Combined programs article
 

Some interesting reading here, expecially, the part where Delta may institute segments for earning status. Nice.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle.../34899194.html

To me there are three interesting comments in the article:

1. NW Plats will get some sort of Delta-like PMU. What's unclear is whether these are in addition to any SWU's NW Plats can earn via the EEP program or whether these will replace the SWU's. Time will tell. Also, will this be for the 2009 year? In other words, will we get these in our elite package next year?

2. Bob Soukop has now gone on the record and said that NW will also have a three-tier award travel scheme. That's absolutely no surprise to me. You knew DL wasn't giving in on this one so NW has to fall in line. Burn baby burn.

3. A new Elite program effective Jan 1, 2010. This could have huge implications. I still think the tiers will change and/or a fourth tier will be added. But, do the benefits of the program change on Jan 1 or are they announced but don't take effect until the year after? In other words, are we all working towards elite status in 2009 with an expected level of benefits only to have those benefits changed Jan 1, 2010? That's called bait & switch :)

It's all conjecture. Until the details are announced all we can do is sit here and speculate with the best of them. And if I've learned anything on FlyerTalk it's that the members know how to speculate and go off on tangents like there's no tomorrow.

-RM

No comment to FT first -- that's in stark contrast to his previous pattern. I fear our Scoops are muzzled.

Burned those miles yet?

In the process of burning. First time I've ever upgraded to WBC out of B - 30k just for a one-way upgrade, TXL-AMS-DTW-SFO.

Sitting on 900k, tough to burn with a new born in the family right now. But i do see the writing on the wall with the new program.

MNAudiS4, as a NW FT regular I urge you to not wait much longer. I have been holding out as long as possible but as soon as the Fuel Surcharge went away I pulled the trigger. At least get a few WBC trips for very late next year booked.

There will be a short period of time when we NW fliers will be at a HUGE disadvantage. Miles in the DL program are flowing like water (hell you could get 8000 for a single car rental!) and those folks have MILLIONS of miles and are realizing how easy/cheap it is to book on NW. As soon as the programs merge for awards I think there will be a run on the remaining NW inventory. I would hate to see you get stuck with miles that are devalued by half. At least for now you can always cancel and re-deposit but you really should try to get something spent. As an example, I looked at my last 6 months travel/other mileage earnings. If I was in the DL program I could have easily put 500K in the bank while on NW I only earned 290K......very big difference and our inventory will be up for grabs to them very soon.

I am trying to burn miles... I have a family of four, so I thot I would book 2 seats and buy 2 seats. The Worldperks awards seem like they come out of a whole different pool than cash paid tickets. What is strange, the free tickets are the better offerings??
I see all the conncections (msp/atl/rom).
When I try to BUY seats, even when I select Browse by Flights and NW or KLM, I dont see the same connections I can book via Worldperks!!!

I can't even BUY a single connection from MSP at AMS to Rome (although they still offered as WP's free seats at the Perksaver level ). The only single conncection offered is JFK.

I guess I going to have to call...

article mention of segment elite qualifying option
 

Didn't anyone else see the following in the newspaper article cited by the OP:


Despite the dilution of WP benefits, (and the fact I qualify on miles, not segments) this is one plus for all of you who are EQS earning WP members!

I hope that CO gets off their rear and annouces how their program with function post-Skyteam. A lot of us are going to need to start making decisions about our long term loyalty early in the new year. Personally, I don't believe DL miles are worthwhile to earn by actually flying (for renting cars and getting my scalp looked at it is a great program, though),

It is clear the author of that article does not understand the implications of all this. The people they interviewed (" once they combine the programs I will have enough for a free ticket") are hardly indicative of people who will be affected by these changes.

People posting comments on the article don't seem to be in the know either. Not only did someone make the following comment that's completely uninformed, but of the eight people that have commented on the comment, all eight 'liked it'.

Merge the Upgrades Sooner rather than Later

What they need to do is allow for upgrades for elites on either carrier. It doesn't make sense that NWA Elite can get upgraded on Continental (a great perk, btw), but not on Delta. This doesn't seem like a difficult task considering they will be the same airline. I find myself taking Continental flights vs. Delta for this reason.

It's pretty clear that Ms. Fedor does not fly that much, and if she does its on another airline because she has poor knowledge of the WorldPerks program.

Indeed, we are very interested in how CO will interact with UA & LH.

lifetime status ?
 

I've been told by a Delta ff that once you get to 1 million base miles, Delta grants you Silver Elite status for life. As I recently received my "award" from NWA for passing the 1 million mark ( an engraved pen ), I'm thinking this would be a really nice upgrade for Delta to extend to all NWA million mile members.

