Delta Air Lines, Alaska and Horizon Customers to Benefit from New
Codeshare, Lounge and Frequent Flyer Agreement
SEATTLE, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), Alaska
Airlines and Horizon Air Industries announced today they have entered into a
marketing partnership and related agreements that will provide customers with a
wider array of destinations and benefits. The codesharing and frequent-flyer
agreements are subject to review by the Department of Transportation (DOT), and
Delta must receive approval from its pilots' union before it can begin placing
its code on Alaska flights.
Delta's Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Paul Matsen said:
"This new marketing agreement will allow Delta to partner with Alaska and
Horizon and offer our passengers greater access to destinations throughout the
United States, Canada and Mexico. When we have completed the DOT review process
and fully implement the agreement, it will not only complement Delta's existing
service, but also offer Alaska and Horizon passengers access to Delta's global
system. Delta's network will be expanded by 42 new cities. This is a
win-win-win situation for customers and the carriers." The agreements provide for each carrier to place its code on and market the
other's flights. The carriers said they would also implement lounge and
frequent-flyer benefits for customers. In addition, the carriers will discuss
other areas of cooperation, such as air logistics and expanded cooperation with
facilities and passenger handling programs.
"This significantly extends the value of our travel network for every Alaska
and Horizon customer," said Alaska Executive Vice President of Marketing and
Planning Gregg Saretsky. "With the addition of Delta Air Lines to our team of
codeshare partners, our customers will now have access to Delta's network of
245 destinations in 35 countries which, combined with our other partners, now
provides access to an array of destinations that is second to none." A starting date for customers to accrue and redeem miles in the frequent flyer
program of the carriers and access to select lounges will be announced at a
later date.
Alaska Airlines is the nation's ninth-largest carrier and was named 2003
Technology Leader of the Year by Air Transport World magazine. Alaska and its
regional partner, Horizon Air, together serve 85 cities in the United States,
Canada and Mexico.
Founded 22 years ago, Horizon Air has grown to become one of the nation's
largest regional airlines, serving nearly 5 million passengers last year. Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, Inc.
Delta Air Lines is proud to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2004. Delta is
the world's second largest airline in terms of passengers carried and the
leading U.S. carrier across the Atlantic, offering daily flights to 493
destinations in 87 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta
Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. Delta's marketing alliances
allow customers to earn and redeem frequent flier miles on more than 14,000
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. For more information, please
visit delta.com. DATASOURCE: Delta Air Lines, Inc.
CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Delta Air Lines, Inc., +1-404-715-2554 Web site: http://www.delta.com/
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