I'm fairly new to all this and don't really understand for sure how this all works yet.

I am signed up for the frequent flyer programs for Continental, Delta and Northwest (among others). These are the most common for me out of BUF with Delta being the most. What I'm not sure is what else I need/should do? Is there anything to sign up for to be part of SkyTeam or are you just part of it as soon as you are signed up for any of the partners?

Also, can you pool miles from members within SkyTeam to use on reward flights? Say for example I have 20,000 miles on Delta, 10,000 miles on Continental and 5,000 miles on NW, can I somehow put them all together to use for a reward flight? Or do I have to wait till I have enough miles with any single airline and then I can book a flight that uses the other partners?

I'm just confused on what I should be doing and what is possible to do. Any input would be appreciated.

aero