First time poster, long time reader.

Flown on Delta a long time. Last time I hit status was 1993-94 as a Gold (!) when a family of 5 could go round trip in coach to Florida for 100K miles and every segment was a minimum of 500 miles (even that 63 mile hop from DAY to CVG).

By next weekend I'll hit the qualifications for Silver. Several questions:

1. From what I've read, it kicks in relatively quick (several days).

2. What changes for me? Seems the good stuff doesn't kick in until Gold (Sky) as I have Zone 1 from a Delta Amex, SkyClub from Amex Platinum and Pre/GE from Platinum also.

3. Does it expire at the end of '16 or the end of '17?

With my projected schedule, I will probably hit Gold before mid year. Anything to get excited about besides the Sky lane?

Thoughts on what to expect are appreciated.