The Atlanta Constitution
                                                June 11, 1993
copied with permission from the Journal/Constitution


NEW YORK TIMES

  Delta Air  Lines has  changed the  rules of its frequent-flier program
to  make  it  easier  for legally certified gay partners to transfer
awards to each  other. Until  now, Delta had allowed its frequent-flier
customers to transfer their awards --  typically   tickets  earned   by
flying   a designated number  of miles  --  only  to  family members,
which  Delta defines  as spouse,  child, parent, siblings,  grandparent,
grandchild,  in- laws, stepchildren and stepsiblings.

  A Delta  spokesman said  gay customers  now can assign awards  to
their  partners if they provide documentation  in  person  that  they
have  been legally certified as partners by the cities where they live.
Thirteen  U.S.  cities  have  enacted civil  rights   laws  that
provide   for   such documentation:   New    York;    Ithaca,    N.Y.;
Washington; Tacoma  Park, Md.;  Ann Arbor, Mich.;
Madison,  Wis.;  Minneapolis;  Seattle;  and  Los
Angeles, San  Francisco, Berkeley, West Hollywood
and Laguna Beach, Calif.

  A TWA  spokesman, Don  Fleming, said TWA allows transfer of awards
only within the family, which, according to  TWA's definition, includes
spouses, legal   dependents,    siblings,   parents    and grandparents,
as  well as  aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, first cousins and their
spouses, and in- laws.

  Mr. Fleming  said TWA  is ``looking  closely at what Delta  is doing,
but at  this point we have not changed our policy.''

  TWA  has  what  it  calls  companion  passenger awards, which allows
any companion, regardless of relationship, to  receive a transferred
award, as long as  that person  is flying with the frequent flier on an
identical itinerary.

  Delta  has  a  similar  program,  although  the frequent flier  has to
fly only  one leg  of the trip.

  Of the  seven major  domestic carriers,  Delta, along with TWA, had
the most restrictive policies regarding award  transfers.  The  other
five  -- USAir,   United,    American,    Northwest    and Continental
--  allow frequent  fliers to  assign their awards to anyone they
choose, regardless of relationship.