Tenth Anniversary of DL/NW merger
Oct 29, 2018, 7:47 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
I miss eight to ten SEA-MSP flights daily, many of them DC10s with +/- 35 F seats apiece. Even SEA-MEM had a DC10 1x/daily.
I miss the +/- 1030p DTW-SEA departure. I could work past dinnertime anywhere on the east coast, catch a hop to DTW, and connect for home easily. You can't do any such thing anymore.
I miss off-peak WBC awards to Europe for 55k miles RT.
I miss easy upgrades, lavish bonus miles, pretty easy redemption, and WorldPerks stem to stern.
Those were the days. But I suppose NW as it was in the '90s and '00s would not be viable in 2018.
I miss the +/- 1030p DTW-SEA departure. I could work past dinnertime anywhere on the east coast, catch a hop to DTW, and connect for home easily. You can't do any such thing anymore.
I miss off-peak WBC awards to Europe for 55k miles RT.
I miss easy upgrades, lavish bonus miles, pretty easy redemption, and WorldPerks stem to stern.
Those were the days. But I suppose NW as it was in the '90s and '00s would not be viable in 2018.
Oct 29, 2018, 8:03 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,421
Overall DL has done major things to upgrade the hard product and deserve lots of kudos. What I miss:
- Platinum UG guarantee
- Published award charts with the ability to book low awards
- Phantom UG’s
- Elite status that actually felt special
- Platinum UG guarantee
- Published award charts with the ability to book low awards
- Phantom UG’s
- Elite status that actually felt special
Oct 29, 2018, 9:41 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: East Coast, USA
Posts: 1,032
A couple of things I really miss from pmNW:
1. Boarding bulkhead pax before others.
2. When changing a flight, not having to pay separate full change fee when the new flight costs less than the original flight!
(I'm sure both of these things happened right before the merger...)
1. Boarding bulkhead pax before others.
2. When changing a flight, not having to pay separate full change fee when the new flight costs less than the original flight!
(I'm sure both of these things happened right before the merger...)
Oct 29, 2018, 10:10 pm
#19
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: GEG (Spokane, WA)
Programs: Delta Plat, MM, AS MVP, Lifetime Skyclub, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, National Exec Elite, IHG Gold
Posts: 808
I completely agree. The upgrades were fantastic. The Chisolm girls always took care of us and I never ever missed an upgrade. Even the old galley hags were fun to talk to on Trans-pacs.
Oct 29, 2018, 10:13 pm
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
Girls? Old galley hags? Are you thinking about service on the Wright Brothers airline? I think you have the wrong century.
Oct 29, 2018, 10:18 pm
#21
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: GEG (Spokane, WA)
Programs: Delta Plat, MM, AS MVP, Lifetime Skyclub, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, National Exec Elite, IHG Gold
Posts: 808
No, I don't have the wrong century... geese.. lighten up. The Chisholm agents were almost all female and were wonderful no disrespect for them. As for the galley hags..there were some really old surly FAs from the west coast that either hated their jobs and needed to retire or a few still loved them, and had good stories.
Oct 29, 2018, 10:25 pm
#22
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
My favorite PMNW Plat line agent at Chisholm was on older gentleman who had retired from some other (corporate?) job and was working for NW in order to take advantage of the "free" nonrev travel benefits. He answered a number of times when I called late at night, close to closing time for Chisholm which IIRC was around 1 am local time. When the call center wasn't busy, it was fun to chat with him.
More generally, I always liked that when I called into NW from wherever on some trip, I could ask about the weather back in MN.
More generally, I always liked that when I called into NW from wherever on some trip, I could ask about the weather back in MN.
Oct 29, 2018, 10:26 pm
#23
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,601
At times I actually miss those seats. Weren't great for sleeping but IMO much better for just lounging in for flights I didn't want to sleep on.
Oct 29, 2018, 10:50 pm
#25
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Orlando, FL Area
Programs: Delta SkySponge ExtraAbsorbent, SPG Gold
Posts: 29,988
Yes, the better integration with AF/KLM is a necessity. In the coming years Delta will depend on them to connect more and more passengers over AMS and CDG as the 767's are retired and we lose our nonstops to secondary cities from the US.
Oct 30, 2018, 5:18 am
#27
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: CVG
Programs: DL Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, HHonors Silver
Posts: 72
It's not fair to company 2008 NW with 2018 DL -- not just physical things (lie flats, etc) or program (upgrades, redemption rates). I expect if there was no merger these things still would have changed. Maybe differently, but they would have changed ("Man, the NW iPhone app really sucked" 
)
I do miss the KLM integration -- it has gotten better recently but still not as seamless as the "old days."
I also miss MEM -- easy to connect and some good BBQ while you waited. I expect some on the DL miss CVG.
)I do miss the KLM integration -- it has gotten better recently but still not as seamless as the "old days."
I also miss MEM -- easy to connect and some good BBQ while you waited. I expect some on the DL miss CVG.
Oct 30, 2018, 5:27 am
#28
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: South Coast, UK
Programs: Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 2,069
Still use my old Brass 2 million miler luggage tag, ( on my carry on only.)
Happy memories for me , even when landing in the wrong airport in Germany on one occasion !
And being invited by the Northwest Gatwick station to their Christmas 'do's' including the Beach Boys one year !
Taking the family, 2+2 , for winter sports to Steamboat Springs one year, arrived at Gatwick 'Hi Mike, Minneapolis is full, we've got a taxi for you, to go to Heathrow....put you on Virgin Upper Deck !' And no taxes in those days either.
Only one horrendous winter comes to mind....massive delay out of Gatwick due to MSP closed....eventually diverted on route to NewYork, no one to meet us..very late at night...I think it was a Continental agent who organised a hotel.....next morning off to MPS, but again closed, landed at Milwaukee....told we could get off, but stay in the gate area...do not wander off...eventually called back...took off minus the two people in front of me who didn't show up .....I often wonder what happened to them !
Happy memories for me , even when landing in the wrong airport in Germany on one occasion !
And being invited by the Northwest Gatwick station to their Christmas 'do's' including the Beach Boys one year !
Taking the family, 2+2 , for winter sports to Steamboat Springs one year, arrived at Gatwick 'Hi Mike, Minneapolis is full, we've got a taxi for you, to go to Heathrow....put you on Virgin Upper Deck !' And no taxes in those days either.
Only one horrendous winter comes to mind....massive delay out of Gatwick due to MSP closed....eventually diverted on route to NewYork, no one to meet us..very late at night...I think it was a Continental agent who organised a hotel.....next morning off to MPS, but again closed, landed at Milwaukee....told we could get off, but stay in the gate area...do not wander off...eventually called back...took off minus the two people in front of me who didn't show up .....I often wonder what happened to them !
Oct 30, 2018, 5:35 am
#29
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC/ EWR/ PHL
Programs: UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 2,210
Yes. The SkyMiles program and its very high award prices make it uncompetitive, but Delta's product itself is arguably better than the competition.
Oct 30, 2018, 5:47 am
#30
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Mid Atlantic
Programs: Delta Plat, one-time United Plat, Amex Plat, Marriott Plat, Hertz Prez Circle, Bus Pass
Posts: 1,237
I miss the hub at NRT...seeing all those glorious 747s lined up. My first trip to Asia, in 2002, was PVD-DTW-NRT-PEK. The NRT-PEK leg was on a 747 without an empty seat...