Hyatt Drops American for Delta in New Loyalty Partnership

World of Hyatt had a busy Wednesday. In the morning, American Airlines and Hyatt said they've mutually decided to end their enhanced loyalty relationship, which dates back to 2019. A few hours later, Delta and Hyatt announced a brand new, exclusive long-term partnership between SkyMiles and World of Hyatt that's set to launch in the coming months.

Details on the partnership are still slim. The one concrete benefit announced is "Dual Earn" for elite members of both programs. Delta Medallion members will earn SkyMiles on qualifying Hyatt stays, and World of Hyatt elites will earn Hyatt points on qualifying Delta fares, on top of what each program already awards.

Delta and Hyatt haven't said which elite tiers qualify, how much you'll earn, or which fares and stays count. Both companies say more benefits and member-only experiences are coming, with details to follow later this year.

Hyatt's partnership with American isn't over just yet. Both programs will keep honoring benefits through the current earning year, but only if your AAdvantage and World of Hyatt accounts are linked by 11:59:59 p.m. CT on Nov. 15. Linked AAdvantage members can keep earning Hyatt awards through Loyalty Point Rewards until Feb. 28, 2027, and linked World of Hyatt members can keep earning AAdvantage rewards through Milestone Rewards until Dec. 31, 2026.

Andrew's Take

I have elite status with both Hyatt and Delta, so this is intriguing news. I'm not getting too excited until we know what Dual Earn actually looks like, but it's hard to imagine the new partnership being less useful than the current American tie-up. For context, American and Hyatt offered their own version of dual earning until the end of 2024, letting elites earn in one program when traveling with the other.