LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air
Lines (NYSE: DAL), the fastest-growing carrier at Los Angeles International Airport since 2009,
continues to deepen its L.A. footprint outside the airport as well.
Through a new three-year agreement, Delta is now the official
airline partner to The University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The partnership is Delta's first with a West Coast school
following a renewed effort, launched last year, to forge alliances
with universities across the country that embed the airline and its
employees in campus and alumni events, academics and career
recruiting, all in an effort to become a lifelong travel partner to
future customers.
Delta will be the Official Airline of UCLA Athletics, Official
Airline of the Alumni Association of the University of California, Los Angeles and Official
Airline of the Rose Bowl Stadium.
"Delta is proud to welcome UCLA, one
of the country's top universities, to our expanding portfolio of
L.A. partners," said Ranjan Goswami,
Delta Vice President – Sales,
West. "Like the city of Los
Angeles itself, UCLA comprises a
richly diverse community, and our partnership illustrates and
underscores our commitment to become the airline of choice for all
Angelenos."
To celebrate the sponsorship, Delta made some "solid gold" noise
on Wednesday at LAX, where the airline will soon embark on a
$1.9 billion plan to build a
world-class facility at Terminals 2 and 3. The famous UCLA Bruin
Marching Band, known as The Solid Gold Sound, surprised customers
with performances inside Delta's current Terminal 5. The UCLA
Spirit Squad, UCLA Bruins' mascots Joe and
Josephine Bruin, and several of Delta's own UCLA alumni greeted customers with UCLA game tickets and fan flair.
"Los Angeles is a key hub for
Delta, and our pledge to L.A. means more than providing exceptional
service at LAX," said Jake Abel,
General Manager – University Marketing. "Our support of
UCLA reflects our deep commitment to
the community. Delta is proud to be associated with UCLA Athletics,
and we wish the Bruins great success this year and in the
future."
Last week, Delta supported students at UCLA's campus move-in day with Delta Sky360 lounges
stocked with complimentary drinks, snacks, massages and merchandise
giveaways. The partnership will also include promotions, on-campus
events and advertising. Noted elements include permanent branding
at the Rose Bowl and signage at home football and men's basketball
games.
"We are excited to partner with Delta as the official airline of
UCLA Athletics," said Josh Rebholz,
Senior Associate Athletic Director at UCLA. "While Delta is an industry leader and global
giant, they're also very involved in the Los Angeles community. Their support plays an
important role in helping our student-athletes as they continuously
strive to be champions in competition and in the classroom."
Delta's newest sponsorship in L.A. bolsters the strong momentum
the airline has generated in the City of Angels over the past
several years. Today the airline offers more than 175 peak-day
departures to more than 60 destinations from Los Angeles and is moving forward with plans
to build a world-class, $1.9 billion
facility at Terminals 2 and 3, creating a premier space for its
operations alongside its airline partners. Delta also
supports dozens of organizations and events that are vital to the
fabric of Los Angeles, including
serving as the official airline of the Lakers, Kings, GRAMMYs and
LA Pride.
Delta's other university partners include Boston College, University of
Florida, University of Georgia,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Indiana University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, Penn State University, Syracuse University and
University of Wisconsin.
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year.
In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies
in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth
time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the
Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented
five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network,
Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 321
destinations in 56 countries on six continents. Headquartered in
Atlanta, Delta employs more than
80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more
than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam
global alliance and participates in the industry's leading
transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia
as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its
worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than
15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including
Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St.
Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de
Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has
invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products
and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in
the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on
the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub,
Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/delta.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines