Hyatt and Delta Air Lines Announce Loyalty Partnership

Hyatt and Delta Air Lines have announced a new, long-term strategic loyalty collaboration. This partnership will establish an exclusive relationship between the Delta SkyMiles and World of Hyatt programs, focusing on connecting air and hotel experiences for their most loyal customers.

Reciprocal Earning for Elite Members

The initial phase of the collaboration will introduce reciprocal earning opportunities for elite members of both loyalty programmes. World of Hyatt elite members will be able to earn World of Hyatt points on qualifying Delta airfare purchases within qualifying fare classes. Similarly, Delta SkyMiles Medallion members will earn miles for qualifying stays at participating Hyatt properties.

This dual-earn benefit aims to provide a requested loyalty feature, rewarding members across both flights and hotel stays. Further details regarding launch timing and full eligibility criteria will be provided by both Hyatt and Delta in the coming months, with additional benefits expected to be unveiled later this year.

Source: Hyatt

Opinion

After the quiet dissolution of Hyatt's alliance with American Airlines, this new Delta tie-up feels like a necessary move for Hyatt, but it's frustratingly vague. “In the coming months” and “additional details soon” are the usual placeholders for “we’re still figuring this out.”

Reciprocal earning for elite members is a start, but it’s a low bar. What about status matching or enhanced on-the-ground benefits?