Delta Bags on Time 20 minute guarantee claim for 2,500 miles

Delta Airlines is an airline I rarely fly – until 2015. My flight yesterday was probably my first Delta flight since 2007, when I did two round trips to Buenos Aires in two weeks. The 30 hours or so I spent sitting on airport runways at JFK, IAD and EZE ended my mileage run days when I had a revelation, while flying Air France in Business Class over the Andes between Argentina and Chile, that flying on airlines for the sole purpose of earning miles for elite status, so I could earn more miles when flying around the world, was an environmentally irresponsible lifestyle.

I should welcome the changes that shifted consumer behavior of thousands of frequent flyers to earn miles from credit cards rather than flying aimlessly in the pursuit of more frequent flyer miles.

This week I flew Delta Airlines for the first time in years. And I will fly Delta again to Tokyo and Taipei in four months. I am racking up miles on Delta this year, but no way will I reach even low level Silver SkyMiles 2016 Medallion status after flying 25,000 MQM, due to the Medallion Qualification Dollars requirement of $3,000. My MQD to earn 25,000 MQM will be under $600 for 2015.

But, that is not the point of this article.

Delta Bags On Time 20 minute guarantee or 2,500 miles

My Delta Airlines flight from New York JFK to Boston yesterday left 20 minutes late and arrived six minutes early. The scheduled 90 minutes for JFK to Boston allows plenty of leeway for the 187-mile flight.

The flight attendant reminded airline passengers of the Delta Bags on Time 20-minutes guarantee or 2,500 Skymiles upon touchdown in Boston.

We’re committed to providing you with reliable and on-time baggage service every time you fly. That’s why we’re backing your bags with a guarantee: if your checked bag doesn’t arrive at the carousel in 20 minutes or less after any domestic flight, you are eligible to receive 2,500 bonus miles. Just complete the below form no later than three days after your flight’s arrival. Requests should only be submitted after your flight.

Note that you must be a SkyMiles member at the time of travel to be eligible and requests for multiple flights must be submitted separately.

Please allow up to two weeks after submitting your request for your bonus miles to appear in your account.

Delta Bags on Time 20 minute guarantee

We were near the back of the plane and it took about ten minutes to exit the aircraft. Baggage claim was only a couple minutes walk.

Delta 2845 arrival 10:39am 7/1/2015. Clock on baggage carousel is 11:01am.

The first bags loaded onto the baggage carousel at 11:03am and my bag was the fifth bag to appear. Still, 24 minutes is longer than 20 minutes and I filed a Delta ‘Bags on Time’ claim for 2,500 miles.

I’ll have about 50,000 redeemable miles with Delta Skymiles after my round trip Asia flights in November. That might even get me two economy tickets from SFO-PWM Portland, Maine. When I checked the rate for award flights from Monterey, the round trip award rate priced at 70,000 or 90,000 miles round trip.

Looks like I will need to study potential award flights and rates using Delta SkyMiles to get good value for my 50,000 redeemable miles.