Delta Air Lines CEO Confirms Company Will Rethink Its Controversial SkyMiles Changes

The CEO of Delta admitted the airline “went too far” in making changes to its SkyMiles loyalty program, according to USA Today.

Earlier this month, the embattled airline announced it would be changing the rules for how loyalty members accrue rewards. As opposed to counting money spent in addition to miles traveled, Delta announced that starting next year, only the amount of money customers spend will be considered in determining perks. The airline also said that starting in 2025 they’d be limiting access to their SkyClub for certain credit card holders, likely in an effort to combat overcrowding.

Appearing in front of the Atlanta Rotary Club on Monday, Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian told the audience there was “no question, we probably went too far in doing that. Our team wanted to kind of rip the band-aid off and didn’t want to have to keep going through this every year with changes and nickel and diming and whatnot, and I think we moved too fast.”

"We're still assessing what we'll do. There will be modifications that we will make, and you will hear about it sometime over the next few weeks,” Bastian promised without offering specifics. The airline confirmed to CNN that they’re still trying to figure out what the new policies will be.

Bastian reported that the changes stemmed from an influx of lower-paying elite status holders taking resources from higher-paying customers who were arguably more entitled to lounge benefits and preferential service on company hotlines.

The news comes as a relief to Delta passengers, who were up in arms at the sudden about-face.