Delta is providing a new redemption option for your precious SkyMiles…Delta Private Jets. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Delta will be making the jet card for Delta Private Jets available via SkyMiles redemptions. This new program will reportedly launch on Tuesday, October 25, 2016.
The redemptions won’t come cheap, and it would cost you 2.5 million Delta SkyMiles to redeem a $25,000 Jet Card, which is the cheapest one available. That jet card is good enough about 5 hours of domestic flying on a light jet, or about 2 hours of international flying on a large jet.
Delta Private Jet’s Citation Bravo, a “Light Jet” option, which seats up to 9 passengers. Photo by Delta Private Jets.
Delta Private Jet’s Citation Bravo, a “Light Jet” option, which seats up to 9 passengers. Photo by Delta Private Jets.
Flying on a private jet is definitely a unique experience, as least for common people like myself! I got to fly on a Challenger 300 just a few months back, and I will always remember how special it was. But just a year ago, Delta introduced a program, where some elite members and First Class passengers could “upgrade” to a private jet with just a small upcharge. That seems to be an extremely rare, if ever, occurrence. Maybe Delta wants you to use your miles for it instead…
Delta says that “thousands” of customers have 2.5 million miles in their account, so it’s not actually totally out of reach for many loyal Delta flyers. In a statement, Karen Zachary, managing director of SkyMiles, says:
We’ve been trying to expand the usage of our miles, including newer options like redeeming miles for a beer or champagne in a Sky Club. We have people who really keep a lot of their miles to use for very unique experiences…. We’ve also heard that people would love to use them for holiday gifts to take their family someplace.
But stepping outside the excitement zone and into the logical arena, this isn’t exactly a good use of miles. 2.5 million SkyMiles gets you a $25,000 Jet Card, which means you are redeeming miles at 1 cent per point. That’s how much Delta wants you to think a mile is worth, but I would far prefer redeeming those miles for a long-haul flight in Business Class. For example, 125,000 SkyMiles will get you a roundtrip Business Class ticket from the US to Europe. 2.5 million SkyMiles, therefore, can potentially get you down and back 20 times!
Regardless, kudos to Delta for thinking about ways for people to use their SkyMiles, even if they aren’t exactly great values. And since Delta is the only major US airline to operate a private jet fleet, count this as one of the SkyMiles offerings that competitors won’t be able to copy.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
2 comments
Your math is wrong! 125,000 miles * 200 roundtrips is 25 million miles. While the idea is probably right, 200 roundtrips is much different than 20.
Ha! It’s been corrected.