Cellist, Lynn Harrel is world renowned and travels worldwide for performances. Delta Airlines recently booted him from their frequent flier program for collecting miles when he paid for an extra seat for his cello.
Harrell buys a second seat for his cello, which is too valuable to check, reported NBC News. 15 years ago an agent set up the Delta SkyMiles account for "Cello Harrell" in which he collected miles for himself and the seat next to him that he purchased for his cello. He collected miles for more than a decade on the program without a problem.
However, Harrell received a letter from Delta telling him he could no longer use the frequent flyer program. In the letter that Harrell shared on his blog, "It has come to our attention that you have continued to earn miles for your cello even after you were advised in 2001 that this was not permitted."
The letter says that Delta closed the account for the cello and terminated his membership in the SkyMiles program and deleted all of his miles that he has accumulated.
"The 2001 warning the letter refers to is a note informing Harrell that the cello was not allowed to accrue mileage, but he either just forgot about it or never saw it when his secretary handled the correspondence, Harrell said," reported NBC News.
Harrell said on his website about the incident, "I am sorry and perplexed that airlines like Delta are willing to turn down the opportunity to maintain long time customers and income (my career has been in full swing for more than 40 years!) for nothing more than the ability to make a quick one-off buck now by selling my miles. Oh well, to each their own."
He added, "When all is said and done there are other airlines that do recognize that paying for a full fare seat to transport a cello deserves to accumulate mileage. To all of those airlines, and you know who you are, I say thank you and you can expect me and Mr. Cello to continue to be a loyal customers for years to come."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
