davetravels

Yesterday, I got my "Million Air" package in the mail!! Wow!! I was totally surprised! I read some posts about it here on FT, but I really wasn't thinking about it or monitoring my balances. I just called and here's what I've got:

Total Lifetime Miles
3,125,945

Lifetime Credited Flight Miles
1,013,929

Lifetime Elite Qualifying Miles
1,071,413

The Silver(ish) pen is nice! Fairly heavy leather luggage tag with a steel NW logo in the middle. $100 Marriott cert off 2 nights - didn't read the fine print yet. All packaged in a nice/heavy black faux leatherette case with logos and airplanes printed on it.

mooper

Listen up, Delta (DL_Lurker , DeltaWebGuy , DeltaWebDev , RealDLInsider ( Jeff Robertson ) , whomever can get things moving)! Here is what I think is the best way to:

A) Satisfy as many people as possible (those high on NW BIS, those high on DL MQMs, and those high on RDMs from either)

B) Be competitive with AA (who offers MM status for RDMs)

C) Best align the distinction with revenue incentives (the ultimate purpose of the designation in the first place)

... all in one shot is to award MM status based upon one of two possible qualifiers (akin to the way annual status is earned via EQMs or segments):

Add NW BIS+ DL MQM together. If the total exceeds 1M, 2M, or 4M, award Lifetime Status of Silver, Gold, or Platinum as DL currently does based upon MQMs alone. (Note: If a fourth status is added, say at 100K MQMs annually, then these could be tweaked to 1M, 2M, 3M, and 4M).

*AND*

Add NW Lifetime Miles to DL Lifetime Miles (I'm not sure if this exists... if it doesn't, then use Lifetime MQMs). If the total exceeds the thresholds I listed above *times* whatever multiplier generally represents the value of an earned EQM versus RDM to the airline, then award the corresponding status. For example, if earned EQMs are three times as good for the airline's finances as earned RDMs, then the thresholds might be 3M, 6M, and 12M for Lifetime Silver, Gold, and Platinum respectively.

A flyer may qualify for Lifetime Status by *either* of these metrics, just as they do annually via EQM or segments, with the highest qualifying threshold overriding.

I think there would be few who would be unhappy with this AND it would make them competitive with AA's program (which lures many RDM-focused participants because of its unique flexibility) AND it would best align the profit value of "mile classification" with Lifetime Status. Thoughts?

RustyC

I have some interest in all this because my DL statement is showing just over 590,000 "Million Miler miles" and my NW statement has just over 550,000 "Total miles since enrollment." I don't know if the NW miles are EQMs or RDMs. Am sure that quite a few of the DL lifetime miles aren't EQMs, but they're from way back when other types of miles counted toward Million Miler. Would seem a bit unfair to be calling them "Million Miler miles" for all these years and then suddenly say that many of them don't count after all, but I wouldn't put it past them.

From the airline's interest, I would think that if they brought in NW people under the same rules as DL people, most of their newly minted Million Milers would be hub-captive biz travelers in MSP, DTW, MEM and smaller markets dominated by NW. Also a lot of frequent trans-pacific fliers. Those people won't dilute the value on the DL side by much at all and are certainly valued as customers. There might a a few 50/50 or 80/20 cases that make it in, but I doubt there will be that many as a percentage of the total.

OTOH, my cynical side sez that because so many of the most frequent flyers are hub captives and because the merger reduces competition (in FF programs, if not as much in fares), DL could try to use that to change the rules, exclude more people and/or reduce benefits.

StayingHomeIsBetter

More power to you if you can convince them to make it "lifetime" status again.

Newly minted Million Milers no longer get lifetime elite status... was changed in about 2003.

It is now annually renewed elite status... for as long as DL sees an advantage to granting it. At any point in time, it could become "Yeah, but what have you done for us lately?"

I hope that DL does the right thing and recognizes the high mileage NWA flyers, but you won't be getting what many believe they will be getting.

mooper

You are technically correct, but I used "Lifetime" as it is still widely used and doesn't alter the thrust of my suggestion that both RDM and EQM could be considered in a simple fashion that would leave almost everyone happy and put the new Delta in a great financial position relative to the benefit issuance as well.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Understood. Good luck!

GRR_FlyGuy

HEY HEY Congrats! I got mine too.... yesterday... That was a coincidence! :-) I got $50 off marriott.. maybe there were two in there. I will look again. Cheers!

Yaatri

Out of curiosity, I called too. I did a quick rough caluclation in my mind and came up with 983000 EQMs. I called the elite line and was told that I have 989,137 EQMs and 950,179 BIS miles. My lifetime banked miles are two million five hundred and forty-nine thousand and forty eight miles.

(2549048 miles). Just wanted to write that in words and see if the amount registers in your mind faster when it's written in words or in numerals. Numerals are easier to comprehend if you punctuate the amount in numerals. After my trip tp Osaka next week, I will cross the million EQM threshold. According to the elite line, the BIS (the actual miles flown) count towards the million milers status.

If we define ER(EQM Ratio) as EQMS*100/BIS miles, it tells you how good you are at taking advantage of promotions and at avoiding segments that earn you less EQMs than miles flown, or none at all.
The TR(Total ratio) Total miles earned*100/(BIS*2.25) miles tells you how good you are at taking advantage of all no-flight promotions, such as miles from credit cards, shopping dining etc.

For me ER=104.1 and TR=119.2

The TR can be compared with other members with the same status. Of course, distortions creep in due to changes in sttaus. For the first two years, I was silver, and have qualified for plat 11 times since then.

I am not very good at taking advantage of promotions. I often miss the promotions. Also, my situation was not conducive to using some promotions even when I knew about them as booking for four plats often required not using nwa.com.

It would be interesting to see ratios of other FTers.

Yaatri

Was it a fountain pen?

remedy

Delta Million Miler� Miles - 363,588
Northwest lifetime actual miles - 816,902

If so, then what? No more lifetime silver medallion on DL?

clarence5ybr

Under current SM program rules, at 1 million MQMs, you get "complimentary annual Silver Medallion status."

MisterNice

Thanks I forgot about those. I thought it was only the REALLY stinky drink napkins.

MisterNice

Yaatri

What do you think total miles would be? Total miles=miles flown+all kinds of bonuses+miles from al promotions.
I remember, NW showing lifetime miles flown on the statement. They stopped doing it some years ago.

davetravels

No. It's a silver and black regular pen made by Bettoni (they have a website) - when you twist it, the point comes out. It's one of those nice, thick ones, not the slimline stlye. Engraved on the silver is NWA WorldPerks and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Also, it IS a $100 Marriott Bonus Bucks Coupon - not $50 as mentioned above.

jiburi

Seeing that I wanted a lasting momento of my all time favorite airline, Northwest Airlines, I finally received my very own Million Air package. As Delta name is meaningless for me, I am grateful I got it before everything was deltafied. I will likely cherish the pen and tag in its black case and probably never use it....

Jiburi