Originally Posted by Cholula
1. International and domestic route structure.
2. Number and type of aircraft.
3. Number of daily flights to wherever.
4. Ability to book award travel in class of service desired.
5. Onboard and ground services and amenities.
6.Operational issues like ontime arrivals and departures,baggage handling, safety, ease of transferring at hub airports, etc., etc.
.
1.If you want to use those then of the major airlines DL is last in international departures and landings. While presence is strong in the US, it is very weak internationally compared to NWA, CO, KLM, AF, or KA.
2. Number and type of aircraft means really nothing. It is where you can land and how many birds you can put in the air at one time.
3. DL daily flights in the USA are great but being a US memebr of skyteam means flighst to Asia, Central Europe, Africa, the Pacific. Go to Poland, Italy, or Jo'berg and nobody ever heard about Delta - the five above yes, DL no.
4. Travel awards are nice on DL but the best I have had is KLM with NWA being the worst. I have never been able to get a international coach ticket and used miles to upgrade on DL and I have tried 5-6 times.
5/6 are USA domestic issue which DL does a very good job. BTW, teh two best hub airports for getting from one flight to the next is MSP ans AMS (no additional security, plenty of things to do and decent lounges) ATL is only slightly behind them. I can leave the airport, get to some nice places fast, and get back inside security is less than 7 minutes. Paris is by far the worst.