Delta, Alaska to Cut Reciprocal Elite Benefits

In what is likely to be just one of several steps ultimately leading to the complete dissolution of the Delta-Alaska Airlines frequent-flyer program tie-up, the two feuding airlines have begun chipping away at the reciprocal elite benefits that have been a centerpiece of their longstanding preferred marketing relationship.

Alaska today announced that, beginning on May 1, Mileage Plan elites will lose the following current perks when flying Delta:

• Baggage fee waivers
• Sky Priority Boarding
• Express security lanes
• Priority baggage
• 50 percent discount on Economy Comfort seats

For the time being, the following elite perks will remain in place for Mileage Plan elites flying Delta:

• Elite bonus miles
• Complimentary upgrades “within the United States (excluding Hawaii), Canada, Mexico, and select Caribbean destinations. Not available on nonstop flights between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle”
• Preferred seating
• Zone 1 priority check-in and boarding

Alaska reciprocated by cutting the following benefits for Delta SkyMiles elites flying on Alaska from May 1:

• Baggage fee waivers
• Priority security-line access

Other current Delta elite benefits are not affected.

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Neither airline has committed to a timetable for terminating the frequent-flyer relationship completely, but my guess is that the partnership will no longer be in place when Delta’s new SkyMiles program takes effect on January 1, 2015.

Reader Reality Check

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This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.