KLC

Agreed. I first found my way to Flyertalk during the Save Our Skymiles campaign.

+1

Although there's a lot of common ground, too.

Rancher

Now as a Delta Platinum, I am plesantly surprised ...with a few notable exceptions.

I have had few of the problems that others have claimed in this string. Problems booking a bulkhead seat? I have always booked a bulkhead seat. I am sitting in one now that I booked at delta.com. I sat in one yesterday that I booked at delta.com. I have noticed that Delta in-flight staff seem genuinely NICE, as though they may like their customers. While most of DL's FC products still mimic NW's tired attempt at the same, their transcon FC product is unbeatable. I hope they broaden its availability. Finally, the new roll-over miles feature in SkyMiles is a game changer. It makes achieving the new diamond status relatively easy for perhaps a large plurality of platinums. Someone got their market segmentation stats right on that call. Ultimately that further segmentation should let truly frequent fliers upgrade more easily.

That said... Delta's downgrading WorldClubs to their tawdry mismanaged SkyClubs may be cheaper in the short run, but who really wants to use them now? The best food in them is processed cheese spread. McDonald's now has healthier and more tasty food than SkyClubs. The wine is undrinkable. Quite an accomplishment in so little time Delta. Who exactly are they trying to attract as a client base? Shame on Delta! Eating this Italian Velveeta off plastic plates that seem to get thinner by the month, double shame! Is Delta's aim to so humiliate us that we forget its other transgressions? Bottomline: SkyClubs are decidely downmarket. Why not splurge a little and have something decent at McDonald's or Burger King?

Also since Delta took over NW, it has been incredibly difficult to redeem miles, yet seats ALWAYS open up in the end for which I pay a $50 change fee as a platimum. I have in the past paid three change fees to get on the flight that I first wanted and was ultimately only half full. Reset your yield management engine Delta. This is too tacky. You don't want to appear to be so money grubbing, even if you are. Appearances are important.

Since UA started flying n/s from MSP to SFO I use them for both paid and award tickets to the Northwest US: the planes are relatively empty, there are no fees for award ticket changes (even for non-elite Mileage Plus members), and the economy plus seats are about equal in comfort to Delta's FC product on that route. There is also an excellent UA network out of SFO to even the smallest cities which DL serves only "seasonally."

The only sense of loss I have toward NW is the Iron Range dedicated platinum line. It is no more. I hope that Delta realizes that these pros could teach those agents who are currently assigned to super elites, and who seem relatively clueless. The Iron Range workers may be the most valuable asset you purchased from NW.

The merger has been a rocky one, but Delta, I do want to sincerely thank you for finally killing off Northwest. You have some room for misdeeds after after that humanitarian gesture. Northwest was a truly nasty airline. May he burn in hell...and I say this as a Minneapolis based 20+ year NW flier, all as some form of elite.

GBadger

I'm not sure when you booked your tickets, but the no bulkhead thing is new since reservations engines merged on 2/1. Anything booked before that was not necessarily affected. Also, any bulkheads that are also exit rows (e.g. row 10 A330) are not affected.

This is mainly a problem for the A320s, A319s and DC9s, where row 5 is now no longer an option.

BusTrav8yrs

I can understand why there are those here that are fed up with certain posters who constantly whine about the same things over and over again. I am actually finding it quite humorous now, it's like they feel nobody is listening so they have to shout louder. I personally have completely tuned out anything they say because their opinion has lost any value it had. Making you opinion once or twice is fine, but the constant berating and "best in class" crap does not get the point across any better.

I guess it is like slowing down for an accident when you go into these posts. You know you shouldn't but just can't help yourself.

But to get this riled over an inamimate object such as an airline seems weird. There are so many more important things in life. Get over it and move on. Go to another airline. And yes I was a NW flyer for over 10 years, but is was just an airline, there are more that will come and go.

I do wish there were two seperate boards here for DL. Whines and Info.

ffI

I hope everyone realizes that it is the NW IT team in charge of the merged operations for skymiles?
That is what I read in a magazine, I think on a DL flight perhaps? I think the Sept Issue 2009
That had a bio of the head of NW IT and an interview with her about her work.

localady

^^^

KLC

That point has been made several times, but I've been around IT projects long enough to know that no one person or team can restructure an entire process in a short timeframe. More importantly, corporate decisions on processes and policies are seldom based on recommendations from IT organizations.

fti

Yes but...

Exactly. And you know how little influence the actual NW IT people have. They certainly would have kept the NW award booking interface but as we all know, it is no longer. Now the IT people need to almost start from scratch again to construct something useful.

pmaddock

I'm almost afraid to answer the question here as feelings seem to continue to be rather dicey. Still in theory we're here to express opinions, share them and information so here goes.

