I miss a lot of the benefits that NWA offered and the current Delta does not (particularly to silver elite members), but I'm not sure that NWA would have continued them either had they survived as separate entity.

I miss Royal Service on L10-11s from ATL to JFK... that does not mean Delta sucks because I miss it...

It's not just Delta. Welcome to the era of US airline consolidation!

Fewer choices among major carriers will mean higher prices and lower service from all three because they can and consumers have few choices. Things aren't any rosier anywhere else.

Yes, the linked article displays some bias and it was not written in a style that would qualify it for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal, but it is an interesting read. Certainly not as many misrepresentations as in most Wiki articles I've seen. About the author's views: my guess is that the author is not the only person in the MSP area who feels that way about the DL-NW merger.

You seem to have a fixation.

I would agree that there is some hyperbole in the article; but if you try and think about it objectively, what benefit has the merger brought to the MSP area? I'd argue that the merger has provided zero benefit to the MSP area.

Fewer flights, fewer non-stops, fewer and inferior aircraft, a worse frequent traveler program, worse IT, and an elite call-line not up to the former standards. It's all been a loss.

The article was from a MSP-based writer, correct? And NWA was headquartered in MSP, correct? And the most job losses and community impact was probably felt in MSP, correct?

Frankly, I'm not surprised that it would be difficult to find former employees who were happy to have to change to DL rules/policies/regulations, if they even held their job anymore.

Shoe-on-other-foot time: imagine how this article would read if it were NWA who bought Delta and consolidated nearly all operations in MSP?

I hear all these fears that MSP will be de-hubbed or shrunken. However, I've noticed that most of my SJC-SLC-XXX routings have been changed to SJC-MSP-XXX routings where XXX is any city east of MSP. If anything, I've seen more flights into MSP on those MD-90's with 160 seats (which aren't the most customer friendly aircraft). However, the author seemed to forget that the DC-9's don't have a rear galley either and all service is from the front galley.

Is anyone surprised that the planes are more full? Even if the two airlines didn't merge, they both would have had to have found ways to pack in their planes at these high fuel costs by cutting capacity. This would have led to more Denied Boarding situations (which isn't bad since IDB is cash and VDB can be good for a nice large voucher) even if the merger didn't happen.

This is a huge merger of two companies with very different corporate cultures. NWA was heavily unionized and DL had very few unions. If that isn't a corporate culture clash, then I don't know what is. Compared to what I've read about the HP/US merger, this one is seems to be going really well.

Well, I'm happy I really don't worry about value for my SkyPesos (otherwise, I'd be long gone from DL).

While slanted against DL, the article contains some praise for DL and some criticism for NW.

I think most intelligent people would be able to sort out the details and distinctions.

Some of its criticisms of DL obviously describe service losses that are felt, not just in MN, but across the system.

As a legacy DL flier, for almost 40 years, I see the article describing losses that legacy FL folks have felt too.

No mention of unions, though, so let's dispel that red herring.

Actually, if you read the write-ins just below the article, there is a former NWA employee commenting on how there were issues with NW and all was not perfect there.

Not that any of this really matters. The airline industry is vastly different today than it was just ten years ago. The costs associated to running an airline have shifted dramatically - in particular the cost of jet fuel. If airlines hadn't merged, changed, morphed, altered their business structure - many would be long gone. I have been with Delta for a long time. There are many NW flyers who did the same with NWA. The good news for both is that we are still flying OUR airline even if it means that the airline doesn't do things like they once use to. Things could be way worse and you might still be pining for your status on Pan Am or TWA.

Differences aside, I'll say that some of the biggest complaints people seem to have about Delta, never bothered me...

I was always quickly and efficiently helped when I contacted DL (either the Platinum line or email). Always had good service (ok, maybe not always, but in general I'd classify them as very good) on air. Using miles isn't a breeze, but it's not impossible and I do it all the time... sure, my dad always rubs in my face how he can buy award trips to south america for 40k miles all the time, but still, in my opinion, delta makes up for it in other areas....

Now, I do miss flying Pan Am on the 747, and watching the FAs carve a roast beef for me... I also miss a lot things that we used to have, such as no bag fees, less hassle at airport security, less air traffic etc... but, the world is changing, and it ain't delta's fault!

Anyway, my 2 cents!

Most of the article are things we're been talking about on FT since the merger. There were a couple things that raised the eyebrow:

Explains why I see more broken stuff on the plane
This one seems like a big step back for safety

Another error they made:

DL still offers complimentary blankets on all flights. They even go as far as to put blankets on each Y seat for red eyes. How many other airlines do that anymore?

I still see the red books onboard for writing up broken stuff. Don't know what other "log books" the author is referring to.

I was a little skeptical of the turbulence thing. Turbulence forecast maps are available via the internet so I find it hard to believe they are not available to Delta pilots. I don't think the Delta pilot is yelling "Yeehaw" as they rocket into a turbulent thunderstorm.

Yeah now had this been written in atl for an atl mag it would of had more credability imo.