Delta's merge with Northwest; Continental moves to Star Alliance

By Joe Brancatelli

BY THE NUMBERS: Delta’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy on Northwest changes

Delta Airlines says that it’s on track to fully integrate Northwest Airlines by the end of the year–and that includes flying under one operating certificate, the key bit of government-issued authority. Generally speaking, the merger has gone smoothly enough, but it looks as if Delta has pooched one of the easiest parts of the integration. Effective with the “winter” schedule that begins on Oct. 24, Delta will rebrand Northwest’s operations with Delta’s DL code and new flight numbers. The changes have been loaded into reservation computers, but Delta hasn’t bothered to alert travelers yet. Not even by the cheapest, easiest method: an explanatory page on the Delta.com and/or NWA.com Web sites. For its part, Delta insists the code and numbering changes “will be a smooth process for customers who will receive notification of flight changes through the normal channels.” It doesn’t say what those normal channels are.

MILES & POINTS: Continental morphs OnePass to sync with Star Alliance

Continental Airlines’ switch to the Star Alliance on Oct. 27 has already resulted in a substantial number of route changes as the new kid in Star severs connections to SkyTeam hubs. But Continental has also unveiled a wide-ranging series of changes to its OnePass program. Look for some reduced fees (no same-day ticket charges for Platinum Elite members or $100 co-pays on upgrades from B class tickets) and relaxed rules (no Saturday-stay requirement on awards), a simplified reward chart (but slightly higher prices to places like Hawaii), a reduction of some bonuses (Y class fares will now earn only 1.5 elite-qualification points instead of 2 points) and improvement in some earnings (all fares now qualify for full elite mileage credit). And, naturally, earnings and awards partners will shift: Out are SkyTeam airlines, in are Star carriers. The changes will be phased in during the rest of the year.Related Orbitz resources: