Delta Mileage Run – NYC to Mexico City
With much debate over what will happen with the Delta MQM waiver going up to $250,000 for 2019 Diamond Medallion status, there is some argument (and has been an ongoing topic of debate) as to what value a mileage run brings.
Before MQD / dollar requirements, you just needed to fly a lot of miles to make status levels. The more miles you flew, the higher status you got. Simple. So obviously you want to fly the most while spending the least – hence the mileage run. Where can I go to get miles while not paying a lot? Deal websites popped up, mistake fairs became a thing to search for, and suddenly price wars happened. As spend requirements came into play, the value of mileage runs became questionable. You now had to spend more AND fly more.
Mileage runs can still be useful since Delta allows rollover MQMs. They are useful if you are close to achieving a status level and just need a few more miles to make it. They’re also good if you like to fly and check out new places for a cheap price.
Last week I posted about $192 r/t fares to Mexico City (MEX) from New York – I got the flight for a long weekend in February to check out the city. But this week not only was the fare still around, but it was available across more dates. Time for a mileage run?
I did a weekday mileage run : JFK – MEX – ATL – DTW – JFK with a 7 hour layover in DTW. Price was $192.
Note, if you play around with schedules you can get a Dreamliner on this route, but only JFK to MEX, so you’ll get less MQMs. Also note that MSP was available instead of DTW, for extra MQMs, but the times didn’t work as well for me.
MQM : 4,525
MQD : 114
SkyMiles : 1,254
Cost : $191 or 4.2 cents / mile
