Midwest Airlines Midwest Miles - Earning SkyMiles?

The last time I flew Midwest (a few months ago), they wouldn't let me use a Delta SkyMiles number, so I used my Northwest Worldperks. Now that Worldperks has been absorbed into SkyMiles, will I be able to earn SkyMiles points by flying Midwest?

I don't fly Midwest often enough to make a Midwest Miles account worthwhile (plus there are about a billion other reasons why earning Skymiles points is more logical).

They will accept the SkyMiles number very shortly if they do not already. If they won't take the SkyMiles number in the mean time, I'd give the old WorldPerks number and keep copies of everything just in case.

According to Delta's website, they now offer mileage credit and redemption for Midwest flights. The Byzantine Midwest website still only shows Northwest as their legacy partner. If Midwest isn't yet equipped to take a SkyMiles number, I'd just mail your boarding passes in to Delta after your trip, and make sure your Midwest Miles number is nowhere on that reservation.

According to Delta's website, they now offer mileage credit and redemption for Midwest flights. The Byzantine Midwest website still only shows Northwest as their legacy partner. If Midwest isn't yet equipped to take a SkyMiles number, I'd just mail your boarding passes in to Delta after your trip, and make sure your Midwest Miles number is nowhere on that reservation.

This is what's posted on the YX site:

http://www.midwestairlines.com/MidwestMiles/MilesNews/SkyMiles.aspx

I think that the DL/NW consolidation is running slightly ahead of the original schedule.

It is interesting to note that F9 is clearly listed as a partner of YX.

It is interesting to note that F9 is clearly listed as a partner of YX.

Which takes us to the question: Will one be able to earn SkyMiles on YX flights "operated by Frontier"? Or even, will one be able to earn SkyMiles on
F9 flights? This could establish a SkyTeam beachhead in Denver, and put F9/Republic in a better position to leverage their hub. Don't know how Delta would feel about this...would they like to expand their position at DEN, or would they think it would threaten the SLC hub?

They will accept the SkyMiles number very shortly if they do not already. If they won't take the SkyMiles number in the mean time, I'd give the old WorldPerks number and keep copies of everything just in case.

Just in case being the key words here. Just recently I had CSRs enter my WorldPerks number three times--in MKE twice and LAS once---never took. Instead I got credit to MME. Three times and it did not work.

Keep your documents.

So there's no place online to input your alternate number? I am flying YX for the first time (actually Chautauqua and Skywest...) next month. I swear that I put my WP number somewhere when I was purchasing the ticket... Now I can't even find that anywhere.

I just called yesterday to change my FF# for my upcoming trip from Midwest to Delta, and the CSR had no problem doing it. I'm flying this Friday and I'll report back next week on whether or not I was successful in getting Skymiles credit.

Well, there's no joy yet. I was going to submit a request for credit, but the Midwest site says it can take up to 60 days for partner credit, so I guess I'll wait a while longer.

I am somewhat concerned because the original boarding pass (printed at home) had my SkyMiles number on it, but it said "Midwest Miles" instead of "Delta SkyMiles", so I'm concerned it wasn't entered entirely correctly.

I'll post again when I have something more to report.

The miles for both segments have now posted to my SkyMiles account, so it really does work.

Interestingly, DL gave me 738 miles for each segment whereas YX has only given me 737 miles in the past.

Good to know, monster, thanks!

Does anyone know whether all flights with a Midwest flight number count for Skymiles, even if flown by Frontier? That seems to be the final piece of the puzzle.

The mechanism by which FF miles are credited relies on the ticketing airline. So the flights which are Midwest operated by Frontier should logically qualify because they are Midwest-ticketed. It's not about who owns what or whose operating certificate flights are under. If it were, then Midwest operated by Skywest would be trouble, which it is not.

I doubt the question will be 100% put to bed until someone actually flies and is credited their Skymiles, but I don't think there's any precidence (at least in the US) for outsourced code-share flying to not count in FF mile reciprocity.

The mechanism by which FF miles are credited relies on the ticketing airline. So the flights which are Midwest operated by Frontier should logically qualify because they are Midwest-ticketed. It's not about who owns what or whose operating certificate flights are under. If it were, then Midwest operated by Skywest would be trouble, which it is not.
I think I'm still a little confused. In this context, does "ticketing airline" mean the airline whose flight number appears on the particular segment? When I hear the phrase "ticketing airline", I normally take it to mean the airline whose ticket stock was used for the entire ticket.

So if I had a ticket where AA was the ticketing airline (001 stock) that had a segment operated by F9 with a YX code share flight number, I'm pretty sure I could credit the miles to YX. But are you saying that I should also be able to credit the miles to DL (assuming I could figure out how to get my SkyMiles # into the reservation)?

I'm not sure it works that way. There is a footnote on the Delta SkyMiles Airline Partners (http://skymilesoffers.delta.com/airline_partners.php) page that reads:

22 Midwest Airlines:
Mileage may be earned on all Midwest-operated flights. Earn 100% of actual miles flown (500 minimum). Earn 100% Medallion Qualifying Miles for fare classes: Y, B, H, V, Q, K, W, M, T, R. O. P. Earn Medallion Qualifying Segments for fare classes: Y, B, H, V, Q, K, W, M, T, R, O, P.

