Originally Posted by alphaeagle
How does skyteam know when I reach 25,000 miles?
A simpler answer than the answers above: Skyteam status is based on your status in member airlines. If you're Silver/Gold in any of NW/CO/DL's programs, you're Skyteam Elite. If you're Plat in any of NW/CO/DL's programs, you're Skyteam Elite Plus. It works similarly for the other Skyteam members.
I have about 20k of miles so far on NW, and I'm about to get 8k on Alitalia that I can't put into NW.
Why can't you put the 8k into NW? Just give your Worldperks number to Alitalia when you check in, make sure the Worldperks number appears on your boarding pass, and they should credit without any problem--assuming it's an eligible fare class (see
http://www.nwa.com/freqfly/earn/airfl.shtml#alitalia).