Delta No Longer Has an Award Chart

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Delta got rid of its award chart online. They just won’t tell you what an award “should” cost anymore.

This is a complete bull shenanigans thing for Delta to do to its customers, and it’s not a fair way to do business.

The Proof

The URL that used to take you to the chart for awards originating in the US and Canada (www.delta.com/content/nas/content/live/milevalu/en_US/skymiles/use-miles/award-travel/airlines-and-mileage-charts/travel-from-the-u-s-canada.html) now redirects to http://www.delta.com/content/nas/content/live/milevalu/en_US/skymiles/use-miles/award-travel/about-award-travel.html.

At this new link, instead of a chart, there is some praise for the “all-new Award calendar,” the new five-week search calendar that delta.com added recently.

And then the page tells you to use the award calendar to figure out what an award costs:

With the launch of the all-new Award calendar, it’s now easy to search for and see prices for Awards online. Search for the price of an Award like you search for airfare today. The expanded search capabilities and calendar at delta.com provide more choices and an easier-to-read and more accurate view of Award prices.

Check out the all-new Award calendar.

Sufficient miles within your SkyMiles account are required to redeem miles toward Award Travel. To shop for Award Travel on delta.com select ‘Book SkyMiles Award Ticket’ when initiating your flight search.  Once you’ve selected your itinerary and logged into your SkyMiles account, you’ll be asked to pay for the flights you selected.

Within and between the Continental U.S., Alaska and Canada, round-trip Award Tickets will continue to start at 25,000 miles (plus taxes and fees).

That’s f—ing ridiculous, Delta.

I’ve defended SkyMiles 2015 because it has been an improvement so far. Delta went from three tiers to five, and there really is more availability in the bottom three tiers than there used to be in the bottom two. Plus being able to book one way awards is fantastic.

But hiding award prices is bull shenanigans. There is no legitimate reason for Delta to hide the chart. This is arrogant, greedy, and silly.

Here Are the Old Award Charts, listed as 2015 PROGRAM, which still seems to be in effect

Economy

Business

Why?

There are only two reasons I can think of for why Delta stopped displaying the charts, both of which are indefensible.

1. Delta’s computer occasionally mis-prices awards. I’ve successfully gotten Delta to manually re-price mistakenly priced awards before by pointing to its chart. Now I won’t be able to do that. Agents will say, “The computer says the award costs x,” and there will be no rebuttal.
2. Delta can devalue the chart without telling us. Delta’s page says to look at the calendar to find an award’s price. Delta can change the prices the calendar shows–go to 10 tiers, jack up the saver price, go revenue-based–and it won’t even have to update its chart because it doesn’t have a chart.

Bottom Line

Removing its chart is so ridiculous that I struggle to comprehend and adequately condemn Delta for it.

I wish I could say I’m done with Delta. But I’m not.

I’ll keep earning and burning SkyMiles and flying Delta when convenient. Hopefully others are through with Delta and the pressure makes Delta relent and put a chart back online. But I’m too pragmatic. I’ll keep using Delta when efficient for me.

I don’t expect any airlines to follow suit because Delta is being roasted at the moment, and this will likely kill engagement by passive members.