NEW YORK (AP) — American Express rolled out several updates to its Delta SkyMiles credit cards Thursday that will give additional benefits to users, part of efforts to soothe sore Delta Air Lines customers who have considered abandoning the airline after last year’s SkyMiles loyalty fiasco. AmEx customers get access to Delta's airport lounges and are able to transfer their Membership Rewards points to Delta, among other benefits. To give a sense of scale, Delta CEO Ed Bastion told investors in June that roughly 1% of the entire U.S. economy is spend on Delta's credit cards. So, when Delta made alterations to its SkyMiles loyalty program last year, it was largely seen by Delta customers as a watering down of its program, and it caused turbulence between the two companies. Part of those changes required Delta customers to spend large sums of money on airfare or on the Delta credit card to be given elite status on the airline.

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Persons: AmEx, Delta, it's, Ed Bastion, Bastion, “, Howard Grosfield Organizations: Delta, Air Lines, New, Delta Air Lines, American Express, U.S . Consumer Services Locations: New York, Delta, Hawaii , Alaska, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, Atlanta, AmEx