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CONTACT: Delta Corporate Communications
404-715-2554
 
Northwest Corporate Communications
612-726-2331

 

Employees First to Benefit from Combined Delta, Northwest Network

New reciprocal travel program adds to previously announced plans for a substantial equity stake, pay increases, seniority protection and other benefits for Delta, Northwest employees

ATLANTA and EAGAN, MINN., April 29, 2008 - More than 100,000 employees and retirees of Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) will gain reciprocal access to both airlines' worldwide route systems for free, standby travel, effective May 6. The enhanced program will allow Delta and Northwest employees and their families to fly for free to more than 390 worldwide destinations in 67 countries.

"Non-revenue travel privileges continue to be one of the most popular aspects of airline employees' total compensation and benefits," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "With great coordination and partnership between the airlines, we are offering an immediate benefit by extending free travel on each other's flights - something that has never been offered this quickly following the announcement of a major airline merger."

Northwest Airlines CEO Doug Steenland added, "We wanted our own employees to be the first to benefit from the Northwest/Delta combination with a travel benefit that is unique in the airline industry. Having immediate access to the combined network will open up a whole new world of travel opportunities, giving both airlines' employees a sample of the benefits our customers will also experience in the new global airline."

The addition of enhanced travel privileges is part of previously announced merger-related commitments to Delta and Northwest employees, including:

  • A significant equity stake for U.S.-based employees of both companies upon closing of the transaction (international employees will receive a cash payment in lieu of equity);

  • Pay increases that will continue the progression toward industry-standard pay;

  • No involuntary furloughs of frontline employees as a result of the merger;

  • Seniority protection through a fair and equitable seniority integration process; and

  • The protection of the existing pension plans for both companies' employees.

The enhanced travel program is an early step in the combination of Delta and Northwest that can be achieved in advance of completion of the regulatory review process. Delta and Northwest expect to complete the regulatory review process by the end of 2008.

For more information on the Delta-Northwest merger, visit www.newglobalairline.com.

Northwest Airlines is one of the world's largest airlines with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and approximately 1,400 daily departures. Northwest is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that offers customers one of the world's most extensive global networks. Northwest and its travel partners serve more than 1,000 cities in excess of 160 countries on six continents.

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 306 destinations in 58 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 37 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 517 weekly flights to 57 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 16,409 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 474 worldwide destinations in 104 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.

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Forward Looking Statements

This website includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “expect,’ “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Delta's and Northwest’s expectations with respect to the synergies, costs and charges and capitalization, anticipated financial impacts of the merger transaction and related transactions; approval of the merger transaction and related transactions by shareholders; the satisfaction of the closing conditions to the merger transaction and related transactions; and the timing of the completion of the merger transaction and related transactions.

These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside our control and difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the expected synergies will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period, due to, among other things, (1) the airline pricing environment; (2) competitive actions taken by other airlines; (3) general economic conditions; (4) changes in jet fuel prices; (5) actions taken or conditions imposed by the United States and foreign governments; (6) the willingness of customers to travel; (7) difficulties in integrating the operations of the two airlines; (8) the impact of labor relations, and (9) fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Other factors include the possibility that the merger does not close, including due to the failure to receive required stockholder or regulatory approvals, or the failure of other closing conditions.

Delta cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors is contained in Delta’s and Northwest’s most recently filed Forms 10-K. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Delta, Northwest, the merger, the related transactions or other matters and attributable to Delta or Northwest or any person acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Delta and Northwest do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, relating to the matters discussed in this news release.

Additional Information About the Merger and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed merger, Delta will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that will include a joint proxy statement of Delta and Northwest that also constitutes a prospectus of Delta. Delta and Northwest will mail the joint proxy statement/prospectus to their stockholders. Delta and Northwest urge investors and security holders to read the joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed merger when it becomes available because it will contain important information. You may obtain copies of all documents filed with the SEC regarding this transaction, free of charge, at the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). You may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from Delta’s website (www.delta.com) under the tab “About Delta” and then under the heading “Investor Relations” and then under the item “SEC Filings.” You may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from Northwest’s website (www.nwa.com) under the tab “About Northwest” and then under the heading “Investor Relations” and then under the item “SEC Filings and Section 16 Filings.”

Delta, Northwest and their respective directors, executive officers and certain other members of management and employees may be soliciting proxies from Delta and Northwest stockholders in favor of the merger. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of Delta and Northwest stockholders in connection with the proposed merger will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus when it is filed with the SEC. You can find information about Delta’s executive officers and directors in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 25, 2008 related to Delta’s 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. You can find information about Northwest’s executive officers and directors in its Amendment to its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 29, 2008. You can obtain free copies of these documents from Delta and Northwest using the contact information above.

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