Points Insider

Category: Delta Air Lines

  • Delta Adds New Flights to Athens, Venice, and Paris for 2027

    Delta Adds New Flights to Athens, Venice, and Paris for 2027

    Delta is adding three new routes to Europe in 2027, with new nonstop flights to Athens, Venice, and Paris.

    The airline announced Thursday, September 25, that it will begin flying from Detroit (DTW) to Athens (ATH) and Boston (BOS) to Venice (VCE) next summer. Those flights will join a previously announced route from Austin (AUS) to Paris (CDG), which begins in March.

    Delta is also stretching several seasonal Europe routes farther into the spring and fall, giving some destinations a longer window than the usual summer schedule.

    Delta Adds New Flights to Athens, Venice, and Paris

    Delta will begin flying from Detroit to Athens three times weekly on June 8, 2027. Flights will operate through October 28 aboard an Airbus A330-200.

    It will be the first nonstop flight between Detroit and Athens, making Detroit Delta’s fourth U.S. gateway to the Greek capital.

    Boston gets a new route of its own beginning May 7. Delta will fly four times weekly to Venice through October 29 using an Airbus A330-300.

    That gives Boston another nonstop option to Italy, where Delta has been steadily adding service over the past few years. The airline will also increase its Boston-Milan route to daily service in 2027.

    Farther south, Delta will begin daily flights between Austin and Paris on March 27, 2027, giving Austin its first nonstop connection to the French capital. The route will use an Airbus A330-900neo.

    All three routes will offer Delta One business class and Delta Premium Select premium economy in addition to economy.

    The additions are part of a broader period of international growth for Delta. The airline is also preparing to launch its first flights to Riyadh (RUH) on October 23, 2026, adding Saudi Arabia to its route map.

    Delta Is Lengthening the Europe Season

    The new routes aren’t the only change coming to Delta’s Europe schedule.

    Several seasonal flights will start earlier in 2027, while others will stick around longer.

    Flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit to Rome will begin in early March, for example, while Seattle-Rome will start in April. Delta is also bringing back several routes earlier in the year, including New York-JFK to Catania, Porto, Prague, and Copenhagen.

    Boston and Seattle flights to Barcelona and Atlanta-Edinburgh will return earlier as well.

    Some routes are also getting more service. Detroit-Rome and New York-Copenhagen will operate daily when they return, while Cincinnati-Paris will continue three times weekly from January through March.

    That makes Delta’s transatlantic network a little less dependent on the traditional summer rush.

  • Hyatt and Delta Are Launching a New Exclusive Loyalty Partnership

    Hyatt and Delta Are Launching a New Exclusive Loyalty Partnership

    On the same day Hyatt announced the end of its exclusive loyalty relationship with American Airlines, it lined up its replacement, too.

    Hyatt and Delta Air Lines announced Wednesday, September 9, that they’re forming a new long-term partnership. The relationship will formally launch in the coming months.

    World of Hyatt elites will be able to earn Hyatt points on qualifying Delta flights, while Delta Medallion members will earn SkyMiles on qualifying Hyatt stays.

    That’s about as specific as Hyatt and Delta are getting for now. The companies haven’t said which elite members will qualify, how much they’ll earn, or even exactly when the partnership will launch.

    But the timing clears up at least some of the mystery from earlier Wednesday. Hyatt isn’t walking away from airline partnerships. It’s swapping one exclusive airline relationship for another.

    World of Hyatt and Delta SkyMiles Members Will Be Able to Double Dip

    The first confirmed benefit is reciprocal earning.

    Eligible World of Hyatt elite members will earn Hyatt points on qualifying Delta airfare purchases in eligible fare classes. Delta Medallion members, meanwhile, will be able to earn SkyMiles on qualifying stays at participating Hyatt properties.

    Those rewards will come on top of what members already earn through the program they’re doing business with. Naturally, this will create a chance to double dip across flights and hotel stays.

    But there are still plenty of blanks to fill in.

    Hyatt and Delta haven’t shared which elite tiers will qualify, the earning rates, which Delta fares or Hyatt properties will participate, or exactly when the partnership will launch. Enrollment details are also coming later.

    And apparently, reciprocal earning is only the beginning. The companies say additional benefits and experiences will be unveiled later this year.

    Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-900 airplane at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) in Japan.
    BOARDING1NOW / ISTOCK

    Hyatt Is Swapping American for Delta

    Earlier Wednesday, American and Hyatt announced that they won’t continue their enhanced loyalty relationship. American later confirmed to Points Insider that its exclusive Hyatt partnership expires in November and won’t be renewed.

    A few hours later, Hyatt described its new relationship with Delta as exclusive.

    That explains quite a bit.

    The 2-year new Thompson Houston, by Hyatt, hotel tower in a cloudy afternoon.
    MAK STUDIO / ISTOCK

    We’ve covered the American breakup separately, including what happens to existing benefits and what AA told Points Insider about the decision. The short version is that a relationship that had already been scaled back in 2025 is winding down, while Hyatt is preparing to launch a new one with Delta.

