NWA, Delta to continue to invest in region

Northwest Airlines Corp. and Delta Air Lines Inc. will continue to invest in the region following its $17.7-billion mega merger earlier in the year.

This according to Northwest Airlines Guam and Saipan general manager Richard A. Parsons in a recent email to the Saipan Tribune.

“Our merger with Delta has allowed us to develop growth opportunities as we connect the networks to create new revenue streams neither airline could have achieved independently. We will continue to follow the ‘Flight Plan to invest in and further diversify our international network in the CNMI as well as other regions including Pacific, Africa, India, and the Middle East to help mitigate the risk from specific regional economies,” he said.

Parsons said passengers will soon notice the effects of the merger in the months to come, which will both appear in the carriers’ branding and operations.

“You will initially begin to see Delta’s name and brand displayed with Northwest’s, and we will begin to coordinate our flight schedules and policies for maximum customer convenience. Full integration of Northwest into Delta will take time and will be completed through a thoughtful integration process over the next 12-24 months,” he said.

Squeezed by record high fuel prices and a slowing economy, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines last April agreed to a stock-swap merger that would create the world’s biggest carrier.

Under the terms of the Delta transaction, Northwest shareholders will receive 1.25 Delta shares for each Northwest share they own. The exchange ratio represents a premium to Northwest shareholders of 16.8 percent based on Monday’s closing stock prices.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 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 900 cities in excess of 160 countries on six continents.

Delta Air Lines, for its part, operates an expansive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. It flies to over 332 destinations in 57 countries (excluding codeshare), across five continents. Delta Air Lines is also the only major U.S. carrier that flies to Africa.