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Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines during fourth-quarter 2007 earnings calls said they have reinstated the Saturday-night stay requirements in select markets.

In fare analysis conducted for Business Travel News, Harrell Associates found the six legacy carriers placed Saturday-night stay restrictions on 4 percent of the 2,813 one way or roundtrip fares evaluated in late January in each carrier’s top 40 routes.

That is slightly up from the 3 percent of restrictions found for the same carriers in the same markets last September. However, the most recent data from Harrell shows that of 763 roundtrip fares evaluated, 13 percent carried Saturday-night stay restrictions.

Robert Mann, President of airline consulting firm R.W. Mann & Co., said the restrictions are “the sort of thing that will, without changing prices, fence business travelers into the higher fare categories—it will also tick them off, but that’s a separate issue.” Not all legacy carriers have joined the Saturday-night stay reintroduction. “We have not done that anywhere yet and frankly don’t see that happening across the industry,” US Airways CEO Doug Parker said in the carrier’s earnings call last month.

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AirTran’s reservations system will be capable of handling code share flights within a few months, opening up the possibility that the carrier could take on code-share partners for the first time, said AirTran CEO Robert Fornaro.

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American parent AMR Corp. next year plans to divest American Eagle, its regional subsidiary, with a spin-off to AMR shareholders, a sale to a third party or some other form of separation.American Eagle operates about 1,700 daily flights with about 300 aircraft and will generate about $2.3 billion in revenue this year.

AMR said the move would enable American to focus on its mainline business while allowing American Eagle to pursue growth opportunities.

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Continental signed up with JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV to bring seatback TV viewing to Continental´s domestic passengers on certain aircraft.In addition, the carrier will introduce Live TV’s in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity for e-mail and instant messaging. Continental expects to charge a $6 access fee in economy.

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In January, JetBlue Airways debuted refundable fares, allowing purchasers to change reservations, including passenger name, or receive a full refund for cancellations prior to departures.It said refundable fare pricing would depend on haul length, but would be $50 to $100 higher than its highest nonrefundable fare.

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Carriers to add Direct U.S. - China Flights

• American 2009 China-Beijing*
• Continental 2009 Newark-Shanghai*
• Delta 2008 Atlanta-Shanghai
• Northwest 2009 Detroit-Shanghai*
• United 2008 San Francisco-Guangzhou
• US Airways 2009 Philadelphia-Beijing*
• Air China 2009 Beijing-Washington & Shanghai-San Francisco
• China Eastern 2008 Shanghai-Los Angeles1
• China Southern 2008 Beijing-Newark, 2009 Beijing-Detroit
• Hainan Airlines 2008 Beijing-Seattle, 2009 Beijing-Chicago & Beijing-Newark
• Shanghai Airlines 2009 Shanghai-Seattle & Shanghai-Los Angeles

United, U.S. Airways Start Charging for Second Checked Bag

United Airlines and U.S. Airways in May will begin charging economy passengers $25 for their second checked bag on domestic flights. U.S. Airways is charging the fee on all flights within the U.S., to/from Canada, Latin America, the Caribbeanand Europe.

Dividend Miles Preferred members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Chairman’s Preferred), confirmed First Class and Envoy passengers at time of check in, Star Alliance Silver and Gold status members, military personnel in uniform with an ID, unaccompanied minors and those checking assistive devices will not be charged.

United is charging for domestic flights as well as for travel beginning in the U.S. to and from Canada, San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. Mileage Plus Premier status and Star Alliance Silver status passengers will not be charged.
Spirit Airlines has upped its checked bags fees from $5 to $10 per checked bag for baggage booked on its website and $20 for checked baggage requested at the airport.
(Source: US Airways, United and Spirit press releases).

DOT Reports More Complaints About Airlines Mishandling Baggage,
Flight Delays The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report said that carriers’ rate of mishandling baggage rose from 6.73 per 1,000 passengers in 2006 to 7.03 reports per 1,000 passengers in 2007. Air travel delays also increased.

The 20 airlines reporting on-time performance with DOT recorded an on-time arrival rate of 73.4 percent in 2007, down from their 75.4 percent mark in 2006.
(Source: DOT press release).

American Express, Delta Introduce Pay with Miles
American Express and Delta Air Lines have introduced the Pay with Miles program, a new feature of Delta’s SkyMiles program, which is exclusively for Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles American Express cardmemnbers. The program allows these travelers to book flights on detla.com and use Miles to pay for all or part of a Delta ticket in any class of service on any route, with no blackout dates or inventory restrictions.
(Source: American Express press release).

