Summary

  • Delta 360 is an exclusive, invitation-only elite status program for high-spending Diamond Medallion members.
  • Benefits of Delta 360 include unlimited Delta Sky Club access, customer support, and priority status on upgrade lists.
  • Delta 360 members may receive special perks like private gate-to-gate transfers in a Porsche at Delta hubs.

A loyalty program is undeniably designed to encourage passengers to continue flying their carrier, primarily through the accrual of award miles that can eventually be redeemed for free travel and other perks. However, for the highest-spending groups of travelers, primarily those who fly many times a year for business, there are additional tools deployed by airlines to ensure that big spenders keep flying.

As a result, carriers have developed a unique system of elite status benefits, which offer select perks to those who have spent enough to meet the qualification thresholds for them. In the case of the Delta Air Lines

SkyMiles

program, this comes in the form of their medallion status tiers, the most lucrative of which offer benefits like guaranteed Sky Club access and upgrades to first-class seats.

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Photo: Delta Air Lines

However, among Delta’s many published loyalty program tiers, there is one that is often omitted from the discussion. The highest, most secretive tier of the carrier’s status pushes far beyond the benefits of even Diamond Medallion members.

This award level, which is comparable only to American Airlines’ ConciergeKey and United Airlines’ Global Services, is only available by invitation, and requires a hefty expenditure. We will now take a deeper look at everything that Delta 360 has to offer.

How does one get invited to Delta 360?

As Delta officially aims to keep the details of its unpublished top-tier status confidential, there is very little acknowledgment by the carrier about the program on its website. As a result, the vast majority of information regarding the benefits and qualification requirements for Delta 360 comes from secondhand accounts, such as those provided online by those who are lucky enough to have earned the status.

Delta does not give us much of an idea on its website about what benefits the program offers. However, it does provide some idea of how it determines eligibility for the program:

Delta 360° is an annual, invitation only membership for our most loyal SkyMiles Members. A Delta 360° Membership offers Delta’s most premium suite of benefits and services exclusive to our top SkyMiles Members. For 2024, entry into Delta 360° will be extended to a very small percentage of Diamond Medallion Members.

Delta Air Lines aircraft parked at the gates at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport JFK shutterstock_1017102973

Photo: agsaz | Shutterstock

This provides us with a few important details to understand about Delta 360. First and foremost, it is an extension of the benefits already offered by Diamond Medallion, and only they are eligible for the promotion (as opposed to the status being used as an incentive to encourage frequent flyers from other airlines to come over to Delta). Additionally, the carrier lists three categories for consideration:

  • Overall Delta flight activity
  • Purchases in Delta premium cabins
  • Spending on cobranded Delta American Express cobranded credit cards

Unlike American’s ConciergeKey and United’s Global Services, however, no generally accepted threshold for expenditure can guarantee a Delta 360 invitation. As previously analyzed by Simple Flying, spending $50,000 in a calendar year on either United or American can be pretty much all you need to ensure that you are offered their highest status tiers. However, this is not a guarantee for Delta, according to a breakdown from The Points Guy.

What perks come along with Delta 360 status?

As Delta 360 members are chosen from the already exclusive group of Diamond Medallion members, they enjoy an impressive array of benefits. However, there is a select group of benefits available only to Delta 360 members, as is also the case with American’s ConciergeKey and United’s Global Services.

The first key perk is an executive membership to the Delta Sky Club, something which currently costs nearly $1,500 annually if purchased in cash. This level of Sky Club membership provides unlimited access for Delta 360 members as well as up to two guests who may be accompanying them.

sky club

Photo: Channing Reid | Simple Flying

With increasingly restrictive policies regarding access to the Sky Club, the value of this unlimited membership cannot be understated. Executive membership to the Sky Club is also available to Diamond Medallion members who redeem two of their three Choice Benefits for this access.

One Mile At A Time also was quick to note that Delta 360 members can access the dedicated Delta One lounges, which are typically only available to those who are flying on long-haul international business class tickets. However, no guest access is offered in these situations.

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Photo: Delta Air Lines

Delta 360 members also have access to a dedicated customer support line, ensuring that someone will always be immediately available to assist with any challenges they may have. Furthermore, Delta 360 members will be provided with the highest level of priority on any waitlists or upgrade lists and are also offered a fancy annual gift.

The best benefit of them all

To ensure its most loyal travelers consistently have a smooth experience, Delta carefully tracks the movements of all of its Diamond Medallion members. If such a passenger is in danger of missing a tight connection, Delta may choose to offer them a private gate-to-gate transfer in a dedicated Porsche vehicle.

During times in which there is high demand for these transfers, Delta 360 members are offered rides first. Furthermore, at Delta’s largest hubs where many Porsche vehicles are available for transfers, Delta 360 members will often be treated to a private ride even when they are not in danger of missing a connection.

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