I'm sure there are plenty of you out there: former DL/NW elites that went through one merger only to switch to CO/UA and go through another.

What are your observations on the current merger? How does it compare to the DL/NW integration? What's better? What's worse? Anything CO/UA should have learned from DL/NW merger?

 

I feel I have come full circle. I switched from CO to NW after CO instituted the policy of only giving half EQM credit for flying some of the most heavily discounted economy fares. The NW/DL merger was a net negative from a customer service standpoint. I abandoned DL for UA. The DL/NW merger is different from CO/UA since this time it feels like a merger of near equals. DL pretty much swallowed NW, and I'd be hard pressed to point to any good points from the NW program that were retained in DL.

 

So far it is MUCH better. I was NW Plat and converted to CO Plat.

It only took DL aobut 10 seconds to made sooooo many negative changes that many of us just had to leave.

2 changes for Plat on awards per year (That has been changed back), ripping off everyone on awards (OK I guess you can hit the back button over and over and hit refresh and kick your computer to get a standard award from ORD - DTW with a 12 hours layover in MSP). WE can discuss tons of negative changes.

From day one there was something every day that was horrible for the frequent flier.

With CO/UA they are going to put E+ on CO. They did take away any fare 4 SWU but now have 6 with some classes removed. I like 4 but it seems many like 6.

They gave me 1K on UA and I have not missed one upgrade on either airline in quite a while.

 

This, +1000. Deltoids got the mine; Redtailers got the shaft.

I'm now vested in this new amalgam and happy to have access to *A. ST wasn't too terrible when there were 3 players in the US, but with Bubbaflot driving the bus, it's now even less of an alliance (I mean Saudia? What next Biman?)

 

The service level as UA 1K is very comparable to NW PE. Which is to say, great.

I transitioned directly from NW to CO OP via a match in Spring 09, to PE. I moved all my NW itins over to CO crediting and overnight dispensed with DL. However I still had enough prebooked travel to keep me at DL PM with the rollover.

Then we had the CO/UA merger. So far, it's about as different from the DL/NW merger as could be. I haven't seen any significant degradations in service or product.

I still use DL as a low-fare TATL taxi service, either FD itins or misfiles. My next DL flight (AF W-misfile) will propel me past 1MM. But who cares a whit?

Only on DL is status worth next to nothing. I truly couldn't care a bean about my DL tier. It doesn't offer better CS, better redemptions, better treatment or anything worth having except the check bag exemption for SM and above.

SMS "service" is truly diabolic. The excuses, apologies and "Call back" mantra offered by the koolaid drinkers and employees/passriders/spouses over at DL are amazing. DL SMS cannot accomplish tasks that are so simple that US general member CS can deal with them in three minutes. You know, MH aren't a partner, can't redeem using SM, no AM neither, can't use PMU on W-class AF fare, not permitted to UG from CDG to ATL on AF no matter fare class, etc. Utter fabrications. These are all real examples from my convos with SMS over the past two years. Given that DL isn't my primary carrier and I don't talk much with them, the number of these convos involving outright falsehoods from DL SMS agents is breathtaking. Even reading them their own program T&C from the published DL.COM webpage on SM partners wouldn't connect them with reality!

Even BA provide better service! Many would imagine hell would have frozen over before I'd state that on FT. But, for real, they do.

And then, when you actually want to redeem the SM for, say, PHL to FCO in J, the fandango reaches its apogee....

Last year, DL.COM offered a 635k SM redemption option for this route - not all of which was in J. Then, the cost of this option went up.

"This Jeff, Delll-lllta SsssskyMileesssss. Tell points please!" ^

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md43_fjlY-M

By contrast, CO PE agents worked to find me F inventory at standard levels on TK for all Shark family and many other itins. I've booked lots of redemptions, all at low levels, all when I wanted to travel, for which I am appreciative and I show it by booking as exclusively as possible on CO/UA.

To say MP/OP blows away DL SM is an understatement. I feel like UA/CO gives me good value on my paid itins and great value on my redemptions. DL annoys me on paid itins and frustrates the hell out of me when I try to redeem. Why on earth anyone would pay high fares on DL for their brand of "product" and "service" astonishes me. I suppose hub/corporate captives have no choice, but for those who do, the grass is greener everywhere else...AA, AS, CO/UA, even US.

It is ironic because when I lived in Japan, there were two distinct FF camps for US-flag loyalists...the NW and UA folks felt product was very different. The redtail loyalists in Japan were fanatical...the value was tremendous. DL exploded their customer base at NRT by eroding value so much and now some of us are over at UA.

