CONFIRMED: GOLD = Skyteam Elite Plus
 

https://www.delta.com/skymiles/about...ates/index.jsp

Effective March 1, 2011, Gold Medallions will receive SkyTeam Elite Plus status when flying internationally on our SkyTeam partner airlines.

Benefits include:

* Complimentary access to more than 200 SkyTeam partner lounges worldwide – including Delta Sky Club
* A guaranteed Economy Class reservation on any SkyTeam long-haul flight when purchasing a full-fare Economy Class ticket.
* Priority Baggage Handling

Good catch. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for posting! I've been waiting for this for a while--long overdue IMO.

Very little benefit, IMHO, to PM now...

Free award changes/redeposits, choice benefits, and free economy comfort seating on international Y flights aren't benefits over GM?

Ahh, all good points--was forgetting about the new EC!

Just Ecomony Comfort, a Choice Benefit, No Award Re-booking Fees, and a slightly higher upgrade priority. Depending upon your travel patterns, you may be better off holding at GM now.

For me, I've used the Choice Benefit ( 2x $200 DL vouchers ) and the No Award Re-booking Fees a lot lately, so the improved benefits have proven useful. Plus, DL does tend to look after PMs more than GMs during IRROPS, which I've seen happen for me several times recently.

Looks like a Gold will pay $40 for EC to europe, $80 to asia.

I'm assuming that in addition to receiving Skyteam Elite Plus benefits "when flying internationally on our SkyTeam partner airlines" Golds will also receive those benefits when flying internationally on Delta.

This is one perk I can use. Great!

Does anyone know whether a guest is allowed along with the GM?

UPDATE: Found the answer. YES to a guest. "Lounge Access—Complimentary access to most SkyTeam lounges worldwide when traveling in any class of service. Simply present your same-day ticket for an international or connecting SkyTeam flight. You can even invite a guest to join you in the lounge."

SkyTeam Elite Plus members are permitted one guest into the lounge, though some lounge dragons will check to see if the other passenger is on a ST international itinerary.

The guest doen't need to be on a Skymiles itinerary for admittance, just have a same day ticket on any airline. Was just able to guest in a colleague in BRU to the BA lounge even though he was flying UA J to ORD, and I was in DL Y to ATL. However, they wouldn't give him a wifi pass; luckily I had an ethernet cable so I was able to share my wifi connection over to him :-).

I've had the opposite response. Specifically, at the AF lounge at CDG-2E, I was told that they weren't supposed to let my girlfriend in because even though we were on the same flight, she was ticketed as a revenue pax on SU and I had an award ticket booked on the AF-codeshare. However, they let us in "as a courtesy".

Great news! I fly DTW-JFK-MAD on my birthday (Apr. 30) and now DL can buy my SO and I a drink!

so are they gonna send us new cards??