Air France Introduces Half-Price Business Class Fare
Air France has introduced a new Business Class Leisure Fare available year round. It is about fifty percent off the normal price and is available to passengers who book their travel 30 days in advance of their departure date.
Sample one-way fares are: Washington-Barcleona, $1,681; Chicago-Madrid, $1,880; Los Angeles-Rome, $2,419. All flights connect through Paris-CDG. Fuel surcharges are included; government-imposed fees and taxes are approximately $80 to $150 extra.
(Source: Air France press release).

American Airlines Pilots Support BA Pilots Opposition to New OpenSkies
Airline OpenSkies, a stand alone airline backed by British Airways that is designed to take advantage of the new U.S.-EU Open skies agreement, is hitting some bumps.

Eighty-six percent of BA’s pilots have voted to authorize a strike in response to management’s plans for OpenSkies. That’s because pilots for the six 757s flying in the mostly upper class plane will not be drawn from the existing BA pilots’ seniority list. The Allied Pilots Association (APA), the collective bargaining agent for American Airlines pilot has expressed its “unequivocal support” for BA pots.
(Source: APA press release).

Continental Starts Nonstops From Cleveland to Greensboro,
Omaha and Savannah Continental Airlines has begun new daily nonstop service from its Cleveland hub at Hopkins International Airport to three new cities — Greensboro, N.C.; Omaha, Neb.; and Savannah, Ga.

The new cities are part of Continental’s expansion program underway at Cleveland that will add 12 new domestic nonstop destinations this year, in addition to previously announced new service to Paris, France. Other new destinations from Cleveland will include Birmingham, Ala., Charleston, S.C., Green Bay, Wis., Tulsa, Okla., Little Rock, Ark., Memphis, Tenn., Lansing,
Mich., Des Moines, Iowa and Kalamazoo, Mich.

JetBlue Offers Refundable Tickets
JetBlue Airways has introduced refundable fares. The new option allows customers to make unlimited reservation changes, including name changes, or opt for a full refund any time prior to the flight’s departure.

If customers can’t notify JetBlue of changes to their reservations before the flight departs, any unused funds are converted to a JetBlue credit valid for one year from the date it was issued. This credit is fee-free and fully transferable.

To celebrate the launch of its new fare option, through Feb. 13 JetBlue is offering TrueBlue Customers who book refundable travel quadruple TrueBlue points each way when they book online at www.jetblue.com, or triple TrueBlue points each way when booking through other channels.
(Source: JetBlue press release)

United Allows Economy Passengers Just One Free Checked Bag
United Airlines now allows customers who purchase nonrefundable domestic economy tickets and who do not have status in Mileage Plus or Star Alliance just one free checked bag. Passengers may check a second bag for a $25 service fee.

For all customers, the cost to check up to four additional bags will be $100 per bag. Previous charges ranged from $85-$125 per bag.

The cost to check items that require special handling because they are large, overweight or fragile will now be either $100 or $200, depending on the item. United’s most frequent fliers - customers who have Premier status or higher in Mileage Plus, or Silver status or higher with Star Alliance - will continue to receive the benefit of checking two bags for free.
(Source: United press release)

British Airways To Introduce All-Business Class Transatlantic Flights
British Airways will launch double daily business class-only flights from London City airport to New York next year.

The new flights will operate on Airbus A318 aircraft with 32 seats onboard. It will offer 15-minute check-in for passengers in both New York and London. It’s a clear challenge to other all-premium carriers, including Eos, which flies between New York’s JFK and London Stansted and has 48 seats on 757s, and Silverjet, which operates 767s with no more than 100 seats between London’s Luton and Newark.

BA is not the first major carrier to level its sites on the all-premium class transatlantic carriers.

Many industry observers believe American Airlines dealt a deathblow to the late premium carrier MAXjet when American started flying from JFK to Stansted, MAXjet’s key route. In another effort on BA’s part targeting the high-end market, in May, a BA-backed startup, OpenSkies, will begin offering mostly premium-class service (two thirds of the plane will be business or premium economy), flying between either Brussels or Paris’ Charles de Gaulle and an as-yet-to-be determined New York airport.
(Source: Modern Agent)

Delta Resumes Atlanta-Edinburgh Route for Summer 2008
Delta Air Lines customers looking to reach Scotland for a summer fortnight will again be able to fly the world’s largest trans-Atlantic airline between its largest international gateway in Atlanta and the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Nonstop Delta flights between Atlanta and Edinburgh will operate seasonally between June 2 and Oct. 1, 2008 and will complement new year-round service between Edinburgh and New York-JFK, beginning May 1.

