Delta Air Lines' New 'Buy Your Status' Offer Is Priced So High Almost No One Will Use It

Late last year, Delta Air Lines announced it was bringing back its Elevate Your Status program to allow some qualifying members to top up their Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) to reach the next loyalty level. The program was criticized by some frequent-flyer commentators for being significantly restrictive in terms of which Medallion members qualified, how much they could purchase, and the 3:1 cost of purchasing MQDs. Some went so far as to say that Delta was greenwashing the program, as it said the proceeds would be donated to its SAF initiatives.