Perhaps this question has been answered elsewhere in the forum - if so, my apologies for not catching it.

I am a NW Platinum Elite member and have recently starting flying DL as the result of the merger. I am interested in finding out how the DL upgrade priorities work as, circumstantially, they appear to be different than what I am used to on NW. I am also interested in finding out whether or not, at this stage, NW Platinum Elites are considered equivalent to DL Platinum Elites on DL when it comes to upgrades or to any other tier-related services or benefits.

The reason I ask is that I have run into a couple of situations which can seemingly be explained only by either [a] there are significant differences between DL's upgrade program and NW's, and/or [b] NW Platinums are not, at this stage, being accorded status and privileges equivalent to DL Platinums. I figure someone on this forum will have the straight info.

For example, tonight I flew DL 1791 from ATL to SRQ on a U-class ticket. As of yesterday, there were 5 or 6 unclaimed seats in first class, and I was listed for an upgrade. The upgrade didn't clear, so when I arrived at the boarding gate in ATL immediately prior to boarding, I checked the posted list. At that point, all the first class seats had been filled except for one, and there were still 9 people in queue awaiting upgrades. I was #9 of the 9.

At first blush, that would seem to suggest that there were no Golds or Silvers traveling on discount fares on the flight; otherwise, it would be reasonable to expect to see them on the upgrade list and also reasonable to see them at a lower priority. I do understand that DL places some weight on fare paid, although I don't know exactly how DL handles it, whereas NW will clear all NW Platinums before proceeding to Golds, except when the lower tier members are flying on a full-fare coach ticket. But since this particular MD-88 was nearly full, it seemed statistically impossible that I, as a Platinum, would be dead last on the upgrade list even though I was traveling on a discount fare. After all, with over 100+ passengers on the flight, certainly at least some of them had to be Gold or Silver Medallions flying on some sort of discount fare - and at least some, if not all of them, would have been standing by for an upgrade. I think that's pretty reasonable to assume.

Interestingly, when flying NW last year, I found myself being upgraded on virtually every flight, with only a couple of exceptions. But this is consistent with NW's views on Platinum Elite status, where NW really does place an exceptional (and noticeable) service focus on their top tier travelers, including the NW Platinum "upgrade guarantee." which awards us with 1,000 bonus miles for any upgradeable segment that is not, in fact upgraded. On the few flights I've taken with DL, I seem to be averaging about 50%. It's not a big deal in the cosmic scheme of things, since most of my flights on DL are relatively short, but as a person who spends a lot of time on airplanes, it would be nice to know how DL's policies work and to get a feel for why my success rate is so much higher on NW. (I'm also a top tier on American, and my success rate for upgrades is also considerably higher on them than on DL.)

The example of tonights ATL-SRQ flight is only one example. I have others that are similar, but one example should be enough to support my question regarding how DL's upgrade policies work and how the addition of NW Platinum Elites into the upgrade mix impacts them.

I have historically found that when I've used my NW credentials on CO, that CO's system appears to treat me equivalent to - or darn near equivalent to - CO's Platinum Elites. I had presumed the same would be true now that NW is becoming part of DL, but perhaps, at this stage, that hasn't happened.

Interestingly enough - and this may or may not be at all relevant - I find that when I book DL travel thru NW's website (NW allows DL flights to be booked as DL flights, not as NW codeshares, but on NW ticket stock), that when it comes time to check in, I am usually unable to check in using web check-in. The reservation is flagged as 'ineligible.' Then, at the airport, when I enter the DL record locator (not the NW record locator) into the kiosk for check in, the kiosk says that it cannot find a matching e-ticket and sends me to an agent to issue the boarding pass. I spoke to the check-in agent today about this, and she said that she didn't see any problems with the ticket. Yet since I've run into this a number of times now, there seems to be some technical issue of sorts, at least with the ability to check in. Perhaps there is some sort of technical tie-in with the upgrade process for NW Platinums as well. (Improbable, sure, but I thought I'd mention it.)

Any specific info or insights from you DL experts would be most appreciated ... thanks!

Oh, I should mention, in fairness, that overall, I'm pretty pleased overall with DL thus far, and it is my hope that the process of integrating NW draws on the best of both carriers, since both appear to do a lot of things right, but each has its own unique strengths that, if cherry picked, could benefit the new Delta.

Happy holidays all!