I have been lurking here for several months, and I can't resist commenting on this Delta promotion.

I have been wondering all day why Delta would basically give away money for nothing.

It just occurred to me why, and it's not money for nothing. It's actually miles for:

1) Great PR: I have read little to nothing negative about Delta in conjunction with this promotion. In fact, today has been like a little Delta love-fest. That's much more that I can say about most days' comments on the internet, here and elsewhere.

2) Balance sheet / income "management": Delta can take a charge for whatever this game "costs" during Q4 of 2004, and then recognize "revenue" for the use of these miles next year, perhaps during otherwise slow times. The revenue recognized may actually exceed the value of heavily discounted tickets that might otherwise be sold during this period.

Anyway, I love Delta and greatly appreciate all of FlyerTalk's help over the last several months.