Denver Airport Offers Free Wi-Fi
FreeFi Networks, which provides free, advertiser-sponsored airport Wi-Fi, is offering its program at Denver International. The switch to FreeFi Networks allowed the airport to eliminate a $7.95 daily charge for Internet access. As a result of the change, Denver International is now the largest airport in North America to offer free wireless Internet access terminal wide.

In addition, FreeFi Networks has partnered with Disney-ABC Domestic Television to provide popular video on demand rentals as they become available from The Walt Disney Studios. That means travelers can download and rent movies before they board their flights.
(Source: FreeFi Networks press release)

Passenger Airlines Have Most Profitable Quarter Since 1999

A group of 20 selected passenger airlines reported a system operating profit margin of 8.2 percent in the third quarter of 2007, the highest third quarter profit margin since 1999 and the first time since 2000 that airlines have had six consecutive profitable quarters, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation has reported.

The 20-carrier group consists of the seven largest network, low-cost and regional carriers based on operating revenue. (Source: DOT press release).

MAXJet Folds, But Discount Premium Transatlantic Model Still Flies
Two-year-old MAXjet declared Chapter 11 on Christmas Eve, leaving planes on tarmacs and stranding some passengers at the start of the holiday. The carrier cited fuel prices and their impact on the credit climate for airlines, but some analysts said that competition from American Airlines on one of MAXjet’s crucial routes, its JFK-Stansted service, was also a factor.

The airline offered all-premium flights between London and New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The carrier contracted with Eos Airlines for seats on Eos’ scheduled all-Premium service to accommodate passengers awaiting a return flight between New York and London.

Meanwhile, Jack Williams, president and CEO of Eos, said it was doing well, setting record passenger numbers, adding 12 new flights in October and taking delivery of its fifth and sixth aircraft.

The carrier recently secured $50 million in equity capital from institutional and private sources. Meanwhile, both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were reportedly planning their own all-premium class service.

Lufthansa has been flying its own all-business class service, Business Jet, between Newark and Frankfurt, for about two years. (Source: MAXjet, Eos press releases, ModernAgent.com).

Lufthansa Acquires 19 Percent Stake in Jet Blue
Lufthansa is making a minority equity investment in JetBlue, the first significant investment by a European air carrier in a U.S. point-to-point air carrier. Lufthansa is buying approximately 42 million newly issued common shares of JetBlue, or 19% of JetBlue’s equity.

Dave Barger, JetBlue’s CEO, said the deal was an endorsement of JetBlue’s growth plans and would also improve the airline’s balance sheet and give it more financial flexibility. (Source: JetBlue press release).

Spare Lithium Batteries No Longer Allowed in Checked Baggage
Loose lithium batteries in checked luggage are no longer allowed under new Department of Transportation safety rules.

Lithium batteries are allowed in checked baggage if they are installed in electronic devices, or in carry-on baggage if stored in plastic bags.

Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage.

However, the rule now limits you to only two extended-life spare rechargeable lithium batteries, such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage. Lithium batteries are considered hazardous materials because they can overheat and ignite in certain conditions.

Safety testing conducted by the FAA found that current aircraft cargo fire suppression system would not be capable of suppressing a fire if a shipment of non-rechargeable lithium batteries were ignited in flight.

The DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is working to create public awareness of the issue. (Source: DOT press release).

South African Airways SAA Announces Buy-One-Get-One-Free
South African Airways has launched a “Buy-One-Get-One-Free” program for its flights from New York or Washington, D.C., to Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban, South Africa, for travel from Jan. 15 through March 1, 2008.

Now when travelers buy one airline ticket on South African Airways, they can receive the second ticket free.

The fare, available for purchase through Jan. 22, 2008, is $1,350 for the first passenger and free for the second passenger. Taxes and fuel surcharges apply and travel must be completed by March 14, 2008. (Source: SAA press release).

Aeromexico, Mexico´s largest airline announced its newest flight from Atlanta to Mexico City, with a daily non-stop flight starting on November 15th, 2007.

