It's been a painful spring and start to summer for frequent flyers as airlines have hiked fares, gotten stingier than ever with award space, and even put their best cabins off-limits for many travelers using miles. And then there's Delta, which keeps dropping deeply discounted SkyMiles deal after SkyMiles deal – even for a trip in Delta One suites. 

Yes, really: Against all odds, Delta SkyMiles deals are arguably better than ever lately. In the last four weeks alone, we've found and sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium some outstanding alerts, including: 

  • Delta One Suites during peak summer to Rome (FCO), Venice (VCE), Dublin (DUB), Barcelona (BCN) for as low as just 97,000 SkyMiles each way
  • Plus another nonstop deal to London-Heathrow (LHR) for the same rates from both Atlanta (ATL) and Salt Lake City (SLC) – two Delta hubs notorious for higher rates
  • And another one to Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland this summer, again for 97,000 SkyMiles
  • A nationwide flash sale to Taipei (TPE) for 170,000 SkyMiles roundtrip flying Delta One Suites
  • Record-low pricing for Delta One Suites on the new route to Hong Kong (HKG) – just 85,000 SkyMiles each way
  • Flying economy, you can't beat getting down to Mexico or the Bahamas for as low as 8,000 SkyMiles … roundtrip!
  • Or all the way to Australia or New Zealand next winter (their summer!) for just 34,000 SkyMiles roundtrip!

 

thrifty traveler premium alert to europe in delta one for 97,000 skymiles

 

Again, that's just the last four weeks … and virtually none of these deals were advertised by Delta itself online or via email. Unlike many flash sales that last just 48 hours or less, many of these deals are still bookable five, six, or even seven days or more later. 

Put them all together, and it's easily the best run of Delta SkyMiles deals we've seen in almost a decade, maybe more – especially for business class redemptions. Four or more of these could easily go down as the best flight deals of the year.

Even in normal times, these deals are outstanding compared to the 500,000-plus SkyMiles Delta typically charges for a Delta One seat abroad. But with skyrocketing flight prices and airlines throttling award space, they stand out even more right now.

For example, finding even a single business class seat to Europe over the summer bookable with points is a tall task even in the best of times. With Delta, rates north of 400,000 SkyMiles each way are the norm. 

And yet there's this:

 

delta fare minneapolis to rome in delta one for 97,700 skymiles

 

A Delta One nonstop to Rome (FCO) in summer, particularly out of Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) – where the airline often charges even more – normally costs 500,000 SkyMiles or more. Seeing this under 100,000 SkyMiles each way is stunning, as we typically only see cheaper Delta One redemptions during off-peak seasons like over the winter.

And sure, American Airlines charges just 70,000 AAdvantage miles or so for a business class award overseas … but good luck finding availability at those rates during the peak summer! As always, Delta Amex cardholders get the best deal thanks to the automatic TakeOff 15 benefit.

Plus, the cheap Delta One deals just keep coming. Just one day after that widespread alert, we found another stunner – this time straight into London-Heathrow (LHR).

 

thrifty traveler premium delta one deal

 

 

Sub-100,000-SkyMile rates to get to London in Delta One are impressive from virtually any city, but especially departing from Atlanta (ATL) and Salt Lake City (SLC). Those two airports get hammered by the Delta hub penalty harder than virtually any other airport in the country, but not here.

The deeply discounted Delta deals spread far beyond Europe. How about hopping on the airline's brand-new route to Hong Kong (HKG) … for just 85,000 SkyMiles each way?! 

 

delta skymiles deal to hong kong for 85,000 skymiles

 

Get this: Delta is now charging over 400,000 SkyMiles for that exact same flight! That's the lowest price we've seen on this exciting new route since Delta put it on the map last year. And it wasn't just 85,000 SkyMiles on the nonstop from Los Angeles (LAX) but from more than a dozen different airports – or just a few thousand miles more from 100-plus other cities.

Ditto for this nationwide deal to Taipei (TPE) and back for 170,000 SkyMiles, bookable from nearly 200 U.S. airports!

 

thrifty traveler premium deal to taiwan for 170,000 skymiles in delta one

 

While the Delta One deals have undoubtedly heated up over the last few weeks, a steady stream of dirt-cheap economy redemptions continues. That includes roundtrips to Hawaii for as low as 12,000 SkyMiles, Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and back for 51,000 SkyMiles, and these obscenely cheap flights to Cancún (CUN) for under 9,000 SkyMiles total.

 

delta flight from pittsburgh to cancun for 8,400 skymiles

 

Some of these deals are still kicking, while many others have disappeared. That should serve as a good reminder: The hotter the deal, the shorter it lasts … and many of these Delta SkyMiles deals were scorching hot.

 

… But Why?

Something must have gotten into the water down in Atlanta.

This is Delta we're talking about: The airline that's practically notorious for ripping off frequent flyers, charging astronomical rates for business class redemptions, and generally treating its SkyMiles program as an afterthought. And yet here we are, spotlighting a slew of incredible deals and singing SkyMiles' praises even as other airlines' mileage programs continue trending downward.

All of which begs the question: Why on earth is Delta doing this? Whether you're paying cash or using your miles, airlines never discount flights out of the goodness of their heart – Delta moreso than perhaps any other carrier on the planet.

Delta doesn't discuss pricing, least of all with companies like ours, dead set on finding travelers better deals. But I have a few theories about what's driving this lovely new trend – and honestly, it could be a combination of some or even all of them:

  • Despite all the “premium travel demand is strong, our Delta-loyal customers aren't going anywhere” bluster, perhaps seats are looking emptier than the airline would like. A solid deal redeeming SkyMiles is an easy way to fill them
  • Some routes are just weaker than others – especially newer ones like Taipei or Hong Kong. Then again, that wouldn't explain why routes like Rome, London, and others are seeing cheaper Delta One rates…
  • Three years after we called Delta out for the sad state of SkyMiles, perhaps Delta has realized that they need to consistently offer value if they want SkyMiles members to keep swiping their Amex cards – where Delta makes its real money
  • Jet fuel prices have steadily come down after peaking in early April, but airlines have signaled fares will remain high to recoup some of what they lost earlier in the spring … so perhaps, as travelers have started to balk at prices, Delta is loosening the spigot on SkyMiles deals to fill up seats without lowering fares
  • Or maybe Delta is just testing the waters, trying out a new (and cheaper) pricing strategy to see how SkyMiles members react

 

delta one suite headrest in the sunlight

 

One thing we can say for sure? We've tracked SkyMiles rates for the better part of a decade, and this is an absolutely unprecedented stretch of deals from Delta, an airline whose mileage program has frequently been written off as worthless.

In the end, here's what matters: Delta SkyMiles deals are roaring right now. And we are very much here for it. 

 

Bottom Line

We've called SkyMiles sales “clearance meat” – Delta's way of filling up planes before they go out empty in order to juice the perceived value of its frequent flyer program.

It's unclear if that's what's driving this recent trend … but it's undeniable that Delta is throwing out more meat than ever.