Why Didn't I Get Mileage Credit for My Connecting Flight?

Dear Tim

Dear Stephen

,

In answer to your question, Delta calculates miles for all its flights based on the very distinction it cited.

A basic terminology primer is in order here for those who may not be familiar with the relevant definitions. A nonstop flight is just that—a flight with no stops between the origin and destination airports. A direct flight (also called a through-flight) is one with one or more stopovers, but no change of plane. And a connecting flight is one that requires a stopover and a plane change.

Nonstops and direct flights earn point-to-point miles; connecting flights earn the sum of the miles from the individual segments. The latter, according to the laws of geometry, will always be greater than the former.

In your case, Delta credited MCO-SLC and SLC-SFO miles for your outbound travel, rather than the nonstop MCO-SFO miles, because you changed planes. In effect, I always think of the extra miles accruing to connecting flights as a bonus to compensate me for the hassle and inconvenience of changing planes, gates, and sometimes even terminals.

But on the return, you earned nonstop LAX-MCO miles because you didn't change planes during the stopover in Salt Lake, even if you went into the terminal for a few minutes

In Delta's defense, they were duly following their own rules—which are pretty standard industry-wide, it should be said—when they awarded you nonstop miles for your return flight.

What makes the distinction counterintuitive, in my opinion, is that direct flights and connecting flights very often stop over at the same intermediate point, typically a hub airport like Atlanta, Chicago, or Dallas. And the time on the ground at the stopover point may be comparable as well. This means that both the actual number of flown miles, and the total point-to-point travel time, may be the same in both cases. Indeed, that was the circumstance for the flights in question. But the number of miles earned may be quite different, depending on a single factor: whether there was a plane change or not.

Like it or not, that's the rule as it's published in Delta's member guide. Delta was simply enforcing it.

The real highlight of this saga is the fact that you were able to cajole the Delta supervisor into overturning the airline's own policy. Whatever you said or did obviously served you well.

For others, the take-away message is that rules and policies, even if they're clearly printed in the user's guide, can be challenged and overturned. So be persistent and present a clear argument, but don't be too disappointed if you don't get the outcome you feel you deserve.