As well as DL & KQ. It is not just AFKL, but indeed SK/EuroBonus is second tier also in this regard.

The issue was discussed at the diamond event in Copenhagen and we were told it was something they were trying to find a solution to across skyteam, so I fear it will be a while before it's solved.

So, just to confirm - no SkyTeam benefits for SAS members on ITA, right?

I would argue the goal was another hub airport, far enough away from CDG and AMS to make sense, and with ample room to grow. KLM is fighting to maintain flights at AMS and CDG is always striking. DL wants another hub to route it's customers through. CPH is decent enough location to get connections for TATL flights. I'd argue DL had a big say in this move.

(disclosure, DL fanboy) Were these flights long haul or short? Never flown RO, but I imagine it would be about as nice as any DL short haul flight, aircraft dependent. I've flown AA and UA domestically here and TATL and there isn't much of a difference tbh. At least not in economy. I do believe DL will get me to my destination more than I trust UA or AA. (Been left stranded by both before). Part of my point is that I've had bad experiences across all airlines, LH included. Just like I've had good experiences across them too.

DL didn't invest a single cent into this so I can't see how/why would they have any say at all, beyond maybe being pre-consuted by AFKL regarding potential inclusion of SK in TATL JV.

1. Delta is the largest airline and a founding member of Skyteam. They absolutely have a say in who joins the alliance.
2. Delta owns 2.9% of AFKL, and had a permanent seat on the board. They have a say in the strategic direction of the company and any investments that AFKL makes. It's partly their money.
3. Delta's strategy for many years has been investments in foreign airlines and JVs. It was publicly stated when announced that the intent is to bring SAS into the JV. Not only would that require Delta's approval, that fits into their strategic goals.

1. AFKL is also a founding member of SkyTeam. Delta of course has a say on who gets to join SkyTeam (just like every other member), but they don't decide where does AFKL invest money.
2. I acknowledged their say in the JV matter in my previous post.
3. And yet Delta didn't invest a single cent into SAS...

Sky team is just an alliance, I wouldn’t over emphasize the membership of SAS. Revenue wise the JV is much more important. Delta is very interested in securing its dominant position in that venture. It has invested into VS and the AFKL conglomerate to make sure it maintains its position vs the other US3. Adding SAS into the JV is not a must, so they are not in a rush. For SAS it’s existential as it gives them cash to operate their transatlantic routes.

Personal experience �SAS is STILL barely recognized as a member of skyteam AT ALL�now 4 months in. Just the other day I was ASSURED by a delta representative that SAS is not a part of skyteam. Even showing my EB card indicating skyteam elite. I tried to gently explain that SAS is a new member but after rep phones a supervisor for confirmation, who �looked into it,� she then just further confirmed SAS is not part of the alliance & therefore no skyteam benefits conveyed when traveling under my EB number (at least w/delta, I have yet any experience w/any other ST members.) Another delta rep informed that SAS does not currently have any �agreement� with ST for these benefits for its members.

Absolutely ridiculous. Really makes me wonder why I should even credit my miles to SAS anymore, especially w/already achieving the lifetime, what used to be *Gold status, that now apparently affords me no benefits, at least when code sharing w/delta. And for me personally, given my frequency of US travel, the alliance switch in practice, does seem to have quite negative impact, in comparison to what once was, when code sharing w/UA, again, all my personal experience... Let�s hope YMMV!!!

The irony is that SAS joining SkyTeam will likely mean that SkyTeam will lose my business. Normally I'd achieve FB Gold in a few months and I'd probably be happy flying with them as such.

But SAS gave me an easy Gold as part of their alliance switch, and *A was happy to match it for the same reason, and so I'm in a situation when I get benefits on *A but not on ST since for most part, ST doesn't recognise SAS status. And as much as I love AFKL, and as much as crap LHG is, travelling a bad airline with a status is better than travelling statusless on a good airline.

The grass is often greener on the other side because of the better manure below it.

That's a strange statement considering the many experiences right in this thread. In my case, of the 15 airlines flown only AM did not recognize EBG automatically (and the benefits were granted manually anyway), even that may be fixed as per the post just above.

Did your boarding pass indicate SkyTeam Elite Plus? It should and then you get access to all the SkyPriority benefits. There have been lots of teething issues with getting correct EB elite status for various carriers, but I can tell you that I have been to Delta SkyClub in LAX and JFK in the last month and zero issues with access, what exactly where the benefits you were denied in your case?

Out of curiosity, where did this conversation occur? On the phone, at the gate, check-in counter, lounge? It should be an easy thing for the rep to check, if SAS is in the alliance or not. And as 'view' said, your boarding pass should've said STE+ with SkyPriority on it, assuming this was a DL boarding pass.

Maybe the integration is better on other airlines, but AFKL is the one where I care about elite benefits as they're my primary option for intra-European travel, and the integration on AFKL leaves a lot to be desired. I only do longhaul in J, so status benefits are not really relevant there.

What were the issues with integration on AFKL?
I don't fly them enough to be an expert, but AFAICT all of the STE+ benefits were automatically provided (and were a bit better than similar on, say, LH group for *G, primarily because an extra checked bag was available on lowest fares).