Because of Flight Attendants Throwin Punches on a recent Delta Connection flight operated by Pinnacle Airlines, the pilot of that flight made the decision to cancel that flight before it departed out of Rochester, New York — and the cancellation occurred as a winter storm was approaching, further complicating matters for now-stranded passengers.

Hawai’ian punch might have been more welcomed at this point, though this story smacks of a bizarre incident that provokes FlyerTalk members to post humorous comments in response…

The following text is taken verbatim from an e-mail message received just moments ago:

Earn bonus miles every night you stay, and get rewarded faster!

Get an additional 200 miles for every qualifying night you stay from February 1 to April 30, 2010 – up to 4,000 miles with any hotel in the Priority Club® Rewards family of brands, InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® or Candlewood Suites® hotels worldwide. With over 4,300 hotels worldwide, it’s never been easier to earn bonus miles.

Details such as qualifying airlines and FlyerTalk member commentary can be found in the following threads:

• Priority Club Until April 30, 2010: Earn 200 Bonus SkyMiles Every Night You Stay
• Earn 200 Bonus Airline Miles Every Night You Stay Until April 30, 2010

The Northwest Airlines Biz Perks and former Delta Air Lines SkyBonus business incentive programs have been merged into the new Delta SkyBonus business incentive program, and it is not all good news, now with the New SkyBonus Website Up and Running.

For example, one can now earn SkyBonus points on all airfares and not just the more expensive ones. However, unlike in the old SkyBonus business incentive program where the points never expired, SkyBonus points now expire on December 31 of the third year after earning them, and there appears to be no way to keep them from expiring.

There is an offer to immediately earn 2,000 SkyBonus points to “attend” the SkyBonus University.

If your small business or medium-sized business is not a member of the Delta Air Lines SkyBonus business incentive program and has a valid Federal Tax ID or VAT number, it is most likely eligible to join. Be aware that membership is free of charge.

A flight attendant monkeying around with the last banana in the snack basket on a Delta Air Lines flight was not appealing to FlyerTalk member Tomphot, who wants to know if written correspondence documenting the incident will bear fruit and take a bite out of a similar situation which could possibly occur in the future.

The flight attendant, now also known as The Banana Bandit, allegedly plucked the last banana out of the snack basket for passengers and put it in her sweater pocket with half of it still in view. Afterwards, Tomphot was reportedly told that they were all out of bananas after requesting one.

First there was no orange juice, then no peanuts, and now no bananas on-board aircraft during flight. What is next?!?

Some FlyerTalk members think this entire issue is bananas and nothing to go ape over…

Unfortunately, the first word in the title is not a typographical error, as FlyerTalk member hockeystl recounts “Why I’m now a firm believer in DL leather vs NW cloth.”

We do not want to leak the details of the story to you, but be forewarned: the “brownies” discussed in this FlyerTalk thread are not the edible kind.

Reading this thread will leave you with one question: are you a man — or woman — of the cloth or of the leather? If you still choose “of the cloth,” perhaps the first action to be taken is that you start praying you do not sit in a cloth seat that has — er…how should we put this — earned its share of “brownie points”…

The FAA Approves Single Operating Certificate for Delta Air Lines today, allowing Delta Air Lines to complete its integration with Northwest Airlines, which will fade into history.

The Single Operating Certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States clears the last hurdle for the two operations to use DL as the single carrier code and combine operations. Delta Air Lines can now function fully as a single airline, and employees will now be completely able to join forces and work together.

This news also means that — amongst other things — the Internet web site of Northwest Airlines will fade into oblivion and cease to exist, Delta Air Lines will be able to freely schedule flight itineraries and aircraft from the two airlines interchangeably and with complete flexibility, and the pilots will be trained on each other’s aircraft and will be able to share a single cockpit.

Could you imagine someone complaining about an airline being too generous with upgrades? Does that action not seem sacrilegious for a FlyerTalk member?

Well, that is exactly what FlyerTalk member Buster CT1K says when stating that Delta is too generous with upgrades!

Even more bizarre is that there are other FlyerTalk members who actually agree with Buster CT1K.

What could be the reasons, and are they indeed valid? If so, what are possible solutions to this issue?

As of 15 May 2010, Singapore Airlines and Delta Air Lines will no longer be frequent flier loyalty program partners.

More details and developments of this breaking news can be found in the following FlyerTalk threads:

• SQ ending partnership with Delta!!??
• Delta Air Lines and Singapore Airlines End Partnership

What does this mean for — and how will this news affect — passengers of Delta Air Lines and Singapore Airlines?

FlyerTalk member brillb wanted to propose to fellow FlyerTalk member lvp1531 in a special way to marry him, but he was uncertain at first on just how to do it. However, with a little help and a lot of cooperation from his new friends at Delta Air Lines, he decided to meet her in the Delta Air Lines Sky Club at the same Terminal E concourse at the airport in Atlanta where they first met three years prior, and then propose to her on an empty Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-400 aircraft in the BusinessElite cabin.

Find out for yourself if A Medallion Wedding Proposal will — ahem — ring a bell with you…and yes, there are photographs of the actual engagement.

Forget about the movie Up in the Air — the only two people who actually feel like they are up in the air right now are brillb and lvp1531 with their touching and heartwarming real-life story. The Gate congratulates them and wishes them all the best, with many years of happiness!

At The Gate, we might be on a roll when we present to you the first topic that is squarely considered “paper view” and yet still costs nothing to read with the Delta Toilet Paper Quality Test? thread.

This content will not be wiped if readers decide to tear it apart. Still, the toilet tissue issue is one that will flush other weblog writers with envy, especially when one finds out that at least one FlyerTalk member admits to not having — shall we say, extricated solid waste product via a certain rectal orifice — during a combined 3.9 million miles of flights traveled…