It definitely looks that way. I never seriously considered a move to AA until now. I'm a hub captive that has flown almost exclusively on DL/NW for the past 13yrs. I'll do 150-200k/year int'l over the foreseeable future. Yes, the route network and ease of use of NW/DL from DTW wins hands down - but they're pushing me out with ridiculous M/B/Y pricing to Europe (and to a certain extent Asia), and DM status is not enough to keep me attached. My travel budget (well, my division's, which I control) can no longer justify the premium DL is demanding; I expect to start buying discount fares before year end. If AA gets me up front even 50% of the time, at lower cost, it's worth the risk of connecting.

That's a minimum of $30k to $40k/year revenue that DL risks losing thanks to pricing and weak DM benefits. Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset about this. They made a business decision and are betting that enough premium YBM customers stick around to offset the loss of a few like me. They could be right.