Delta CEO admits the recent SkyMiles changes were a mistake

Frequently topping ranking lists of the best airlines, its safe to say that Delta  (DAL) - Get Free Report has a strong reputation for offering a quality travel experience.

However, even the best business can stumble, and Delta recently did just that in mid-September, when it announced the first major changes to its SkyMiles program since its launch in 1981.

Related: Delta Air Lines CEO: SkyMiles backlash is heard, changes coming

While the effort was intended to simplify the program for customers, it also eliminated Medallion Qualifying Miles and cut access to Sky Club lounges for Delta American Express Platinum cardholders who spent less than $75,000 a year, causing an uproar among many that had enjoyed the service for decades.

People reacted particularly harshly on social media, with many vowing to cancel their American Express cards and stop using the airline altogether.

Wow, I’ve been Platinum for years, I take more than a dozen international trips per year. With this new system I’ll be Silver??? Ditching the high APR delta Amex reserve will save enough to buy premium tix on other airlines. I love @Delta but they don’t love me back it seems.— Adventures with Sarah - Sarah Murdoch (@sarahrmurdoch) September 14, 2023

By the end of September, the airline had begun to backpedal publicly, with CEO Ed Bastian saying that the company was reading and hearing customer feedback and that "modifications are coming."

In a new interview with CNBC on Oct. 12, Bastian went a step further, admitting that Delta had gone "a bit too far" and that the company was reconsidering how to handle the situation.

"We went a bit too far and we're rethinking how to do this. We received a lot of feedback," says $DAL CEO Ed Bastian on the SkyMiles backlash. "People love Delta. However, they were hurt by the significance of the change. We're going to have to recalibrate on some of that." pic.twitter.com/oJzl9Csykn— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) October 12, 2023

Bastian went on to share what he has gleaned from the angry feedback from customers, saying the first thing he identified was that loyal customers were hurt "by some of the significance of the change, and too many changes at one time."

The second thing, he said, was that the airline needed to solve the problem of having more premium customers than premium assets.

"So we're gonna have to find the best way to accommodate getting the service levels to where we need to be. At the same time, making these modifications where people can understand them better," he said.

Delta has not made a formal announcement yet about how it will modify the originally intended SkyMiles changes, although Bastian has said in prior interviews that one is coming soon.

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