My recent experiences with Delta have been a pleasant surprise. I had pretty much stopped flying them after many years of making at least Silver Medallion,as I felt the service had just deteriorated too far. My primary airline has always been Alaska, as I have made MVP Gold for 12 straight years.

Delta's Crown Room Clubs are really nice, probably the best of the airline lounges. Salt Lake and Cincinnati are both excellent for connections, but Atlanta frequently experiences delays.

I also really like the fact that Delta still flies some 767s on transcon routes from Portland and Seattle. I really miss the days when DC-10s and L-1011s were the gold standard for transcontinental air travel. I really miss the Delta L-1011 nonstops from Portland to New York and Boston, which ended in about 1999. Those days may be gone forever, but at least the 767 is closer to it than these miserable sardine-can 737-800s that Alaska and others fly.

For Alaska MVP Golds, I still think NWA offers the best deal, as it's the only partner that truly recognizes our elite status. American completely ignores it, as MVP Gold on American gets you absolutely nothing: not a better seat, not early boarding, nothing. Delta is somewhere in between.