Tenth Anniversary of DL/NW merger
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,042
DL could've asked for HND from there other hubs. They decided on MSP. You have to ignore that each airport has a different draw to call it simply a replacement. Just like some airlines fly to both EWR and JFK., as each have different draws.
#62
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
Absolutely right.
#63
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
That's not true. It was one of the first clubs to be Deltafied. It was done very cheaply and I agree it's not nice at all, but it's full of the white plastic look, and then the food service area was redone a year or so ago. All of the furniture is from the first generation of the new DL look, whereas the DTW literally still has NWA furniture (as does the MSP C club).
#65
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: DTW
Programs: DL - PM, (NW - Plat), AA - Gold, Marriott - Plat, Avis - First
Posts: 955
I have nostalgia and miss NW, at least the 1999-2008 version of NW. I felt that NW finally had reached a level at or above its peers by 2005 in many areas, or the others were on a downward trajectory at the time.
Things I miss from NW:
nwa.com - great on usability and functionality, simple yet appealing UI, easy to find the stuff that mattered, and more ability to do things yourself versus delta.dumb 2018 edition
NW/KL alliance - so easy and interchangable; we took a step backwards with the DL/AF/KL arrangement now; much more difficult to book certain connections/ticketing, technology integration took a step backwards
Worldperks redemption - much easier to redeem and/or get better value for points redemption
NW Worldclubs - far less crowded than what has happened to Skyclubs, and I still like the decor and functionality of the Skyclubs that still resemble Worldclubs (DTW, MSP-C, MEM, ORD)
DC-9s, ARJs, SF3s - I actually really enjoyed these aircraft from a flying perspective. I know I must be weird that I actually like the SF3s.....
The hey-day of the Skyteam alliance NW/DL/CO and the ability to codeshare on each
Things I don't miss:
Dated, dirty interiors & seats (aka the 757 5500 series)
Militant gate agents & FAs that hated their jobs, hated their airline, and hated their passengers (most have retired by now thank goodness)
DC-10s always going mechanical
The schedule out of some mid-tier markets, when literally the last flight out was 4:30pm, making it more challenging for certain business trips (in the post-9/11 downsizing years)
Things I miss from NW:
nwa.com - great on usability and functionality, simple yet appealing UI, easy to find the stuff that mattered, and more ability to do things yourself versus delta.dumb 2018 edition
NW/KL alliance - so easy and interchangable; we took a step backwards with the DL/AF/KL arrangement now; much more difficult to book certain connections/ticketing, technology integration took a step backwards
Worldperks redemption - much easier to redeem and/or get better value for points redemption
NW Worldclubs - far less crowded than what has happened to Skyclubs, and I still like the decor and functionality of the Skyclubs that still resemble Worldclubs (DTW, MSP-C, MEM, ORD)
DC-9s, ARJs, SF3s - I actually really enjoyed these aircraft from a flying perspective. I know I must be weird that I actually like the SF3s.....
The hey-day of the Skyteam alliance NW/DL/CO and the ability to codeshare on each
Things I don't miss:
Dated, dirty interiors & seats (aka the 757 5500 series)
Militant gate agents & FAs that hated their jobs, hated their airline, and hated their passengers (most have retired by now thank goodness)
DC-10s always going mechanical
The schedule out of some mid-tier markets, when literally the last flight out was 4:30pm, making it more challenging for certain business trips (in the post-9/11 downsizing years)
#66
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: United Gold Elite, former multi-year Delta Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 167
I can think of five things I particularly miss about NW, two which DL could easily bring back.
(1) Johnny Walker Black -- Much better than Dewers. It was a great scotch to drink on an airplane. Offering it would be an easy way for DL to distinguish itself from other airlines by offering something better than Dewers. DL should bring it back.
(2) James Paige beer -- This beer no longer exists, so it's not coming back, but it was fantastic. I miss it.
(3) The buttery twisted preztels -- Those were outstanding, and went very well with the Johnny Walker.
(4) The MEM hub -- This isn't coming back, but agree with the above that it was such an easy place to transfer through with some really distinctive food.
