Since the NWA-Delta Merger
 

Have you noticed a lot of changes in your flight routes?

I have. Unfortunately for me, those that fly the old Minneapolis connection are more expensive (on average $100-250 from what I have found in playing around last few weeks). A lot of the legs for flights out west now go something like this....

GR, MI to Cincinnati/Atlanta maybe St Louis, and THEN head out to Cali/Las Vegas/San Fran (basically heading west) whatever.

So for me, in SW MI, I am more a less backtracking east, and then flying west. Which is adding around 2-4 hours on those flights. Sometimes I get lucky and can grab a connecting in Detroit, but still that is an additional 45 minutes back tracking.

Oh well. I am just wondered if anyone else had noticed any significant changes.

Man I love that group!! Straight Outta Compton!!!

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:thumbsup

Haven't noticed but I rarely fly Delta or NWA. Mostly Frontier or United for me.

I fly NWA a lot, out of MSP. 1-2 times a month.

For a while, prices were really high. They are quite a bit cheaper on my route I usually fly (MSP-ORD), due to them competing with SWA who just started offering service.

My prediction though is in 5-10 years, MSP will no longer be any from of hub for Delta. They won't pull it all at once due to outcry since they "promised" it would be fine, but it simply doesn't make sense to keep it as-is.

Kinda sad, because I love being able to fly almost anywhere now non-stop.

NWA for the longest time has been significantly cheaper for me flying anywhere. I have done numerous cost comparisons over the years, and they were always cheaper. Delta by contrast was ALWAYS more expensive, and one of THEEE most expensive for me to fly.

When I heard about the merger, I was like oh great. There go my miles, and all flights more expensive now.

Sure enough my card, and miles will be going bye bye. Guess you need the Delta American Express one now. Anyways, for me flying out of Michigan. I prefer to be heading IN the direction of my destination!

I did not mind so much Detroit I suppose. But Cincinnatti and Atlanta for most of the flights I have been pricing is a bit much when you start going from 4-6 hours to Florida and west coast to 6-9 hour flights. I do not want to spend my whole day traveling. You can pick and choose a bit more to your liking, but the price jumped from $240.00-404 to try and eliminate Cin/Atl and get faster flight, and MN connection.

If they eliminate MN all together, that will be too bad. I will have to start looking at Midwest Air or one of the others reasonably priced, and with hub to the west. I do not want to always have to fly to Cin/Atl to make my connection and have these all day flights.

:disgust

I have a platinum level with NWA, and I get upgraded quite a bit on Delta now. I was told it would all just move to Delta with no loss of miles. I fly Minneapolis to Rio so I like the Atlanta stop.

I used to fly NWA a lot to Vegas and LA from Ohio, and if I had a layover it was always Minneapolis since that was one of their hubs. Cincinnati and Atlanta are two of Delta's hubs so it makes sense you are getting routed through there now. It sucks ass, but I guess Delta must have eliminated Minneapolis as a hub...

Well, they have not completely eliminated it (yet) but to take it costs a bit more $50-150 on a number of the flights.

All the same, yes, it sucks to go from spending a morning or afternoon flying to the west coast from MI, to now more a less having to spend the majority of your day doing it. While Cin/Atl make sense for them since they are the acquiring airline. The extra flight times are making me re-think the loyaltiy.

As for miles, was referring to my credit card I had through US Bank/NWA where I banked a ton of extra miles through that program and purchases. Not their World Perks (only) program.

:disgust

They better not screw with my miles...trying to go to Japan in the fall with them.

I'm only silver level these days.. don't fly near as much as I used to.

But all the status and miles do/will transfer to Delta just fine. The only downside, is if you're a lower-level elite - you're fighting with a *much* larger pool of status members for upgrades and such on many routes.

I still generally get upgraded MSP->ORD, but have noticed a drastic reduction in the upgrades in the reverse - which makes sense, as Delta should be routing more folks through to MSP to hit International (and west coast) connections.

Really for the higher-level frequent fliers, the merger was great. Way more options to use your status - especially internationally. You do NOT want to be in coach on flights to Asia :)

But, for MSP based fliers - I really think it's going to very likely suck balls. I don't think many really realized how lucky we were to live near one of the countries larger hubs (in terms of destinations). Everything was one connection away at most, vs. the standard 2-3 for most "spoke" airports.