Although touched on in a couple other threads, I'll take the liberty of starting a new one since some of this seems like new info.
From an email received today:
In October, the WorldPerks program will officially merge into the SkyMiles program. At this time, we will begin merging your existing WorldPerks account information into your linked SkyMiles account, including your redeemable, Elite qualifying and lifetime mileage balances. This mileage deposit into your SkyMiles account will be considered activity, which extends your 24-month mileage expiration date. Moving forward, as long as you have any qualifying earning or redemption activity in the account at least once every 24 months, your miles will never expire.
If your Medallion®* status changes when your Elite Qualifying Miles and Segments are combined, your status will be immediately upgraded, and you will receive new SkyMiles credentials to reflect the higher Medallion status.
Given the significant challenges in integrating two programs on very different technology platforms, members may experience a few inconsistencies in the merged program during the next six months. Please visit delta.com/what2expect for more information and for ongoing updates around program integration.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause; however, we worked hard to strike a balance between what was important to you, and thus critical to offer at loyalty program integration, and what few features would need to be turned off or modified until the overall airline merger is completed. In appreciation for your understanding and patience as we begin the final stages of our consolidation effort, please enjoy 5,000 Bonus Miles that have already been deposited in your WorldPerks account.
Delta.com provides the
details on the "inconsistencies":
- Upgrades on award tickets suspended until "Spring 2010".
- No more confirmed companion upgrades for Plats.
- "The policies pertaining to Award Ticket ticketing time limit and the processing of mileage and Systemwide Upgrades will be based on the airline system that is issuing the ticket." (What does that mean?)
- Upgrades on AS suspended until sometime in 2010.
The 5K bonus seems a pretty paltry compensation, especially for Plats. And many questions are left. Here are a few that come to mind right off the bat:
- What happens to upgrades on CO? We know that CO does not sync up with the NW system in real time. Will CO continue to recognize the NW elite status on reservations booked prior to this transition for flights after the transition?
- What happens to reservations on partner airlines? Do we need to manually update the FF # on those reservations? What if we don't?
- Can we assume the FF # on NW reservations gets updated automatically? Will EUAs right around the transition period be affected?