This most likely has been beaten to death before. But I need to fly
AMS-IAH in Feb and NW fares are just too much. DL is alright. Will
they accept my PE status? Their site does not give me an option
an DL in Japan is not helpful at all.

Not sure what you mean by this. If you mean "can I get NW miles for the DL flight" the answer is yes, but there is no way to enter your Worldperks number on the DL web site. DL is pretty bad about this. You need to make the reservation, then call to have them add your number to the reservation. You'll likely get the India call center so be prepared for a very frustrating experience. On the day of the flight it's also a good idea to check your boarding pass to make sure your number shows up there.

They should recognize your elite status, you should get preferred boarding, and you can reserve exit row seats (but, again, you need to call).

One other note: as a plat you'll only get 100% bonus miles for the flight, not 125%, as you would with most other partners. This is because DL treats their own plats this way.

Thanks for your reply. I did not know about the 100 percent bonus miles. Why
the heck is DL a member of Skyteam?
Frustrating ( even before calling India and talking to Jonathan or Patricia ).
Thanks for the heads-up.

This is what DL credits their own elites. NW does not undercut its partners. It has nothing to do with Skyteam. I fly 8-16 segments a month on DL & don't miss the 25%.

One small correction--you can enter a WP # (or other ST program #) on the DL website during OLCI. Of course doing it this late is worthless if one of your goals is to get premium seating. If they can accept other program #s at the time of OLCI, they should be able to accept them at the time of purchase.

One other note is that many DL agents (even the US agents) are poorly trained on ST benefits, and are not aware that partner elites are entitled to premium seating. I've had several experiences where I would have to argue with them about this. If this happens, be polite but firm, mention it's a SkyTeam benefit, and ask them to speak with a supervisor if needed.

I have had much better luck on stuff like this by calling their web site support line instead of the general reservations line.

WOW! I am both NW GE and DL GM, and I have been told emphatically (by supervisors on several occasions) that partner elites get no upgrades.

One was snotty about it...when I was traveling DL metal with my WP# on the ticket..."Oh, so you want an upgrade...and how do you expect to pull that off?"

Further, when I've attempted to use the DL GM as credentials for an upgrade, but keep the miles going into my NW WP#, they have been as emphatic that this is not permitted. Want the upgrade? Switch to the GM# and accrue into the DL bank.

After several chats like this at various locations around the US, I've stopped asking, and just assume that DL is a one-way kind of partner airline.

All the best, James

Sorry if my wording led to some confusion, but DL and NW don't currently have reciprocal UGs, so what you've been told is correct. By 'premium seating', I was referring to Y seats that Elites can choose for free but are not available to non-Elites (e.g., exit rows, first several rows of Y). Depending on the airline, this is typically called 'premium' or 'preferred' seating.

Ah ha! Yes, I see what you meant, my bad.

All the best, James