Originally Posted by
mjcewl1284
I will shout from the mountains and tell everyone since I used to be an NW lifer: There was no merger between DL and NW. DL cannibalized NW, pure and simple... All that nonsense about how they would create a whole new airline with both Delta and Northwest having equal input? Absolute pile of steaming crap.
...A blind person who could finally see couldn't tell NW ever existed with the DL livery. The UA crowd should be happy they still have the United name on the planes!
I was a NW lifer too, mainly because of WorldPerks and generous upgrades for Platinums, and I was also unhappy at NW's quick erasure along with the virtual destruction of the FF program, cancellation of affinity Visa cards in favor of Amex, etc.
But at the end of the day I have to agree the DL approach was superior to the UA hybrid one. By ripping the band-aid off all at once RA got the merged airline thinking and acting as a single business unit. Look at the business results. I'm no longer a DL SkyMiles member but fly DL often (I credit my DL segments to AS MP) and it always makes UA look crippled and dysfunctional. You sure don't hear announcements from "your proud Northwest crew" over the PA. Some of these United employees sound like they're still fighting the Civil War. Which is to say, deranged.