My bad. Thanks for the correction.

Apologies for the slight diversion, but I have a practical question with regards to the merger speculation.

Supposing the DL/NW merger happens and that a UA/CO merger ensues (considerable "if"s, I realize) do you consider it likely that Continental would be out of SkyTeam before the end of June? It seems unlikely to me given a window of several months for DOJ to look at the cases etc. But I ask because my partner and I are planning a trip this summer (late May to mid June) and the CO ticket is the least expensive and allows an extra 1,200 MQM accrual compared to Delta through ATL or Northwest through DTW. Being an airline fan, I'm naturally drawn to the prospect of more qualifying miles for fewer dollars! On the flip side, I'm risk-averse and don't want to be out the $$ with no SkyMiles accrual at all.

Your comments/suggestions are appreciated :)

Welcome to FlyerTalk!!

At this point I don't think that any mergers are going to be complete by June, but I also would look at this time in the lifecycle of the airlines as a situation where you cannot base any decision on long-term expectations. Do what makes sense in the now and hope that it works out best in the long term. It is all a bit of a gamble, but to pretend that there is a way for anyone to know otherwise is a bit foolish on our part.

In your case I'd save the money and hope the flights count for your MQM quest. The real money is worth more than the miles are anyways.

Thanks for the quick response. You confirmed my hunch: it seems unlikely that any party will have his ducks in a row along with government approval before the end of June!

I'm looking forward to flying on my first CO T7 :)