FlyerTalk Forums - The Definitive “Soft Landing” Questions and Reports on Delta Air Lines Thread (2024)

I think its a smart business move. I haven't stepped foot on a Delta plane since July. They are trying to do something to get a once loyal customer back. In my case I'm not going back to Delta so this didn't / won't cost Delta a dime.

Also, someone PMed me asking which airline I switched to. I switched back to US for several reasons mostly related to their frequent flyer program, companion upgrades on any fare, availability of Star Alliance awards, and international upgrade certificates valid on ANY fare class!! Plus I am out of DCA so there are more nonstops on US.

4 year Plat, was a Gold in 2009, soft landing with 1,000 EQMs in 2009 to Silver.

Well, at least I'll get to preboard while I'm burning miles this year. I'm 99.9% switched to UA & enjoying life as a 1k for 2 years now...

This is amazing! Getting soft landings when you are not even close to the MQMs required. This is great for you guys.

I say this as I am in the middle of composing a letter to DL where I was treated like a "Nobody" when flying BE from PRG to JFK in December ( delayed flights, delayed baggage, mechanical problems, long lines for help, unhelpful agents, etc - all in one very very long flight day). This was my 10th BE TATL trip in 2009.

I find it great that DL is wooing back customers. I don't find it great that DL treats their soon-to-be DMs (or at least me) like a nobody.

Has anyone been granted a soft landing after earning 0 MQM or with 0 BIS DL/NW miles this year? Getting Silver after only 1000 MQM makes me think that DL must be feeling desperate now. Maybe it's not just a few FTers who are leaving??? I feel sorry for anyone who did an unwanted or inconvenient MR or paid more for a higher fare class ticket in order to earn more MQMs this year.

Soon every paying passenger who is willing to have a SkyMiles account number and give DL their email address will be an elite. (Yes, I know soft landings refer to former Plats, etc., but the next step will be soft landings given to nonelites.) Should these be called soft takeoffs or nonchallenges/unchallenging challenges?

Muhar! A little oT but add this to the massive inflation of Elites from last year :eek:

last weekend MD88 flight out of SAT with 8 available F seats, I was #8 of 27 (!!!) on the upgrade list ... have never seen such an amount of Elites in SAT

But they aren't really doing soft landing AND rollover. The rollover really applies toward qualification for 2011. A PM that earned only 22k miles in 2009 doesn't get any consideration for 2010, other than the soft landing. I think we will need to look at 2011 before we get an idea of how DL is going to balance soft landings and rollover.

Frankly, I don't understand the hubub and think people are making a mountain out of a molehill. Soft landings have been around for years. Every year, some folks here get all in a tizzy and complain about elite inflation, blah, blah, blah. At the end of the day, either people will fly (and consume benefits) or they won't. A few more paper elites doesn't change the game, and all of this probably comes out in the wash. And I believe that to be the case in a good year for the airlines! Given that 2009 was one of the worst business travel years on record, I seriously doubt that there will be a huge elite inflation.

As for DL trying to get the most elites, I would bear in mind that DL had the least generous DEQM promo. They only offered it in the spring and excluded the low fare classes. All the other carriers gave DEQMs for every fare for roughly 6 months of 2009. And AA (as well as UA?) offers soft landings - the wife was given Plat status on AA due to a corporate deal, never took an AA flight, and was still soft-landed to Gold! Other carriers do similar sorts of things.

Was PM in 2009, expiring next month. My 2009 flying netted me 50,400 MQM (plus another 1500 MQM that I never got from a CO flight despite faxing boarding passes and receipt two times). My last MQM earning flight was on Dec 31, that pushed me back into GM qualification.

However, yesterday, I got a letter from DL yesterday about how my flying decreased and that they were gifting me GM status until 2/11 and how my extra MQM will roll-over.

So, can I be lucky enough that they qualified me for FO, soft-landing meto GM, and I'll get a 25,400 MQM head start for 2010????? That would be nice.
Or more likely, the letter was a clerical error as my last MQM earned flight pushing me over 50K was on 12/31?