Delta, Northwest link frequent flier programs

By Joe Brancatelli

MILEAGE METER

Delta and Northwest Link Programs, Allow Free Mileage Transfers: As Delta Air Lines slowly integrates its systems with Northwest Airlines,
it has announced that travelers can now link their SkyMiles and
WorldPerks accounts. Better yet, travelers can now freely transfer
miles between the two programs once they are linked. If you link your
accounts before March 15 — which will save Delta the trouble of doing
it when WorldPerks ends later this year — you'll receive 500 bonus
miles. … Hilton is bulking up in warm-weather island destinations and
that's good news for HHonors members searching for free vacations in
thesun. For starters, Hilton is now flying its flag over three
Polynesian resorts that bolted from Starwood early last month. The former Sheratons in Tahiti and Moorea and the Luxury Collection property on Bora Bora are Hiltons now. Half a world away, Hilton has picked up its third property in Sicily. The 19th century Excelsior Palace joins the historic Villa Igiea (both in Palermo) and the newly built Hilton Portorosa in Funari.

ALLIANCE ALERT

Continental's SkyTeam-to-Star Transition Remains Unclear: Continental Airlines says it will exit the SkyTeam Alliance after the last flight of the day on October 24, and it obviously would love to launch its previously announced tie-ups with United Airlines and the Star Alliance on October 25, not coincidentally the first day of the airline industry's "winter" schedules. But Continental needs approval for both the United and Star Alliance arrangements, and that has run into some low-level flak in Congress. And with the Transportation Department in transition along with the rest of the government only a month into the Obama Administration, there is no guarantee that Continental will be able to manage a seamless leap into Star. Continental has already made the appropriate schedule moves, slashing some service to SkyTeam hubs such as Atlanta and Minneapolis and bulking up its presence at some United hubs. But exactly when — or if — United, Continental and Star can start meshing frequent flier programs, airline lounges and upgrade regimens remains unknown.

ROUTE MAP

JetBlue Takes Another Run at LAX From New York and Boston: JetBlue Airways bailed on plans to launch flights to Los Angeles last year as the surging price of fuel made adding transcontinental flights impractical. Now that oil has returned to fairly sane levels — it's around $40 a barrel now — JetBlue is reviving its LAX plans. Beginning June 17, it will fly twice a day from its New York/Kennedy hub and twice a day from Boston. … Virgin America will add five daily flights from its San Francisco hub to John Wayne/Orange County Airport. Service starts June 10. How did Virgin America get into the OC, a slot-controlled airport that once had a long waiting list of potential carriers? For starters, one carrier flying there (Aloha) went out of business, and the others ahead of Virgin on the waiting list (Westjet, Air Canada, Hawaiian and AirTran) apparently decided now wasn't the time to launch new flights. … American Airlines will link New York's LaGuardia Airport with a nonstop to Charleston, West Virginia. The six-day-a-week service begins April 7 using 37-seat regional jets. … Alaska Airlines is adding two new routes this summer. Flights between Portland, Oregon, and Maui begin on August 7. Flights to Austin from Alaska's Seattle hub begin on August 3.

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