Delta to change mileage levels for award flights

The minimum for domestic award tickets in Delta’s SkyMiles frequent flier program will remain 25,000 miles. But starting next year, other award levels are 35,000, 40,000, 50,000 or 65,000 miles.

Current award levels are 25,000, 40,000 and 60,000 miles.

Delta last week announced it will award miles based on the fare paid rather than miles flown, starting next year. The company decided to speed up the unveiling of the new mileage award chart, after concerned travelers pushed for more transparency.

Delta’s vice president of SkyMiles, Jeff Robertson, said more seats will be available for passengers to book at the 25,000 level — long a sore spot for Delta customers.

“This is a commitment we are making,” Robertson said. “We are going to expand the 25,000 level and offer greater availability.”

Time will tell how that plays out, said Brian Kelly, founder of ThePointsGuy.com.

“They’ve said that in the past,” Kelly said, yet many have still found it difficult to find flights at the 25,000 level.

Delta said it will also add options for travelers to book one-way awards that require half the miles of regular awards and book flights with a combination of cash and miles.

Meanwhile, Delta frequent fliers will still be able to book award seats on any Delta flight, but the highest level will require 65,000 instead of 60,000 miles.

Robertson said that’s because for the seats in highest demand, “we can command a few more miles for those flights.” He said the 65,000 mile seats would be kept as a “very low single digit percent of seats across our system,” designated for “special events” such as a big football game. More seats from the 60,000 level will be offered at the 50,000 level rather than bumped up to the 65,000 level, Robertson said.

Kelly said those who paying the highest levels either don’t know to look for cheaper ways to get flights or don’t mind using that many miles. If the flight requires 5,000 miles more, “is that person really going to care?” Kelly asked.