Not sure if you can get them transferred in time but you can use Delta miles to book on Emirates until December 31, 2006, when DL's agreement with Emirates expires. As long as you book with DL miles by 12/31 you can schedule the actual flights anytime during 2007. I just yesterday got two JFK-Dubai business awards for use in March using DL miles. You need to call the DL Partners desk to do that. The only issue would be having the transferred AMEX MR miles in your DL account by 12/31/06 so they can be used to cover the Emirates tickets. My experience has been that the MR miles transfer quickly to DL but I've not done it in quite some time. Can anyone else help the OP with the timing of MR to DL transfers? I would also suggest that the OP post this transfer timing question in the DL forum right away to see if the DL experts can give you the answer. Good luck. Oh, and welcome to FT.