I'm giving it 12-21 months, but I wouldn't be surprised if some aspects of the transaction end up impacting DL and NW FFP members in fits and starts before that.

If CO is so much better, why didn't you bank your miles in CO instead of DL?

Especially TATL awards

There are SkyTeam frequent flyers (and others too) who prefer/preferred CO airlines over DL (or some other airline) but feel/felt differently about the frequent flyer programs.

No choice. Until recently, the company mandated which airline we had to fly on a paid basis. (They recently relented when confronted with lower priced tix elsewhere.) By that point I had banked over half a million SkyMiles. Until I moved to Hawaii, I had no reason not to bank on DL, as their service on the mainland was about the same as CO's. Once here, I found out what a big difference there was. Oh, well, there's always the NW A330 via MSP!

Well, this is not good at all! Now we are down to one domestic partner (and soon there will be none when DL and NW combine). Right?

Plus, I take it we will lose COPA as well?

From SAN to IAH all the time.

Maybe they'll invite Alaska into the alliance.

I just had a nice award ticket experience on COPA from CTG-PTY-LAX...given Snyder's of Hanover pretzel bags (cheddar ones and it was big) on the CTG-PTY leg!

I don't see this as a big loss to NW/DL as long as they use this opportunity to bulk up Latin/South American routes. I do think this leaves the door open to keep the MEM hub to have a solid presence in the southern Plains/Texas region.

Biggest downside for me will be lack of SkyTeam to CRP (where the in-laws live).:(

one can only hope...but Alaska may like things the way they are

Two weeks ago I found a nice Saver award from DEN-SCL during the holidays for a friend. 4 out 6 legs are on CO metal.

It would also be a bummer to lose CM as the PTY-SCL flight generally has good saver availability.

I planned on using my Delta SkyMiles to get to Brazil in Feb 09 thru Mar 09 on Continental metal. Do you think CO will allow me a seat that far away? Delta is already pretty much zero'd out for SkySaver seats during that time.

I'm finding them EWR-GRU-EWR and also IAH-GRU-IAH for my dates. While Delta has nothing ATL-GRU-ATL and nothing JFK-GRU-JFK. Basically, from Nov - Feb DL is zero'd out of Saver seats but CO has a few Saver seats sprinkled around.

If standard award space is available (or made available by CO) for general CO FFP members during that period, then you will be able to redeem DL miles for such a trip too. Award tickets already issued by DL before CO leaves SkyTeam will be honored by CO for travel. In other words, you are likely to be as able to use your miles for a Feb. 2009 - March 2009 trip on CO as you would be even without this UA-CO deal.