As you are all aware, last night Northwest Airlines entered into an agreement to merge with Delta Air Lines. Subject to regulatory approval, the merger will create a premier global airline – with more stability and significant benefits for our customers. Several concerns and questions have been raised on multiple FlyerTalk threads – we will continue to monitor your comments and concerns posted in this forum as well as gathering customer feedback from our standard internal sources.

Most of the answers to your questions can be found at: http://www.newglobalairline.com
Please continue to visit this site for up-to-date information on the merger.

Regarding the WorldPerks loyalty program: during the regulatory review period, it is business as usual – with no changes to the WorldPerks program. After the merger closes, customers will be able to fly to more destinations, have more flight scheduling choices and have greater ability to earn and redeem their WorldPerks miles around the world. Furthermore, this transaction will have no impact on WorldPerks miles or elite status.

Sigh, more PR spinning. By the way, the "new website" does not answer "most of our questions." Our questions involve things like: how much will Delta devalue our miles, how long until Memphis is de-hubbed, can we still earn EQS, will we ever be upgraded again, how many small towns in the upper midwest will find their NW flights gutted, how many hundreds of crappy regional jets will the new entity fly, how many more surcharges will DL tack on, etc. etc. etc.

Scoop,

Please comment on the DL 2x MQM promotion, and how artificial inflation of Delta Medalion elite ranks (may) impact the elite status and benefits of soon-to-be-former WP elites, especially Silver and Gold members.

While our angst is covered in multiple threads, please refer this link for a better idea as to our concerns regarding this promotion. Many of us are either in favor of a reciprocal promotion by WP - in the interest of leveling the (elite) playing field - or someother means to mitigate the impact of DL+NW favoring DL elites over NW's own ranks. I fall into the latter group as I, like many of your bread-and-butter business travelers, are mandated to use a corporate travel agency and cannot book directly via an airline website.

Please do not risk alienation of your elites in favor of devaluating our hard-earned benefits in order to benefit one group only.

Unfortunately I don't think NW or DL can answer many of these questions yet due to legal reasons - having just been through a similar situation with my employer being purchased by a competitor. As of today NW and DL are still competitors and discussing many things about business operations and strategy would be collusion, price-fixing, etc. and against the law.

In our case they pulled a team of people from each company and sent them away to begin working out post-merger plans. They were completly isolated from the rest of the operations and if the merger had fallen through they would not have been allowed to go back to their normal jobs since they had inside information on the competition. This was two non-US companies, but I am assuming many of the same regulatory controls are in place here.

As of today it would be no different than if United and American decided to sit down and see what they could do with their FF programs to increase their profit. I'm no lawer, but I assume there would be some major anti-trust violations there.

Thanks for the update and the link !

Does this mean that after the merger is approved and takes place, there will be no changes in the requirements to obtain elite status? Right now the two airlines have slightly different ones?

Bob H

I really hope that the new NWScoop answers questions, like the old NWScoop did (and doesn't just become an advertising spin machine)... particularly in times like this!

The double EQM question is a very valid one, and not one that should be protected by any "merger-to-be" secrecy. You say that the merger "will not affect our elite status", but when there are 2x the DL platinums and golds next year due to this promotion, my status won't mean half as much as it does now. To me that's a big deal. Just as an aside, had this promotion been running for NWA also, I'd be earning an EXTRA ~20,000 EQM (and I might add another trip or two to get that total closer to 30,000. That would be enough to get me to Plat this year, instead of the gold status that I'll likely end up with.

Scoop,

I second (and third!) many of the comments above regarding the 2x miles and WP miles devaluation and future upgrade possibilities.

The primary reason I am with NW/WP (currently SE) is because of the ample upgrade opportunities, ability to find award tickets without surcharges, and earn bonuses like 2 tickets for 19,000 miles with my WP Visa.

As with everyone else, I would appreciate as much clarification as possible regarding these and other merger concerns.

This is about the only way the new WP/SM will keep me as a customer. Level the playing field.

Scoop V2.b

This is a real concern. I also really need to know if the SWU's will be honored in the EXACT same way in 2009 as they are today. You can appreciate that those of us who fly 120-160k are only doing it on NW because the SWU pull from the C and F bucket. These questions need to be addressed. Saying that nothing changes is just plain wrong when our Delta brethren are currently earning 2X EQM's in what is effectively the same program (already stated they would be merged).

Thanks Scoop for letting us know you are staying in touch. I'm sure you didn't get a vote on this either!

Several have mentioned the double eqm thing. Another issue is that DL awards eqm's for a certain amount of usage of the Amex card - this is up to 20,000 mqms/year - no small potatoes.

So the concerns are real!

Thanks for any opportunities you have to help voice our concerns.

I think it's a bit early to get all the answers yet from Scoop. Some of these things will take weeks or months to figure out. But if would be nice to know if these things are being written down and brought up to the powers that be.

Agreed but this one is big. The best way to play this would be to fly nothing but DL flights for the next 2 months and rack up EQM's as they will be merging accounts anyway. I think it was a huge mistake to announce this in the middle of a double EQM program...kinda puts the NW crowd at a disadvantage and dilutes the entire program anyway. My point is that is is very disingenuous to say "wordperks will not be changing" on one hand and that DL and WP accounts will be merging on the other. How many SWU will get handed out to DL flyers who did not have to really fly 120-160k?

I'm trying to give new Scoop the benefit of the doubt (being new, doesn't have answers yet, etc.) but I have to admit when I read the post I didn't feel the love. Even a response as in "I don't know what will be done with the 2x EQMs yet, but am checking on it" helps to make us feel like someone's listening!

This is a suspicuous stament. Clearly, retain miles and status. But what about benefits??? My guess is some, if not many, of those discussions have taken place. Difference between loyalty programs will need to be ironed out.

NW SCOOP here's a suggestion: Hold some focus groups with various level elites and some surveys about key benefits and ensure that integration takes those into consideration.

I flew DL on a 4+ hour flight last week and although I was in Y, I hope that changes, I was impreseed with the buy on baord food choices and the 757-300 had the satellite TV ( didn't work!) and movies for purchase ( I bought one). That was definately a step up from NW. Will that be the new the new service for flights instead of the dreaded $5 snack box.

avidflyer, I feel your pain; but even if --- they made you the promise (which I'm certain they won't) to honor the SWUs the same way; all terms/conditions are subject to change anyway.

It's unfortunate, but folks are just going to have to wait and see. Obviously, if that is unnerving, which I totally understand, then some will vote with their feet --- and transition to another program.

The only thing you can be certain of, is that there will be a lot of changes for NW frequent flyers.

Personally, I would hardly trust anything that is stated at this point from official or non-official sources, especially until the merger has been formally approved.