Today we’re excited to announce the Delta Sky Club’s new Luxury Bar! It has arrived in the Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), Palm Beach, Seattle and Washington, DC (DCA) Clubs and is coming soon to additional locations. The new Luxury Bar offers premium wines, champagne and spirits for purchase, plus you’ll also be able to purchase master mixologist-created specialty cocktails including “Wheels Up” and “The Take Off”

We sat down with Elayne Duke, head mixologist for Diageo Wine and Spirits, our new premium wine and spirits partner, to learn more about the creations and what inspired them.

Q: Thanks for sitting down with us, Elayne. So first things first—what exactly is a mixologist, and how did you become one?

Becoming an accomplished mixologist took years of study and practice with the legends of our craft.  Taking countless classes, reading every book about the craft and working with the finest luxury spirits have developed me as a mixologist

A mixologist is somebody who has the passion for the art of creating delicious well balanced drinks, who takes pride in his/her craft and is dedicated to delivering a premium experience.

Q: What inspired your drink creations for the Delta Sky Club?

The drink offers at the Delta Sky Clubs were inspired by the exotic destinations Delta flies, as well as the Season.

Q: What do you think will be a Club favorite and why?

With the variety of options, it is hard to choose one.  All of the cocktails designed for the Delta Sky Clubs are sure to be favorites!

Q: Customers want to know—will the Clubs still offer complimentary wines and spirits?

I know that many of you are questioning what these additional options mean for the current complimentary alcohol program, and I’m happy to tell you that it isn’t changing. Period. You will still have the complimentary alcohol options you’ve had in the past, free of charge, at all Delta Sky Clubs. The premium spirits program offers additional options for customers looking for premium alcohol during their Club experience.

Q: What else should customers know when picking out the right drink for them?

All of the cocktails and spirits offered at the Delta Sky Club are made with a luxurious portfolio of spirits including: Tequila Don Julio, Johnnie Walker, Ketel One Vodka, Bulleit Bourbon and always fresh seasonal ingredients. Customers should be adventurous when choosing their beverage and step out of their cocktail comfort zone. Travel, whether for work or pleasure, is always a bit adventurous so your choice of beverage should be as well.

Elayne Duke

Head Mixologist, Diageo Wine and Spirits

Elayne Duke has been the head mixologist for Diageo Wine and Spirits for the past five years, creating cocktails for some of New York’s finest restaurants, including Le Bernardin, Central Park Boathouse and Villa Pacri.

She studied mixology as a student of the Beverage Alcohol Resource, America’s premiere course on spirits and cocktails, where she honed her technique under world-renowned mixology experts Paul Pacult, David Wondrich, Steve Olson, Doug Frost and Dale Degroff.

In 2009, Elayne was honored by the James Beard Foundation as one of the most prominent female mixologists in the country.

Summer is heating up here at Delta with new developments in our SkyMiles program. We’ve been listening and responding to customer concerns by developing new solutions and program features that better recognize and reward our loyal customers, and we’re excited to share our progress with you.

Today we’re announcing an industry-leading benefit that enables Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion^® members to receive Complimentary Medallion Upgrades on SkyMiles Award Tickets when flying on most routes within or between the U.S. and Canada, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico and select destinations in Central and South America. These upgrades will be automatically requested and will be eligible to clear after revenue tickets within your corresponding Medallion window.

Plus, more member-requested SkyMiles improvements are coming:

• Continue to redesign the Award Travel booking process and calendar on delta.com to improve the mileage redemption experience
• Expand the allocation of preferred Economy class seats on all Delta and Delta Connection® flights to ensure our most loyal customers receive the best seats
• Add the ability to upgrade on Alaska Airlines for Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallions, as part of the Delta and Alaska partnership expansion

And in 2011, we plan to:

• Enable you to redeem mileage upgrade Awards online
• Introduce a Miles and Money redemption option, similar to the former PerkChoice program, which will allow members to combine miles and money when buying a ticket

Check out delta.com/whatsahead for more on upcoming changes to the SkyMiles program!

We would love to hear what you think about these new features. What other SkyMiles benefits would you like to see? And, of course, how’s your summer going?

Jeff Robertson

Vice President, SkyMiles program

We understand you love redeeming miles (and many of you also enjoy earning them) for those last-minute trips or dream vacations. On the other hand, it seems harder to do while also avoiding fees.

Well, we hear your concerns and are doing something about it.

Effective today, we are eliminating SkyMiles Award Ticket redemption fees. This means you will no longer pay a redemption fee when you book an Award Ticket within 20 days of departure (a saving of up to $150 per ticket). Plus, we’re waiving all redeposit and reissue fees for our Platinum Medallion® members.

So redeem your miles today and enjoy fewer fees and more value for your miles.

This is the latest in a series of changes to improve your SkyMiles experience, including:

• Introducing a Diamond Medallion tier in March and the industry’s first rollover Medallion Qualification Miles for 2010.
• Launching a “first checked bag free” benefit – up to a $50 savings per person on a round-trip ticket – for customers with a Consumer or Business Gold, Platinum, or Reserve Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, which began June 1.
• Increasing the allocation of preferred Economy seats to ensure the most frequent travelers are guaranteed the best seats on all Delta and Delta Connection flights by August 2010.
• Allowing Delta’s most loyal customers – Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallions – flying on domestic award redemptions to be eligible for complimentary upgrades by September 2010.
• Re-engineering the online award calendar at delta.com to make it easier to find and redeem award seats.  These changes began in May and will be completed by November 2010.

Learn more about these changes and catch up on the latest SkyMiles program news at delta.com.

And don’t forget that with Delta, you have more ways to redeem miles than any other airline – including airline tickets, mileage upgrades, car rentals, hotel stays, Delta Sky Clubä memberships, merchandise and 30+ gift cards. In fact, you and your fellow SkyMiles members redeemed over 230 billion miles for 11.3 million Award redemptions with Delta in 2009, making us (and you) a loyalty program industry leader.

So thank you for your business, and let us know what you think about these changes. Love ‘em? Don’t love ‘em? What else should we do to improve the SkyMiles program?

Scott M.

Manager, SkyMiles program

Terms and Conditions

Basic Cardmembers (not Additional Cardmembers) with the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, Delta Reserve Credit Card, Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card, Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card and Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card are eligible to receive the first checked bag fee waiver on Delta and Delta Connection carrier tickets. Waiver is only of normal first checked bag fee for a bag that is not overweight and not oversize under Delta’s applicable rules. Additional checked bags will be subject to the applicable baggage fees as outlined by Delta’s rules and the purchased fare. The first checked bag fee waiver will be applied to all passengers traveling in the reservation containing the Basic Cardmember’s SkyMiles number (up to nine waivers). If more than nine passengers are within the same reservation the waiver will only be applied to eligible passengers. The first checked bag fee waiver will only be applied on flight segments which originate on a Delta or Delta connection carrier operated flight. Codeshare flights are not eligible. New Cardmembers and Cardmembers upgrading from another Delta SkyMiles Credit Card product will be eligible for the checked baggage fee waiver benefit after receiving their card from American Express. Offer terms and conditions subject to change. Additional restrictions may apply.

Taxes and fees for Award Travel are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is booked. Award travel seats and upgrade seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or in all markets.  Alliance partner airline benefits subject to change and subject to the terms and conditions of each partner. SkyMiles partners, offers, and benefits subject to change. Offers void where prohibited by law. Other restrictions may apply. All SkyMiles program rules apply to SkyMiles program membership, miles, offers, mile accrual, mile redemption and travel benefits. To review the rules, please visit Membership Guide & Program Rules. © 2010 Delta Air Lines, Inc.