(5) The credit card annual mileage discount -- As I recall the old NW Visa card had a 4,000 mile discount certification every year. I'm surprised Amex and DL have not included something like this in their benefits. It's kind of brilliant because it's only valuable if you make a redemption, but it's valuable to the card holder because it was a flat 4,000 mile discount off an award booking. Obviously many, many more miles are necessary now than was the case back then (when 25,000 miles really did net you a free domestic RT), but something similar, such as an annual 10% discount off of one award redemption would be a great benefit. It would take a little bit of sting out of those 600,000 mile redemptions to fly Delta One to Europe.
(1) Johnny Walker Black -- Much better than Dewers. It was a great scotch to drink on an airplane. Offering it would be an easy way for DL to distinguish itself from other airlines by offering something better than Dewers. DL should bring it back.
(2) James Paige beer -- This beer no longer exists, so it's not coming back, but it was fantastic. I miss it.
(3) The buttery twisted preztels -- Those were outstanding, and went very well with the Johnny Walker.
(4) The MEM hub -- This isn't coming back, but agree with the above that it was such an easy place to transfer through with some really distinctive food.
(5) The credit card annual mileage discount -- As I recall the old NW Visa card had a 4,000 mile discount certification every year. I'm surprised Amex and DL have not included something like this in their benefits. It's kind of brilliant because it's only valuable if you make a redemption, but it's valuable to the card holder because it was a flat 4,000 mile discount off an award booking. Obviously many, many more miles are necessary now than was the case back then (when 25,000 miles really did net you a free domestic RT), but something similar, such as an annual 10% discount off of one award redemption would be a great benefit. It would take a little bit of sting out of those 600,000 mile redemptions to fly Delta One to Europe.
#67
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
(5) The credit card annual mileage discount -- As I recall the old NW Visa card had a 4,000 mile discount certification every year. I'm surprised Amex and DL have not included something like this in their benefits. It's kind of brilliant because it's only valuable if you make a redemption, but it's valuable to the card holder because it was a flat 4,000 mile discount off an award booking. Obviously many, many more miles are necessary now than was the case back then (when 25,000 miles really did net you a free domestic RT), but something similar, such as an annual 10% discount off of one award redemption would be a great benefit. It would take a little bit of sting out of those 600,000 mile redemptions to fly Delta One to Europe.
#68
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Verdi, NV, SFO & Olympic (aka Squaw )Valley.
Programs: Ikon Pass Full + AS Gold + Marriott Titanium + Hilton Gold. Recovering UA Plat. LT lounge AA+DL+UA
Posts: 3,823
#69
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC/ EWR/ PHL
Programs: UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 2,210
#70
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CONUS
Posts: 947
You know what's interesting is talking to former NWA employees...and how many of them say they miss their airline. I always do a double take. When I flew Northwest I often felt like I loved the airline more than the people who were paid by it.
I had my challenges of disenfranchised flight attendants and even airport workers over the years. I recall that once I made Million it got better. And nothing will ever compare to the Chisholm "Platinum" line. Thank you Delta for keeping those fine folks.
Looking back I appreciate the reliability, swiftness and ease which NW made my travels. It wasn't always 5-star but it was reliable and I knew what to expect. And no one should forget the value of WorldPerks as a Platinum and MM. The folks that ran the FF understood their weaknesses and in most ways, the program compensated for it - maybe more than necessary. I felt spoiled when I had to live under SkyMiles.
And I think the former Northwest workers fondly recall the trailblazing ways of their airline. The history of the Red Tail in operations, technology and pushing the industry are what I believe they reminisce about. And that I agree with.
I had my challenges of disenfranchised flight attendants and even airport workers over the years. I recall that once I made Million it got better. And nothing will ever compare to the Chisholm "Platinum" line. Thank you Delta for keeping those fine folks.
Looking back I appreciate the reliability, swiftness and ease which NW made my travels. It wasn't always 5-star but it was reliable and I knew what to expect. And no one should forget the value of WorldPerks as a Platinum and MM. The folks that ran the FF understood their weaknesses and in most ways, the program compensated for it - maybe more than necessary. I felt spoiled when I had to live under SkyMiles.
And I think the former Northwest workers fondly recall the trailblazing ways of their airline. The history of the Red Tail in operations, technology and pushing the industry are what I believe they reminisce about. And that I agree with.
I have nostalgia and miss NW, at least the 1999-2008 version of NW. I felt that NW finally had reached a level at or above its peers by 2005 in many areas, or the others were on a downward trajectory at the time.
