I had a flight delayed due to mechanical problems yesterday and spent quite a bit of time on the phone getting rebooked. One of the agents I spoke with was in a good mood and we chatted about the merger of Skymiles and WorldPerks. She told me there are 74 million SkyMile members - didn't break out plats & golds. This is before the addition of WP members. That is 25% of the population.
I found out how to get the agents in the former WorldClub upset - ask then to rebook flights on DL metal. One agent accomplished the rebooking although she had to consult another agent and took quite awhile. She told me it was challenging with a strained smile.
A different agent - same club - typed for a few moments and then looked at me and said 'Delta won't let me rebook that flight. You need to go to the gate and they will rebook you.' Hence the call above. She had a binder from Delta labeled CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT BASICS. It was 2" thick.