Delta CEO Says Status Is “Very Easy” To Earn—Gets Confused About SkyMiles On National TV

Delta CEO Ed Bastian says no major SkyMiles changes are on the horizon. But in the same CNN interview, he gives viewers false information about earning status. He points to Uber and T-Mobile as reasons it’s easy, even though those partnerships don’t award status credit. Asked whether more loyalty program changes are coming, Bastian first says: If there was, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Then he answers: The short answer is no. I think, you know, we’re always—there are always little tweaks, but nothing like that. Bastian announced a major walkback of the changes they had planned to roll out for 2024. He’s suggesting we won’t see anything like that. The problem is that when he’s asked what he’d say to people, especially young people, who feel Delta made status harder to earn? He says, We make it very easy to earn status. That’s why we’ve brought so many partners to bear. Whether it’s Uber or whether it’s Hyatt. American Express certainly carries that. T-Mobile. Many, many other brands that, that our young consumers all relate to and have relationship with. He seems to be confusing earning redeemable miles with earning elite status? T-Mobile and Uber don’t contribute towards status-earning. The Hyatt partnership hasn’t launched yet. Uber: “Miles are bonus miles and do not count toward Medallion Status or Million Miler Status.” T-Mobile: Has a switching offer: “Bonus miles do not count toward Medallion Status or Million Miler Status.” Hyatt: The new partnership announced in September promises extra SkyMiles on qualifying hotel stays for people who already have Delta Medallion status, and Hyatt points on qualifying Delta flights for eligible Hyatt elites. I would not be surprised to see Hyatt elites offered Delta status (but not necessarily SkyMiles status-earning for Hyatt stays). Bastian says they made status tougher to earn because “there was less and less ability to utilize the points” so he really does seem to be conflating qualifying points and redeemable miles. He also explains the program’s overhaul by talking about lounge crowding and says, “I can’t stand seeing lines in front of those doors.” But elite status alone doesn’t get you into a Sky Club on a domestic itinerary. Lounge crowding is a problem, but is a complete non-sequitur for why someone should need more qualifying dollars to earn Silver status. American Express paid Delta $8.2 billion in 2025 under their partnership. Delta has reported a 39% margin on SkyMiles. It’s their most lucrative business, representing a majority of 2025 profit. Yet he comes across as clueless about how that business works. You might excuse a CEO for not knowing the details of his most profitable product. But he’s giving an interview about changes to elite qualification. And if he truly doesn’t know, he could offer to have the marketing folks supply the details? Or at least not spew nonsense on national television? Maybe he asked the team to send him the details inflight but he couldn’t reach the internet with Delta wifi? Topics on this page