Delta's buying Northwest

elizs77

Active Member
Original Poster
[FONT=arial, verdana, sans-serif]Official statement from Northwest to frequent flyers:

[/FONT][FONT=arial, verdana, sans-serif]As a valued Northwest Airlines customer and WorldPerks® member, I wanted you to be among the first to hear that we have announced a merger with Delta Air Lines. Subject to regulatory review, our two airlines are joining forces to create America’s premier global airline which, upon closing of the merger, will be called Delta Air Lines.

By combining Northwest and Delta, we are building a stronger, more resilient airline that will be a leader in providing customer service and value. Our combined airline will offer unprecedented access to the world, enabling you to fly to more destinations, have more flight choices and more ways than ever to earn and redeem your WorldPerks miles.

You can be assured that your WorldPerks miles and Elite program status will be unaffected by this merger. In addition, you can continue to earn miles through use of partners like WorldPerks Visa®. And once the new Delta Air Lines emerges you can look forward to being a part of the world’s largest frequent flyer program with expanded benefits.

The combined Delta Air Lines will serve more U.S. communities and connect to more worldwide destinations than any global airline. Our hubs – both Delta’s and Northwest’s – will be retained and enhanced. We will be the only U.S. airline to offer direct service from the United States to all of the world’s major business centers in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and around North America.

Both airlines bring tremendous strengths to this new partnership. Our complementary service networks form an end-to-end system that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This is a merger by addition, not subtraction, which means all of our hubs – both Northwest’s and Delta’s – will be retained. In addition, building on both airlines’ proud, decades-long history of serving small communities, we plan to enhance global connections to small towns and cities across the U.S.

All of these positive benefits of our combination mean that we can:
  • Offer a true global network where our customers will be able to fly to more destinations, have more schedule options and more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles in what will become the world’s best and most comprehensive frequent flyer program.
  • Continue to serve our current roster of destinations and to maintain our hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Salt Lake City, Amsterdam and Tokyo.
  • Improve our customers’ travel experience, through new products and services including enhanced self-service tools, better bag-tracking technology, more onboard services, including more meal options, new seats and refurbished cabins.
While we work to secure approval of our merger, which may take up to 6 to 8 months, it will be business-as-usual at both airlines. We will continue to operate as independent airlines and the people of Northwest will remain focused on providing you with the very best in safe, reliable and convenient air travel. At the same time, both airlines will be planning for a seamless integration of our two airlines, one that delivers to you the enhanced benefits that will earn – and retain – your preference.

As we work through this process, we will keep you informed at every step along the way. Thank you for your business and we look forward to serving you on your next Northwest flight.

Sincerely,

Bob Soukup
Managing Director, WorldPerks
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mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
What happens when you combine two ________-poor airlines?

You get US Airways v 2.0

I shudder at the thought of NW and DL as one.
 

elizs77

Active Member
Original Poster
I've flown NW twice, and I totally hated it. All of the employees seemed miserable. And I hate the way they nickle and dime you, like the time that they thought about charging for sodas on the plane.

I've always liked Delta, but I haven't flown them in 10 years, so things totally can change.

My mom worked for Piedmont which was bought by US Air then became USAirways, of course. She liked Piedmont, but absolutely HATED USAirways. She worked in the conventions section of reservations, so she didn't even deal with the general public, but absolutely hated everything about the airline, and so did her fellow employees. It was a good day in 2000 when she quit! (BTW, she actually had a degree in education but didn't teach until a few years ago, so I'm not really sure why she was there other than it paid better than teaching).

When we had to pay to fly, we always went Delta. I now fly Southwest when I can, even though I have to drive 90 miles to get to the airport w/ Southwest as opposed to about 20 for the local airport.
 

lpet11984

Well-Known Member
My experiences with NW haven't been too terrible, although maybe it's because I'm closest to a hub. They always get me to Orlando, non-stop, cheap airfare, no problems.

Delta, on the other hand, I don't care for at all; some bad experiences last summer in/out of Atlanta.

Either way, I fear things will only get worse as two large airlines become even bigger and more impersonal.
 

pheneix

Well-Known Member
Delta sucks, but they've been passable over the past couple of years because their fares have been cheap. Now that they are raising fares above and beyond their competition they have lost that advantage. Merging with NW is another way to keep that price level at the high point.

Not that it will matter five years from now. Virgin America is going to run the legacy carriers out of business.
 

Iknewagirlnamed

New Member
At least where I live, flights with Delta are UNBELIEVABLE when it comes to costs. Then again, the closest major airport to me (CVG aka Cincinnati international airport) is one of the highest priced airports in the US. Even so, Delta is very expensive compared to other air carriers. Jet Blue is great and I flew Airtran and had no issues with them, either. Both had great fares flying out of Dayton for Airtran and Columbus for Jet Blue.

Delta is just too expensive.
 

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