To paraphrase Uncle Gordo... we NW PE went from "First to Worst" with the DL takeover. UA/CO feels nothing like as bad.

 

+1...so far! Some very important issues have not been decided on or revealed which could turn it into a disaster for many of us!!

 

As a former NW Gold Elite and UA 1P, then a DL Plat and UA 1K (both status concurrently), I have to say the UACO migration has been better.

From my POV (mind you this means my valuation of a FFP and priorities):
1) There were no huge devaluations on UACO side; whereas I saw DL's 3 tier system being a poorly veiled attempt at getting more miles from its members

2) The NWDL IT migration went backwards, i.e. they took DL's system (which, IMHO, was inferior) and used that instead. I was able to accomplish more creative routings with NW's website than DL's.

3) DL's award booking engine was the most horrendous thing in the world; forget *Net Blocking... the whole system just didn't work (award seats would show as Low, then jump to High when trying to book, or vice versa. And if you visit the DL forum, it still is an unresolved issue.

On the DLNW plus side, I found that the crew was more pleasant afterwards.

I gave up on DL a year and half ago because of all the problems with award redemptions (again, I value redemptions highly) and I have been fairly happy. Somethings were nicer on DL, but overall, this 1K has been treated fairly well.

 

Greetings:

As a former long-time NW PE and now CO PE and by way of this year UA 1K, the merger has been much less a thrashing for anyone involved than the legacy NW side of the house took in the DL-NW merger. Have both sides suffered some in the instant merger, they certainly have. 1Ks do not have as much as they used to have prior to the merger, and the CO PEs have lost a little bit as well. However, it fails in comparison to the complete evisceration of the NW FFP benefits that its elite enjoyed prior to DL SM. YMMV

Safe Travels

 

As a refugee from the US/HP merger I too have seen what happens when mergers are executed poorly, which is why I have to laugh at a lot of the hyper-negativity regarding the UA/CO merger (to date).

 

Another ex-NW refugee. And also thinking so far, so good.

No major devaluations, no huge computer glitches.

 

I was a low level NW elite (Silver) at time of the merger. It didn't affect much, but my FIL, who was NW Plat and now DL Diamond utterly hated what DL did to his airline.

I think it would take a lot for UACO to be as bad as that merger.

 

The trend seems to be that former NW elites thought the merger was poorly executed since they didn't like some of the changes. The funny thing is that behind the scenes, the combined airline is more NW than DL...

 

No, think the opinion of most NW elites is that FFP benefits were reduced. As mechanically speaking, merger was for most part ok subject to some tech glitches and the like and the usual rash of angry employees.

Safe Travels

 

^ Great to see so many former high-BIS redtail brothers and sisters here!

I can understand why UA long-timers might not be thrilled with it all. I had just started to get used to 1K preferential boarding, only to have it diluted to "PA" standard. I can see that long-time UA 1Ks might not appreciate this. But coming from Jeff's R's woefully deficient program, anything resembling good service is very welcome. The degradation the NW people felt was not marginal, it was catastrophic. From day one of the NW-DL merger, we were confronted by: Instantly useless PMU's; imposition of swingeing IOS on non-US originating awards; pathetic irop handling; a website that couldn't even generate reliable revenue itins, never mind book awards; gigantic demands for SM redemptions that corresponded in no way to any published multiple in the so-called "three-tier" SM ponzi scheme; elimination of Plat award change fee waivers; and numerous other shortfalls.

Then, it immediately got worse.

About DL now. Although DL does have former NW execs in a number of positions, it's still more like the former PMDL husk. The NW folks like Rick moved into the DL systems and shell, and are operating it as such. Accoridng to chatter over on DL, it might even have gotten worse for the long-time PMDL elites. Some DL folks blame NW folks for the "degradation" of SM and the Medallion program. Either way, it's :-: best in class :-:.

I think the actions of the most crucial personnel from the FFP perspective tell the merger story. Bob S - architect of the actual world-beating WorldPerks program and benefits - left promptly after the merger. Instead, DL maintains the :-: best in class :-: Jeff R in situ.

DL SM is a "lite" program. It's lite on qualification requirements, and very lite on benefits and product.

By contrast, AA (from what I hear) and UA (from what I know) have serious top-tier elite programs.

 

The merger is far from over... curious to see what those who say this merger is better think in another year. Personally, the more the combined airline looks like CO and the less it looks like United, the happier I'll be.