Even though it says "Midwest-operated", I got credit for my Republic-operated flights (perhaps because it's the parent company?), but it's not at all clear to me that F9 operated flights would also qualify.

In the AAdvantage program (with which I'm more familiar), they spell out exactly which code shares are eligible for mileage acrrual for each individual partner airline. For example, for GOL, it reads "Codeshare flights operated by carriers other than American Airlines may not be eligible for mileage accrual." For Iberia, it reads "Iberia codeshare flights operated by oneworld carriers and oneworld affiliates are eligible for mileage accrual." Both of these imply that there are code share flights with partner airlines that will not earn AAdvantage miles.

So, I think it depends solely on exactly what the agreement between Delta and Republic says, and the only way we'll know for sure is if someone tries it and reports the results here.

I think I'm still a little confused. In this context, does "ticketing airline" mean the airline whose flight number appears on the particular segment? When I hear the phrase "ticketing airline", I normally take it to mean the airline whose ticket stock was used for the entire ticket.

The semantics of this are frustrating because just about any set of words or terms used open it up for someone to understand it differently.

The airline who is primarily "owns" the flight for sale is who I'm talking about.

Doesn't matter who is on the certificate, whose ticketing stock is used, what crews fly it, who is a subsidiary of whom, or any of that stuff.

The A319 flights from MKE to LAX/LAS/PHX/MCO/TPA/RSW/BOS are "owned" by Midwest as primiarily theirs for sale. And thus should be eligible for Skymile credit.

That having been said, i agree that the real proof will come when someone actually does it. How somethiing should work is not always how it does.

The semantics of this are frustrating because just about any set of words or terms used open it up for someone to understand it differently.

The airline who is primarily "owns" the flight for sale is who I'm talking about.

Doesn't matter who is on the certificate, whose ticketing stock is used, what crews fly it, who is a subsidiary of whom, or any of that stuff.

The A319 flights from MKE to LAX/LAS/PHX/MCO/TPA/RSW/BOS are "owned" by Midwest as primiarily theirs for sale. And thus should be eligible for Skymile credit.

I respectfully disagree here. If, for example, you were trying to earn Midwest Miles on a Northwest flight which is a codeshare operated by Hawaiian (where the flight is operated and did business as Hawaiian), this would not be possible. The reverse would hold true as well. If a YX flight was a F9 codeshare, where the flight operated and did business as Frontier, you would not receive SkyMiles. A Midwest Connect flight, although operated by Skywest, is eligible since it is doing business as an agent of Midwest (hence "Midwest Connect").

That having been said, i agree that the real proof will come when someone actually does it. How somethiing should work is not always how it does.

I do agree with you here, however. What would or would not work in theory is not necessarily how it will work in practice.

If a YX flight was a F9 codeshare, where the flight operated and did business as Frontier, you would not receive SkyMiles. A Midwest Connect flight, although operated by Skywest, is eligible since it is doing business as an agent of Midwest (hence "Midwest Connect").

Actually, I agree with that...

LAX-MKE, flown with F9 A319, does business as Midwest. So SkyMiles should be credited.

LAX-DEN-MKE, flown with F9 319, does busienss as Frontier. So I would not expecte SkyMiles credit.

We'll see, of course, if that all holds true or not.

Maybe I read this too swiftly, but has no one wondered why s/he'd be wanting to accrue DL miles...? The redemption rates have become the worst I've seen of any airline.

Good question, LGA, esp since redemption has, in my experience been very easy through Midwest Miles. For me, the reason is simple: I try to maintain Delta Gold Medallion status year over year, and having flights that accrue medallion qualifying miles is highly valuable to me. Redeemable miles are kind of meaningless, in my book.

If you want a truly excellent redemption program, look at Starwood Preferred Guest.

Good question, LGA, esp since redemption has, in my experience been very easy through Midwest Miles. For me, the reason is simple: I try to maintain Delta Gold Medallion status year over year, and having flights that accrue medallion qualifying miles is highly valuable to me. Redeemable miles are kind of meaningless, in my book.

If you want a truly excellent redemption program, look at Starwood Preferred Guest.

I had thought of the MQM aspect and had checked this page (http://www.delta.com/skymiles/about_skymiles/benefits_at_glance/mqm_calculations/index.jsp) to see if miles on Midwest counted as DL MQMs, but I didn't see it on the list so figured it wouldn't be helping you toward status.

True, but if you go to:

http://skymilesoffers.delta.com/airline_partners.php

and select Midwest from the list, then click the "22" superscript in the Midwest heading, it'll take you to the footnote that says you get 100% MQM's on most published fare classes.

Delta's Byzantine website does have conflicting information, and I haven't tested the MQM accrual since the NW Worldperks days, when I had Midwest flights hit my NW account then roll into Skymiles, and I got all my MQMs that way. Hopefully someone else tests out the MQM accrual directly into a Skymiles account before me!

I can report that my flights over Columbus Day weekend credited to SkyMiles did indeed earn MQM.