Things I miss from NW:
nwa.com - great on usability and functionality, simple yet appealing UI, easy to find the stuff that mattered, and more ability to do things yourself versus delta.dumb 2018 edition
NW/KL alliance - so easy and interchangable; we took a step backwards with the DL/AF/KL arrangement now; much more difficult to book certain connections/ticketing, technology integration took a step backwards
Worldperks redemption - much easier to redeem and/or get better value for points redemption
NW Worldclubs - far less crowded than what has happened to Skyclubs, and I still like the decor and functionality of the Skyclubs that still resemble Worldclubs (DTW, MSP-C, MEM, ORD)
DC-9s, ARJs, SF3s - I actually really enjoyed these aircraft from a flying perspective. I know I must be weird that I actually like the SF3s.....
The hey-day of the Skyteam alliance NW/DL/CO and the ability to codeshare on each
Things I don't miss:
Dated, dirty interiors & seats (aka the 757 5500 series)
Militant gate agents & FAs that hated their jobs, hated their airline, and hated their passengers (most have retired by now thank goodness)
DC-10s always going mechanical
The schedule out of some mid-tier markets, when literally the last flight out was 4:30pm, making it more challenging for certain business trips (in the post-9/11 downsizing years)
Things I miss from NW:
nwa.com - great on usability and functionality, simple yet appealing UI, easy to find the stuff that mattered, and more ability to do things yourself versus delta.dumb 2018 edition
NW/KL alliance - so easy and interchangable; we took a step backwards with the DL/AF/KL arrangement now; much more difficult to book certain connections/ticketing, technology integration took a step backwards
Worldperks redemption - much easier to redeem and/or get better value for points redemption
NW Worldclubs - far less crowded than what has happened to Skyclubs, and I still like the decor and functionality of the Skyclubs that still resemble Worldclubs (DTW, MSP-C, MEM, ORD)
DC-9s, ARJs, SF3s - I actually really enjoyed these aircraft from a flying perspective. I know I must be weird that I actually like the SF3s.....
The hey-day of the Skyteam alliance NW/DL/CO and the ability to codeshare on each
Things I don't miss:
Dated, dirty interiors & seats (aka the 757 5500 series)
Militant gate agents & FAs that hated their jobs, hated their airline, and hated their passengers (most have retired by now thank goodness)
DC-10s always going mechanical
The schedule out of some mid-tier markets, when literally the last flight out was 4:30pm, making it more challenging for certain business trips (in the post-9/11 downsizing years)
#71
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,947
also, oh man, that terminal was so bad. McNamara represented an airport going from the worst in the county to the best basically overnight; huge kudos to Detroit and Northwest for having the vision to do it right with the rebuild.
#73
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,947
While I’m a chief antagonist when it comes to whining about SkyMiles values -if anything, domestic redemptions are the sweet spot these days. Prices on international J trips keep creeping up to crazy levels, but domestic Y trips can be had for oddly low prices. I just was able to book SEA-DCA round trip for 10k miles on dates that would have been $350 for a Main Cabin revenue ticket - I consider that excellent value.
#74
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,042
They look good in a 1990's way. They style is extremely dated.
That's not true. It was one of the first clubs to be Deltafied. It was done very cheaply and I agree it's not nice at all, but it's full of the white plastic look, and then the food service area was redone a year or so ago. All of the furniture is from the first generation of the new DL look, whereas the DTW literally still has NWA furniture (as does the MSP C club).
That's not true. It was one of the first clubs to be Deltafied. It was done very cheaply and I agree it's not nice at all, but it's full of the white plastic look, and then the food service area was redone a year or so ago. All of the furniture is from the first generation of the new DL look, whereas the DTW literally still has NWA furniture (as does the MSP C club).
HP was a CO partner. I don't remember them being a NW partner. If I remember I held off moving from CO Onepass/Presidents Club to NW WP/WC Since I used HP frequently. You got access to their lounge at LAS/PHX and got upgrades based on CO status/PC membership.
#75
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
What I remember about CO/HP was that CO wanted up to $2k for a last-minute SEA-IAH roundtrip, while HP charged about $350 via PHX and upgraded CO Plats. I wonder why CO let that go on for so long.