    There’s an interesting reversal here, too. American and Hyatt eliminated reciprocal earning last year. Hyatt and Delta are putting it back at the center of their new partnership, at least for eligible elite members.

    However, the full details will determine whether that’s as useful as it sounds.

  • Delta Is Offering Some Medallion Members MQDs for Buying Gift Cards

    Delta Is Offering Some Medallion Members MQDs for Buying Gift Cards

    Delta has an unusual targeted offer that could help some Medallion members get closer to earning status for another year.

    Through September 18, 2026, eligible SkyMiles members can earn 1 Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) for every $4 spent on Delta gift cards. The offer tops out at 500 MQDs after $2,000 in gift card purchases.

    But this isn’t available to everyone. Delta is targeting members based on exactly how many MQDs they’ve earned as of June 30, 2026.

    Who Is Eligible?

    To participate, members have to hold one of the following Medallion status levels and fall within the corresponding MQD range as of June 30, 2026:

    Medallion StatusMQD Balance as of June 30
    Silver Medallion2,442–2,499 MQDs
    Gold Medallion4,800–5,000 MQDs
    Platinum Medallion7,275–7,500 MQDs
    Diamond Medallion13,580–14,000 MQDs

    Members who didn’t fall within one of these ranges as of June 30 aren’t eligible for the promotion.

    There are a few other requirements. Members must be at least 18 years old and have a valid U.S. address associated with their SkyMiles account.

    Anyone who participated or is currently participating in a Delta Status Match, Fast Track, or Reclaim My Status promotion during 2026 is also excluded.

    Earn Up to 500 MQDs

    For those who qualify, every $4 spent on eligible Delta gift cards earns 1 MQD.

    That works out to:

    Gift Card PurchaseMQDs Earned
    $400100 MQDs
    $1,000250 MQDs
    $2,000500 MQDs

    The maximum is 500 MQDs, so there’s no additional status benefit to buying more than $2,000 in gift cards through the promotion.

    The gift cards themselves don’t expire. That could make this interesting for an eligible member who expects to spend money with Delta anyway and could use another 500 MQDs toward status.

    There is a tradeoff, though. Delta gift cards are nonrefundable, so buying one means committing that money to future Delta travel.

    Delta Airlines airplane departing from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (DCA)
    JONG KIM / ISTOCK

    How to Get the Offer

    Eligible members need to purchase their gift cards through Delta’s dedicated promotional page by September 18.

    A valid SkyMiles number and matching member name need to be entered at checkout. Delta says the MQDs can take up to six weeks after the promotion ends to appear in an account.

    Gift cards purchased elsewhere don’t qualify.

    The eligibility requirements are unusually specific, so this won’t help most SkyMiles members chasing status. But anyone who landed within one of those narrow MQD ranges on June 30 has until September 18 to pick up as many as 500 additional MQDs from money that can eventually be spent on Delta flights.

  • Save 15% on Delta Award Flights With TakeOff 15

    Save 15% on Delta Award Flights With TakeOff 15

    If you have an eligible Delta credit card, there’s a good chance your next Delta award flight will cost fewer miles than the advertised price.

    That’s thanks to TakeOff 15.

    This is a benefit that gives eligible Delta American Express cardholders 15% off award flights operated by Delta. The discount is automatic, there’s nothing to activate, and there’s no limit to how many times you can use it.

    It’s a surprisingly useful benefit that takes no extra effort to use.

    How Delta TakeOff 15 Works

    TakeOff 15 is available to primary cardholders of the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold, Platinum, and Reserve American Express cards.

    To use the benefit, log into the SkyMiles account associated with your eligible card and search for an award flight on Delta.com or the Fly Delta app. The discount should automatically appear on eligible flights.

    Screenshot of Delta discounted award pricing for cardmembers.
    DELTA.COM

    Put differently, if an award normally costs 15,100 SkyMiles, a 15% discount brings it down to 12,800 miles, since Delta likes to round down. On a 412,300-mile award (pricey), you’d save more than 60,000 miles.

    That’s pretty wild.

    The discount only applies to the mileage portion of the ticket, so you’ll still pay the normal taxes and fees.

    More on This: Current Delta Amex Credit Card Offers

    See What TakeOff 15 Could Save You

    Since Delta’s award prices can vary considerably from one flight to another, so can the number of miles you’ll save.

    You can search live Delta SkyMiles award availability through PointsYeah to see what Delta is charging for a trip you’re considering — and PointsYeah shows Delta cardmember pricing, too.

    Screenshot showing PointsYeah results with Delta cardmember pricing.
    POINTSYEAH

    There’s no guarantee that a discounted Delta award will be the best option for every trip. But if Delta has the flight you want and you’re planning to use SkyMiles, TakeOff 15 means you can keep 15% of those miles for another trip.