - not because of fear of bankruptcy but because of a customer service issue I had with DL. I have not been able to get FF tickets to Caribbean for dates I want so I'm doing first class tickets to Miami which I had no trouble getting, and will then buy ticket on American to whatever island we decide on.

atticus

Orange, how far out have you been trying to get FF seats to the Caribbean? What island?

We will be trying to do the same in a couple of months.

orangetravelcat

I tried to get 2 first class seats from Phx to Nassau in Feb. Unfortunately my dates are not very flexible. I didn't try for coach seats so maybe those would be easier to come by. I would suggest trying for seats asap and if not available, then have agent waitlist you.

orangetravelcat

Forgot to mention - also tried for seats to Grand Cayman - that was for this month. Tried about 5 or 6 months ago. Again, was looking for first class seats so maybe could have gotten coach.

golf_guy

I gave up trying for tix from ATL to MBJ. I'd call 8 months out and there were never two coach seats on the days I wanted. When I could get 2 going down, I could get 2 coming back 6 days later or 16 days later, but never 12, 13, or 14 days later.
And when I asked about codeshare tix on AirJamaica, I was told that Delta could only query AirJam once a day per customer, so when the answer came back "No Seats" Delta had to wait until the next day to try for another day, and so on. I still find that hard to believe, but how was I going to be able to check otherwise?
I just stopped trying. I'll use my miles domestically. Not happy here.

cdt

These are good examples of why I never spend a dime to get more FF miles. If I ever get a chance to use them for something I want, fine, but I don't count on it.

As for bankruptcy, I seriously doubt that an initial Chapter 11 filing by Delta will signal the end of the airline or the loss of FF miles.

US Airways is a different story - they may be filing Chapter 11 for the second time, and could have difficulty obtaining more debtor-in-possession financing.

August04

I must be rare, but I have had no problem using my Delta skymiles. I have always been able to get the dates and flight times that I want (domestically), and in April we were able to get tickets to the Caribbean using our miles for this August (though we did have to adjust our itinerary by two days).

atticus

Thanks guys....I am learning here. Never had any miles to use, but am accumulating.

My dream is to have enough for 4 or 5 tckets to Jamaica summer of 2005. The plan is to try and book approx. 1 year out.....can it work?

gail

Most airlines will let you book 330 days or do out - but even if you called at the exact second FF tickets are available, you have less chance of getting space on plane if you are booking 4-5 tickets. Some planes will not have that mny seats available for FF. Would you be prepared to fly separately, change dates, etc. As always, flexibility is the key.

atticus

Thanks Gail.
I was afraid of that.
I'm afraid seperate will not be possible...so I'll probably just get as many as I can... I can be more flexible with dates though...esp. that far out.

orangetravelcat

I don't try to use my DL miles for domestic flights because I can afford those tickets! I try to use them for first or business class tickets since I would never spend the money for those. The only domestic flights I have checked availability on with DL are flights to Hawaii, and those never seem to be available when I want them. Since August is low season (and hurricane season) in Caribbean, maybe there's more availability for domestic tickets then.

orangetravelcat

I meant to say, maybe there's more availability for coach tickets then (Aug in Caribbean).

ThePhan

I've been trying to use my DL miles for travel to the Caribbean this summer, and it's been almost impossible. For one thing, Delta just doesn't have as many seats into this part of the world as some other carriers do, such as US or AA.

However, I have had success using DL miles to get tickets on Continental, one of their partner airlines.

mikemo

Delta's Bankruptcy is a nonissue.
The lack of FF seats anywhere on Delta is the real problem.
That plus their raising the mi req to Hawaii (my 30K mi voucher, dated 23 Dec '03 states it is for a RT to HI was "updated" in late Mar to a 35K mi req). Further, AA had plenty of FF seats to the Virgin Islands in January, while Delta had only their "60000" mi required seats!
Avoid them!!!!
M

snorkelcat

I too am having difficulty using my FF miles to get round trip to San Juan - I can get the flight from the continental US to San Juan, but the difficulty is getting the flight back. I fly in July and I have been trying since April.

The flights I want still have seats available, but Delta will not open up any more FF seats.

I understand that Delta is trying to maximize its profits, but they are not helping customer relations. If airlines are going to have a frequent flyer program and encourage people to obtain miles, why do they make it so difficult to use them?

dgriffin1976

delta isn't going bankrupt. they have only warned of it. quick warnings of historically strong companies in a down economy often warn of bankruptcy to increase investment as certain institutional buyers oftern bite at a 'value' stock. furthermore, bankruptcy gives companies protection in times of uncertainty. but don't worry, delta isn't going anywhere. In regard to skymiles, i have used skymiles to book last minute trips at several exotic locations. i think the best way to find a flight is to pick a destination that is not the most common for travel among americans. from there, you can get to what you are looking for. i would consider south america, or part of central america. forget 'in season' travel to anywhere in the caribbean, as this is where american tourists are most likely to head. and forget maui, the wait is two years.
good luck