I'm curious, how long after you passed 1M BIS miles did you receive the pen? Its been over a month for me and I have yet to get so much as a form letter or email :(

The pessimist in me says Delta won't do anything for NWA MMers -- I got screwed when NW went from Lifetime Miles to BIS miles back in '97 (had 997K Lifetime miles) so I figure I'll get screwed again :) That way I'll be pleasantly surprised if something nice does happen.

Sorry - didn't keep track of when I passed that mark. Knowing I was going to get a pen, I didn't exactly spend any time tracking it week to week. They don't let you see it on the web page - I believe you have to call the 1-877 to get your actual base miles.

We all knew the 3 tier was coming, didn't expect it at NWA so soon - was hoping it would last til Dec 09. Time to burn!

Just burned 87.5K today for three trips, total cost $17.50. Without miles, $2300. ^

If history is any guide, it won't happen. When AA ate TW, they gave the TW MMers AA Lifetime Gold status. Which is to say, next to nothing. The only practical use for Gold is you get to board a little sooner than the herd.

I suspect DL will give the NW MMers the 'ceremonial' treatment as well, making themselves look good (in the eyes of the non-flying public) while the FFers get crumbs. It's all about the PR.

The current deal at DL is:

1MM = Lifetime Silver
2MM = Lifetime Gold
3MM = Lifetime Plat
They claim your miles on NW will count...we will see.

Does DL use BIS miles for this?
I am currently at 966k on NW and a whopping 9k on Delta so I should go over the 1M BIS sometime mid next year.

They call them MQM (Medallion Qualifying Miles) so same as EQM's with NW:

Million Miler Status
The Million Miler™ Program recognizes and rewards those customers who have flown an exceptional amount with us.
Members who reach one million Medallion Qualification Miles are currently awarded complimentary annual Silver Medallion status.
Members who reach two million Medallion Qualification Miles are currently awarded complimentary annual Gold Medallion status.
Members who reach four million plus Medallion Qualification Miles are currently awarded complimentary annual Platinum Medallion status.
Every time you reach a new level of Million Miler status you will have the opportunity to choose an exclusive gift by Hartmann™ as a token of our appreciation.
Million Miler balances are based on total Medallion Qualification Miles earned over a member’s lifetime.

Edit to add: My mistake: It is 4MM for Plat for lfe not 3MM.

I have been burning too. But with 4 plats, it's difficult to burn them all. I am still sitting on 1.3 million miles of my own plus about 200K miles between my wife and two kids. This is going to be their last year as plats. More upgrade opportunities for you. ;)

If I read this correctly, in the DL doesn't care how the MQMs are earned. So going forward you can leverage credit card spending and partner promos. However, as you race towards the MM check points the FF from the DL program are going to have quite a head start on the NW FFs.

I love quoting myself :)

Got a box today, in it were a pen and a luggage tag and coupon for $100 bucks off a two night Marriott stay. Both the pen and tag were generic -- that is, not engraved with my name (or even WP# :) )

This whole combining miles brings up some interesting questions. I wouldn't think they'd give out the physical "goodies" (the leather portfolio or whatever it is) to people who cross 1MM (or 2MM or 4MM) when the accounts are merged. But then, if I was a Skymiles person with 950K BIS on Delta and 60K BIS on NW, I'd be really pissed at losing out on my goodies.

Do they keep track of "real" (i.e. Delta) BIS miles until full integration and only give out "goodies" to people who have 1MM "real" miles? Seems like you'd have the same sort of problem, pissing off some frequent customers.

That being said, expect they'll give people the complimentary Medallion levels as that doesn't cost them much.

Until recently the only way to earn additional MQMs (other than flying) was via the AMEX card. There were class of service bonus. Many, many moons ago, all miles counted. But the vast, vast majority of MMs in the last 10-15 years were minted via BIS.

I consider my $1000 piece of luggage that I got a lot better than a leather portfolio...which coincidentally I got also but that is a long story.

Thanks to this thread I just burned another 200,000. Only a half million to go!

What's the "three tier" system? I'm completely unfamiliar with Deltla's product or policies... hardly ever fly them. I'm 99% sure I'm switching my loyalty over to CO in January... I've been NW silver the last 2 years, sitting on 800K miles. I can get direct flights to CO where I need to travel, vs taking connections on NW/DL, so it seems like a no-brainer to switch.... I've been posting my CO flights to my NW account the last 3 years, because I've been using a travel agent and CO only wants to give me 50% EQM for those flights.... I guess I have to start booking my own stuff on continental.com when I switch over.

I can't believe there isn't more discussion about whether or not we NWA Plats will score upgrade certs next year. This would be a GREAT benefit as I am not on track to get them via ExtraPerks.

Cause the answer is yes, see the early posts in this thread.

A Point of Clarification about Lifetime Status
 

Delta changed the language from Lifetime to Complimentary a fews years back. I have Lifetime Silver, but Complimentary Gold. Probably just the lawyers needing something to do, but it does give Delta an out.