This is another example of :-:Best in Class:-:

With the old NW and with all other airlines that I know of the only thing that mattered was that the account where the miles were coming from were from an elite, it did not matter who was flying. DL is alone here that they require the elite member to be on the PNR. This really sucks if you want to fly family members over or gift a trip to a friend and fly with with them on a paid ticket.