# What will happen to my SkyMiles if/when Delta goes bankrupt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245 "2005-05-10T17:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/1 "2005-05-10T17:02:53Z")
The title really says it all. I have a bunch of SkyMiles and my friend keeps saying I had better use them before Delta declares bankruptcy. Will my miles be erased? I assume Delta will still be flying even if it does declare, but will I be able to use my miles? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/2 "2005-05-10T17:12:02Z")
[Fly Air France.](http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/7onyourside/wabc_7onyourside_092204_airline.html)šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/3 "2005-05-10T18:01:37Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > The title really says it all. I have a bunch of SkyMiles and my friend keeps saying I had better use them before Delta declares bankruptcy. Will my miles be erased? I assume Delta will still be flying even if it does declare, but will I be able to use my miles? United Airlines has been in bankruptcy for a long time, and Iā€™ve been able to earn and use my United frequent flier miles. However, that can change if United (or Delta in your case) stops flying. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/4 "2005-05-10T18:04:49Z")
If an airline stops flying, what sometimes happens is that another airline will pick the frequent flyer miles up. When Eastern when belly up in the early 1990s, IIRC Delta picked up its frequent flyer miles. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/5 "2005-05-10T19:23:42Z")
Delta picked up the frequent flyer program of Pan Am after it went bankrupt, so that may happen with future bankruptcies. But itā€™s considered likely that airlines will devalue frequent flyer miles even if they donā€™t go bankrupt. They could, for example, require 50,000 miles instead of 25,000 for a free domestic ticket. The usual advice is not to stockpile frequent flyer miles but instead to use them up. (I read somewhere that the total amount of miles in frequent flyer programs is staggering, and would amount to billions of dollars if it could be cashed in.) ---
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/6 "2005-05-10T20:36:24Z")
Deltaā€™s already in codeshare with a number of airlines, most notably NorthWest (NWA), and itā€™s likely one of the codeshares will pick up the miles, since they already honor them, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/7 "2005-05-10T21:27:58Z")
I worry about the same thing as the OP, as I haveā€¦half a million or so Delta miles unused. But just _try_ using them before they go bankrupt, finding dates and times that meet their blackout, routing, and other Secret Special Conditions. I tried 11 times and failed. Iā€™m seriously, no BS going to have my attorney get involved at this point, as Delta has fucked me seven ways from Sunday, and without even throwing a $10-spot on the bed, every time Iā€™ve tried to use them. Iā€™ve flushed two ā€œbonus ticketsā€ above and beyond the miles down the toilet too, as their terms and conditions were so restrictive and so impossible to meet that they werenā€™t worth the paper they were printed on. At this point, bankrupcy would only be an improvement IMHO. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-to-my-skymiles-if-when-delta-goes-bankrupt/303245/8 "2005-05-11T03:42:36Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > Delta has fucked me seven ways from Sunday, and without even throwing a $10-spot on the bed, every time Iā€™ve tried to use them. Just a slight hijack. Are you saying that if someone, hypothetically speaking, _were_ to throw down a $10-spot down on the bed, you would be OK with the seven ways? No, wait, donā€™t answer that.