Print this Page | Email this Page | PDF

News Center

Delta Applauds U.S. Department of Transportation's Final Decision to Expand Antitrust Immunity for Six SkyTeam Members

ATLANTA, May 23, 2008 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) today applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)'s Final Order and decision to approve antitrust immunity for six-way alliance activities in trans-Atlantic markets for the SkyTeam carriers of Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Delta currently has antitrust immunity with Air France, Alitalia and CSA, while Northwest has antitrust immunity with KLM. The DOT's ruling allows these SkyTeam carriers to consolidate their alliance activities.

The closer alliance cooperation made possible by this decision will to lead to new and expanding nonstop trans-Atlantic services; more discounted seats available through increased capacity and better cooperation; expanded codesharing, resulting in more convenient routings; shorter travel times and improved time of day coverage; and enhanced competition against rival alliances and improved opportunities to take advantage of the liberalization in trans-Atlantic marketplace made possible by U.S.-EU Open Skies.

The DOT ruling concludes that the proposed combination of alliances will not adversely affect competition. It also finds that the proposed 4-way joint venture "is likely to result in the introduction of new capacity and greater availability of discount fares across the entire joint network."

Commenting on the announcement, Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president Network Planning and Revenue Management, said: "We are pleased the Department of Transportation recognizes once again that antitrust immunity offers significant advantages to customers including more choice in flight schedules, travel times, services and fares. This grant of immunity allows us to expand these benefits for our customers to two other airline partners and significantly strengthen the SkyTeam alliance."

The DOT's Final Order ruling is the first since the new European Union-U.S. Open Skies agreement went into effect on March 30, which created the largest, most important and fully liberalized air transport marketplace in the world. The DOT has approved more than 20 applications for antitrust immunity in the past, including the recent approval of immunity for nine Star Alliance members.

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 841 worldwide destinations in 162 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.

###

 

 

 

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.

A Win for Employees A Win for Customers A Win for Communities