Even though your problem is seemingly solved by the fast upgrade of your Delta AmEx card, I still have to point out that 1284 + 4613 = 5897, which is not "at LEAST 6,000" (your caps) MQMs. In this case, it appears that it won't matter, but I had assumed that the Atlanta to Frankfurt distance would be slightly less than Detroit to Frankfurt and that El Paso to your international gateway connecting hub (for your routing, Atlanta) would be less than 1,000 miles unless it involved multiple connections. Sorry that my sense of Texas geography isn't accurate nor is my ability to estimate geodesics and airmiles very precise.

The point is that before planning any travel explicitly to accrue MQMs, you first need to ascertain exactly the number needed--it would be a shame to plan (and pay for) a MR solely to achieve status and then fail to get such status by a few miles, especially if Delta doesn't bounce people up this year due to rollover. (This has been a subject of speculation here recently.) Moreover, if you consider a routing change (i.e., to KLM through AMS), please be sure to double check the rules regarding MQM credit on particular fare classes from partner airlines and codeshares. Note also that the minimum guarantee of 500 miles per segment may not apply to partner flights. Start by reading the "earning miles" part of the Delta SkyMiles website at delta.com very carefully. Finally, pay attention to kilometers versus miles; some foreign carriers and other sources measure distance in kilometers (1 km = (approx) 0.6 miles). Remember, too, that any miles over 25,000 in 2009 will carry forward ("rollover") so these MQMs won't be wasted. Yet for elite qualification purposes (the role of MQMs), having 24,999 MQM miles in 2009 might be no different from earning zero MQMs in 2009.