Victory!

After 734 days of Delta SkyMiles customers' 11,284,703,175 frequent flyer miles being held hostage to a devalued SkyMiles frequent flyer program, SaveSkyMiles.com is pleased to announce that SkyMiles members are finally free to enjoy a more generous menu of program terms and conditions - in essence, a rollback to the original program.

Delta announced this week such member-friendly revisions as a lowering of the threshold for attaining Platinum Medallion status and a flat, $50 fee for award transactions across the board. (Some transactions had cost up to $100 to implement under the controversial system.) And the most significant change: MQMs are at full value from all fares.

For a full list of the improved SkyMiles features, visit http://www.delta.com/skymileschanges.

The move to restore benefits to the program comes after intense customer campaigning, which was spearheaded by SaveSkyMiles.com team members shortly after Delta's December 2002 decimation of its formerly popular SkyMiles program. The rollbacks, which had included, among other things, an increase in the price of upgrades and the loss of complimentary upgrades upon qualification, had stripped SkyMiles of much of its worth in the eyes of members.

A core group of supporters led the SSM effort, which in addition to the Web site included billboards and ads in various publications.

Of the dozens of media outlets that have reported on the positive turnaround in the SkyMiles program, most have credited SSM for influencing Delta management. The Wall Street Journal, for one, noted the "howls of protest" that led to the creation of SSM after the airline's unpopular changes were implemented.

As poster "hfly" on FlyerTalk.com noted, "Congrats to the SSM team! Many said it could not be done. How wrong they were...I will not be surprised when SSM is used in case studies demonstrating the power of consumers and the Net. Hats off, guys!"

* Disclaimer: This Web site and public forum is not associated in any way with Delta Air Lines and the use of terms from the Delta SkyMiles frequent flyer program is used only in the public domain.