Just three weeks ago, we warned travelers about the sad state of Delta SkyMiles . Far beyond the sky-high SkyMiles rates to book business class, that was due largely to the disappearance of great SkyMiles flash sales: The deeply discounted routes like 32,000 SkyMiles to Europe and back or 40,000 SkyMiles roundtrip to Tokyo you can't get from other airlines.
For the first time in a long time, things are starting to look up for travelers with SkyMiles.
After going more than six months without a big Delta SkyMiles deal abroad (and at least a year for even a halfway decent deal to fly Delta One business class), we've seen four incredible Delta deals in just the last two weeks. Look at this:
Out of nowhere, Delta slashed award rates to Auckland (AKL) in New Zealand as low as 37,400 SkyMiles roundtrip – from almost any airport nationwide!
Days later, we sent Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members another alert for roundtrip flights to Santiago (SCL) in Chile for 44,000 SkyMiles … or just 37,4000 SkyMiles with Delta's TakeOff 15 discount for Amex cardholders.
Even as it charged 130,000 SkyMiles or more for roundtrip flights to Honolulu (HNL), Delta made a splash on its brand-new nonstop route from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Maui (OGG) by briefly selling tickets as low as 42,000 SkyMiles roundtrip next winter !
Delta followed that up this week with an even cheaper SkyMiles sale to Maui and other Hawaiian islands, with roundtrip fares from across the country this summer and fall starting as low as 13,600 SkyMiles!
We're always looking for Delta SkyMiles deals for our Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members!
Now let's be clear: After years of hikes, eliminating sweet spots, and negative changes, it's far too early to say SkyMiles have turned around – let alone that travelers should go out of their way to stockpile Delta miles.
But after going months without seeing a solid deal using Delta SkyMiles beyond dirt-cheap domestic redemptions , this is definitely a move in the right direction. And as the saying goes: Once is random, twice is a coincidence, and three times (or more) is a trend. And this is a trend worth celebrating.
We know our Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members have been waiting for the return of deals like these. Heck, so have we. The response in our members-only Facebook group has been amazing to see, full of travelers taking trips to Hawaii, New Zealand, or Chile for 50,000 SkyMiles or less. It's a good reminder: While the vast majority of people wish their SkyMiles went further, they still love a great Delta SkyMiles flash sale.
It's a marked turnaround for Delta. Until recently, the steady stream of international Delta flash sales that travelers with SkyMiles had come to rely on like 32,000 SkyMiles to Europe or 50,000 SkyMiles to Tahiti and back had practically disappeared.
Best of all, many of these latest SkyMiles sales have extended to travelers in airports nationwide … including major Delta hubs like Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), Detroit (DTW), and Atlanta (ATL). Those big hubs often miss the cut for the best deals thanks to Delta's hub penalty . The airline knows it can get away with charging diehard Delta fans more, and that's exactly what they do.
But whether you were in San Francisco (SFO) or Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), you could get all the way down to Santiago (SCL) for just 44,000 SkyMiles roundtrip – or even less with a co-branded Delta credit card.
What Does This Mean for Future Delta SkyMiles Sales?
So what gives?
Is Delta having a change of heart after years of tanking SkyMiles' value? Are they just throwing frustrated flyers a bone? Is the airline merely trying to fill some empty seats on relatively new routes? Or, at a time when some travelers are rethinking their allegiance to SkyMiles, are they hoping some solid sales generate a new buzz, driving more flyers to pick up Delta credit cards with bigger bonuses ?
Probably a bit of all four. But when the deals are this good, does it really matter?
Of course, it matters. Travelers who have banked up SkyMiles rightfully want to know whether this is a brief detour or whether they can count on solid deals from Delta in the future. Only time will tell.
In good times and bad, these SkyMiles flash sales have long been the best way to use Delta SkyMiles . That's no accident: These occasional, deeply discounted award rates have helped travelers look past the unpredictable award pricing, sky-high business class rates, and constant devaluations . When you believe there's a 32,000-SkyMile flight to Europe in your future, what more reason do you need to keep earning SkyMiles?
A handful of deals over the last few weeks isn't enough to change the bigger story: SkyMiles don't go nearly as far as they did just a year ago. Travelers who default to swiping their Delta credit card would be much better served by earning flexible credit card points like American Express Membership Rewards from cards like the American Express® Gold Card .
That way, if another great Delta deal pops up, you can transfer some points to your SkyMiles account and book! And if it doesn't, you've got plenty of other Amex transfer partners to make better use of those points.
But for the first time in months, we're hopeful about the future of Delta SkyMiles deals. And we're searching harder than ever to find the next one for Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members.
Bottom Line
Don't call it a comeback. Not yet, at least.
Just a few weeks after we urged travelers to reconsider piling up SkyMiles for their future travels, Delta seems to be turning things around thanks to the long-awaited return of some stellar SkyMiles flash sales to New Zealand, Chile, and Hawaii.
Three or four discounted deals don't aren't enough to reverse years of award rate hikes and cutbacks. But if this is the start of a new trend for Delta SkyMiles, travelers may be in for a treat.
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