We recently flew DL to Brazil for spring break, it was my first time flying DL international in 20 years. I swore off DL for international flights back then in 2004 after having a particularly negative experience on a DFW-JFK-AMS, AMS-CVG-DFW round trip (don't get me started, multiple issues both getting there and getting back). The price for this trip was so low that it was something we could not ignore, for 3 people less than $1500 r/t AUS-GRU via ATL. So we gave DL a shot again. I was pretty apprehensive.
Wow, completely different experience this time. Really great service and nice people throughout the trip. I was even able to get an exit row throughout for no upcharge ahead of time by contacting Delta a month ahead of time and letting them know I am 6'7" and take blood thinners for past clotting issues. We always flew DL when I was a kid in the 80s and they were the best at that time, or at least we thought so. It seems like they have really found their form again.
I assume some of this is from the ex-NW people being in charge now, I always liked NW back in the 90s/00s for their service and their retro Douglas jets but they weren't always convenient to use due to their route map being not as comprehensive. But anyway.
So anyway, we have some other airline credit cards, but when Delta started bombarding my email with 100,000 mile offers, I was like, well, maybe we should consider it now that DL is off my ish list. We fly to Sao Paulo 1-2x a year, free bags would be a real cost saver, and heck yeah on the miles. But then the sticker shock hit. The first one I looked at had a $495 annual fee. And you had to spend something like $6000 on the card to get the miles. Gosh.
There were some cards with lesser annual fees but they also had lesser perks, seemed like less of a hook to me.
Upon further investigation, AA also has a uprated card like this. We have the regular one with the $95 annual fee but they have another one now with a similar high annual fee. I used to fly AA all the time but since the America West people took over they have reconfigured the cabins for less legroom and it is torture for me. I'm guessing now that UA probably has something like this too and who knows who else, but UA's legroom is also ish now. My thinking is, these high annual fee cards probably only makes sense for someone who is a road warrior and that for us, flying as a family 5-6 times a year, it's better just to pay for the bags. Or fly Southwest when they have a good price, 2 free checked bags.
But IDK, anyone else tried one of these next tier airline cards?
. Same for my Phillies card, I had >60k points, enough for one of those fantasy experience weekends with the team during spring training... This just before the RONA, there was no camps the next 18 months, then the program got cancelled.... Instead I got like a measly $280 back (So pissed about that...)
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