For me the jury is still deliberating about the net effect of the merger into SM. I suppose I have my 'evidence' in 3 buckets:

- the gains
- The actual flying experience is a definite improvement with DL including
- seats in FC that actually feel like they belong
- the water bottle is a nice touch
- there seems to be a bit more 'spring' in the step of the FAs
- IFE is nice to finally have

- the losses
- the degradation of upgrade opportunities is especially hard to swallow - I know this may sound odd but I think of the miles and benefits as part of my compensation package that I bring home to my family for vacation use. The upgrade opportunity - be it the now very limited companion upgrade or the loss of mileage upgrades for lower fare classes - really hurt this angle.
- award inventory - it does bother me that Amex and DL so loudly continue to promote the 25K free flight when the reality of it is almost a mirage.
- club - the value of an SC membership just doesn't measure up to either the WC or even the CRC of last year. Same membership fee but fewer locations doesn't work for me.

- the realities
This is more a general principal thing. The bottom line is that both DL and NW were in bankruptcy and the economics of the airline industry is a mess. Something has gotta give at some level. Ultimately I know that its just not going to be as good as either program was back in the early 2000's. Reality does 'bite' after all.

redtailshark

pmaddock, yes, that last argument seems more logical systemwide. The problem is, although DL would like to make that case to excuse horrendous SM performance - and indeed, some wish to make it by proxy for the organization - other airlines don't use that argument in the same way. Their FFP are much better in comparison.

Many other commercial entities don't practice the bait and switch that DL does with SM. The iPod example is instructive. Very few people would tolerate similar vending practices from an electronics retailer without filing formal complaints. So why from an airline?

As for those who don't like these threads, too bad. I'm not going anywhere Free speech is a precious commodity and should be exercised and protected.

Unlike some, I relish an open difference of opinion. Unlike some, I don't believe that anyone is "stupid" for liking DL. They may have other reasons for liking DL but I cannot believe these people's liking for DL is based on objective SM performance, particularly the cost/time/trouble of redemptions.
It amazes me how objective differences in program performance cannot be discussed without calling postings stupid. And we know that telling people to "go away" is absurd anywhere on the internet. Why bother? It makes us laugh at those who want this to happen.

No, let's discuss SM and the relative performance of SM vs WP for those who were NW members, that's totally ontopic here.

And let's face it, none of the posters here invented the phrase :-: best in class :-:

I received an email from DL today, in fact, about "merger information" - presumably for former NW elites. It told me I'd been merged into the :-: best in class :-: program. For real.

If it's too annoying to bear repetition, perhaps those who think so should talk to DL management. Who use this phrase ceaselessly, in utter defiance of any objective quality in their program. They did so today, again!

And the reasons that these reiterations of DL corporate phrasing are too annoying to bear need to be reflected on carefully by those who experience such reactions. Could it be because it's so patently absurd and dishonest to make this claim, in the face of overwhelming evidence of poor SM program performance?

When DL drops the use of the phrase, so will I. Until such time, they use it, so do I. It's their phrase, not mine If SM wasn't so awful, say it was like US DM, then there'd be very limited irony in the claim. But we all know that's not true.

MikeMpls

not to mention the absurd claim that they are "creating one great airline"

mike101

Absolutely. What's ironic is that the SkyMiles program in my opinion is the worst in class, and yet it tries to label itself "Best in Class". Such a bold statement coming from a FF program with possibly the worst award redemption opportunities in history, not to mention false advertising etc etc (let's not even get started with that). My point is that, if Delta can have decent flight operations, why can't they be more honest with their fees, website, award prices ... (and the list goes on). I think the primary reason why people strongly agree that SkyMiles is Worst in Class is because it seems to be run by some of the most dishonest crooks and schemers in history.

Supersonic Swinger

^

Perhaps this thread can become a sticky, merging related threads into it and making it as easy to find as searching "car crash" on YouTube.

BearX220

I got the same email today, and it almost made me madder than anything else that's occurred. Because it's such a bald, outrageous falsehood, and any reasonably aware ex-NWer knows it. SkyMiles is far, far worse than I expected and, from the website to the redemption rates to the add-on fees, easily the lamest FF program I have been involved with.

I'd be a little less insulted if Delta came out and said: you know, the industry is in free fall, and we've decided loyalty doesn't matter so much any more, so we're scaling the program back to a pale, bare minimum and we'll try to make it up to you with lower fares and better inflight product. I wouldn't like it, but I'd understand it. But this... all this "best-in-class" nonsense they won't drop... it's just... pure nonsense. Don't pee on my leg and tell me I've won free Sunny D.

Does Delta really believe it, or do they think we're all stupid?

GBadger

This falls in line with avidflyer's suggestion to address the issues, and not the posters. I support this!


Yeah, I got that too... I did have a chuckle about it. There are plenty of reasons that Skymiles in its current for is not "Best in Class", and they continue to shove the term down our throats...