Well the nwa ticket counter in CMH is officially closed. Ticket counters in most of the places I fly in and out of are closed also.
For all of you non-rev flyers still using paper tickets for nwa to fly on Delta, you can still go to the Delta ticket counter and get the paper ticket. The Delta ticket counter has a couple of nwa agents there to print out the tickets. Still no word on when the non-rev system will be merged. Does anyone have a clue on when that will happen?
Date: April 23, 2009
To: Delta Colleagues Worldwide
From: The Corporate Leadership Team
Subject: CLT Memo: Integrated Pass Policy Coming June 23, 2009
Pass travel privileges are one of the most important perks that we all enjoy as airline employees. For many of us, pass travel was what attracted us to this industry and this airline. With the launch of our integrated pass policy this summer, employees will benefit from one of the most generous nonrevenue pass travel programs in the industry, with the largest, most comprehensive network of routes in the world.
The integrated pass policy will represent some blending of the current policies in place at Delta and Northwest today – however, it will primarily maintain current Delta policies as its core. Last month, we announced three primary components of this new policy:
Boarding priority will be consistent with Delta’s current policy - based on employment date, without regard to employee classification. Northwest’s current policy has different boarding priorities for management and contract job classifications. We believe Delta’s long-standing policy provides the best opportunity for all employees to enjoy pass travel.
Taking the best of both policies by expanding pass rider eligibility to include opposite-sex domestic partners, stepchildren (that do not reside in your home but who are considered tax dependents) and up to four parents per employee (including stepparents, not in-laws). When combined with eligibility for nondependent children (new for pre-merger Northwest employees), you will have more opportunities to share your travel privileges with family members than anyone in the industry.
Lastly, all employee travel segment fees will be eliminated. Instead, employees and retirees will pay a flat, $50 annual pass activation fee for complete space-available travel access to the economy, first class and BusinessElite cabins of all aircraft – both mainline and connection flights. This low, once-a-year fee also covers all other authorized pass riders on your account - no matter how many - and allows for access to your buddy pass allotment.
It takes significant technology systems to operate our pass travel programs so that they are efficient for employees and cause the least amount of distraction possible for our airport customer service and reservations sales employees. We are investing $1.8M in technology to support our employee travel system, and while the majority of our policies will be integrated on June 23, due to system constraints, some details of our pass policy will not be aligned until full inventory integration in 2010. This announcement outlines the major policy changes at a high level. For more details, be sure to check out the Pass Policy Side-By-Side, which provides a comparison of the new policy with those policies currently in place at Delta and Northwest, as well as the Pass Policy Fact Sheet that describes the basic elements of the pass policy that will roll out this summer.
New, streamlined travel experience
With the launch this summer, the current paper ticket processes associated with the Fly Together program will be eliminated and travel on both Delta and Northwest flights will follow the same policies.
TravelNet, the system that Delta employees use today for leisure and company business travel, will re-launch as the single Web site for travel on all Delta and Northwest flights with a brand new look and feel. It will include a number of improvements that will make it easier for you to use your privilege with the least impact on serving our paying customers.
Some details of the travel process will differ for Delta and Northwest flights until inventory integration in 2010 because they require a single reservation system - Deltamatic; however, all employees will benefit from this streamlined travel experience that will support Web-based flight availability and listings. We want to be sure that you’re ready for this change, and many more communications will be distributed to all employees as we approach the re-launch of the new system.
Expanded discounts and flight days
In place of Delta’s current Family Fares program, we’ll put in place the Fly Confirmed discount programs, which will provide a 20% discount on confirmed tickets for leisure travel, but also may provide an even deeper discount with additional restrictions for eligible travelers. To further recognize our international footprint, Delta will remove the current 18 day flight day limit for transoceanic travel and eligible employees will be allowed unlimited free travel anywhere Delta flies. In addition, pass travel for Delta’s Ready Reserve workforce will be expanded to provide unlimited free S3 priority travel system-wide. Parents will pay a $75 service charge when applicable for transoceanic travel as they do today under current Delta policy.
Retiree travel
Pre-merger Northwest retirees will see a number of enhancements as a result of the integrated policy. In addition to the elimination of segment fees, retiree travel will include travel for nondependent children, travel companions, and parents, as well as Buddy Passes.
Buddy pass changes align with industry
Employees at Delta and Northwest currently enjoy sharing their travel privileges with their family and friends through the Buddy Pass program. Oftentimes though, passengers who use buddy passes would have otherwise purchased a confirmed ticket at a higher fare. Overall, this program is a cost to Delta, and since 15% of every dollar we make goes to you in the form of profit sharing, it’s a cost to you as well. In addition, and particularly in some popular markets, the volume of Buddy Pass riders poses serious operational challenges in our airports, particularly when inexperienced pass riders are traveling unaccompanied and not familiar with the nonrevenue travel processes. Therefore, we will implement a few changes designed to balance the value you place on this privilege with the cost and impact that this program has to the operation.
Delta’s Buddy Pass fares are the lowest in the industry and have been increased only once in the 13 years this program has been in existence. On June 23, Delta’s Buddy Pass fares will increase to better align with the industry and riders will no longer be charged the separate fuel surcharge.
These changes will result in net cost increases (after elimination of the fuel surcharge) in the range of 10%-35% for domestic travel and up to 13% for transoceanic travel on average, depending on the specific market.
Even with these changes, Delta’s average Buddy Pass fares will remain lower than the current average fares in place at Northwest for domestic travel and lower than average Buddy Pass fares at most of our competitors.
In the future, we will continue to monitor and update our Buddy Pass fares relative to our overall fare structure. The cost of our reduced rate yield-fare tickets, used by nondependent children and Travel Companions, will remain unchanged.
Buddy Pass riders will be charged the same travel fees as our revenue customers including fees for the first and second checked bag, pet fees, etc.
All new international stations will embargo Buddy Pass travel for a one-year period to allow the local station team to focus on our revenue passengers, while familiarizing themselves with our pass policies.
Employees hired on or after April 23, 2009, must complete one year of service before being eligible to receive an annual Buddy Pass allotment.
We will maintain the long-standing Delta policy of allowing buddies to travel unaccompanied. This decision highlights our trust in you and the responsibility that each of us has to ensure that Buddy Passes are being used only by family and friends and for pleasure travel. It’s always the employee’s responsibility to ensure the Buddy Pass rider is familiar with the nonrevenue pass travel etiquette, and that the passes are purchased at the price quoted in TravelNet. It is never allowed for employees to make a profit by selling Buddy Passes.
Elevated priority on Delta Connection carriers
Delta mainline employees will further benefit from the merger by having a higher boarding priority than Connection Carrier employees on all mainline flights and an elevated priority on certain connection carrier flights. For more details on the boarding priorities for Connection Carrier Travel, please reference the Pass Policy Side by Side.
As we have worked to integrate the policies and processes from two great traditions, we have gathered input from many employees from both Delta and Northwest. There will be numerous changes for employees from both pre-merger carriers associated with this summer’s launch, and we want to make this transition as easy as possible for you and your family members. Expect to see a series of more detailed communications about the pass travel policy, as well as training on how to use the new TravelNet, as we get closer to the date of our program launch.
Thanks for all you are doing to make the integration of our two carriers a success. Together, we are building One Great Airline, ready to win.
