Dear FlyerTalk friends,

It was my pleasure to meet a few of you at the Freddie awards last week. I appreciated getting the Industry Impact award, but was even more excited that the WorldPerks Elite program narrowly missed being named the best airline Elite program. We’ve always maintained that we can’t be most generous in all categories, but strongly believe that our Elite members deserve the best treatment.

I do read and appreciate the numerous questions and concerns on this site regarding the future of the WorldPerks program. As I’ve stated before, you can be assured that your miles and status are safe, but obviously many people want more information. Many of you have undoubtedly seen recent comments about which name will survive, and that has made you nervous regarding our beloved WorldPerks program.

Obviously, the program is more than a name and I think everyone understands that. The short story is that we don’t know yet what a merged program would look like. Only if a merger is completed can NW and DL coordinate program policies. For us to do that now would be illegal. We simply can’t discuss it.

What I can promise you is that everyone involved is interested in making not just the biggest, but the best frequent flier program in the world. If the merger is approved, we will be working diligently to ensure keep the best parts of both programs.

In the meantime, we are continuing to invest in WorldPerks and enhance the value proposition for our members. In the past two months, we have introduced PerkChoice (even with its current “warts”), launched WorldPerks auctions and launched several new WorldPerks partners including Avis, Hertz, etc. Plus, if you are a WorldPerks Signature Visa card holder, you’re currently able to redeem miles for merchandise. Over the next several months, we’ll be rolling out even more positive enhancements for our members (including several in May).

In addition, we’re continuing to deliver the best upgrade rate for our elites of any program in the industry. The average Platinum member gets upgraded about 90% of the time from full fares and about 85% on discount fares. This is something that we’re very proud of and know that upgrades are a key elite benefit.

I know this didn’t answer all your questions but it is the best I can do at the moment. We do have a new “NW Scoop” keeping tabs on postings and responding occasionally. Obviously, it will take some time for him to develop the same trust level that you had with the NW Scoop 1.

I appreciate your feedback and will continue to post occasionally. Thanks again for your continued business and patience.

Best regards.

Bob Soukup
Managing Director WorldPerks