From Atlanta, flights will depart daily at 3:00pm, arriving in Mexico City Airport at 5:55pm return flights from Mexico City will depart daily at 9:25am, arriving in Atlanta at 1:45pm. This flight will offer great connectivity with the cities of Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Monterrey via Mexico City.

Aeromexico is committed to consistently exceeding passengers’ expectations and takes pride in its high level of service. All passengers, including coach class, enjoy traditional Mexican hospitality with snack meals, complimentary cocktails, exceptional in-flight service, and superior on-time performance.

For the most discriminating traveler, Aeromexico’s Clase Premier first class cabin offers an exemplary travel experience featuring spacious seating, a personal entertainment system, gourmet dining menu designed by Mexico’s top chef, Monica Patino to create the menus served during long-haul flights (on international flights lasting over three and half hours) in Clase Premier. Monica’s intuitive and aesthetic handling of ingredients always glorifies the dishes she presents. Together, Aeromexico and chef Patino put their all into getting products from land to the air for you to enjoy the skies.

For more information and complete flight schedules from all U.S. gateways served by Aeromexico, please visit Aeromexico’s web site at www.aeromexico.com or call
1 (800) 237-6639.

Aeromexico serves more than 40 cities in Mexico, more than any other airline, and 15 gateway cities in the United States including; Austin, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas Los Angeles; Miami; New York City; Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Tucson and Seattle – Pairs and Madrid in Europe – Managua, Nicaragua and San Pedro Sula, Honduras in Central America - Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lima, Peru, Buenos Aires, Argentina & Santiago de Chile in South America as well as Narita, Japan in Asia.

Founded in 1988, Aeromexico has become the leading carrier in the region by maintaining the highest service levels, which have earned the airline numerous top rankings in the industry. The airline was the first Mexican carrier to introduce a frequent flyer program. Today, Aeromexico’s Club Premier Program enjoys more than two million members. Aeromexico is a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance, which provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services.

Delta Air Lines has tapped renowned chef Todd English to create selections
for its new food-for-purchase menu being developed for customers flying in its Coach Class on flights within the United States.

The new menu is part of an extensive upgrade to Delta´s exclusive onboard offerings available to domestic Coach, Food for sale, chicken First Class and international BusinessElite customers this fall.

Delta will begin offering a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees, as well as popular snack items, available for purchase on nonstop flights between New York´s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.

Menu items will be priced between $2 and $10.

In November, Delta´s food for purchase program will begin featuring Todd English´s signature creations on flights within the 48 contiguous United States of approximately 2,000 miles (four hours or more). As Delta expands the menu to more flights by spring 2008, the food for purchase will be available on flights of more than 750 miles out of many cities.

Todd English´s signature creations will include a variety of fresh sandwiches, salads and light bites. Items being considered include: smoked salmon and egg salad croissant; roast beef steak cobb sandwich; chicken and avocado wrap; beet, walnut, manchego and spinach salad; and Olives´ hummus, based on the recipe from English´s restaurant of the same name.

The new onboard enhancements complement options available in Delta´s terminal at New York JFK, including

• Balducci´s Food Lover´s Market
• Todd English´s Bonfire Steakhouse
• Todd English´s Bonfire Bar
• The French Meadow Bakery & Cafe
• Starbucks Coffee
• Legends Sports Bar
• and a host of retailers.

First Class Menus

Delta´s BusinessElite celebrity Chef Michelle Bernstein, who has created the airline´s menus for international business-class customers since 2006, is extending her culinary creations to Delta´s domestic First Class customers as part of the airline´s on-board enhancements.

Already, First Class customers flying between JFK and Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle will enjoy an upgraded dining experience featuring:

• A choice of two of six new Bernstein creations, such as short ribs in a red wine sauce with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and a zucchini/squash medley or fettuccine in a Porcini Mushroom sauce with sautéed mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes Julienne topped with parmesan cheese;
• Hot fudge and caramel ice cream sundaes; and
• Delta-exclusive pre-landing indulgences from the Godiva Chocoiste Collection, a new line of personal chocolates coming later in September.

Additionally starting this fall, domestic First Class once again becomes high class with customers on all flights enjoying pillows, glassware and metal cutlery, as well as Earth-friendly amenity kits – made predominantly of all-natural, recycled/recyclable and biodegradable materials – that include eye shade, ear plugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste and Lather body lotion.

Bernstein has refreshed her international BusinessElite menu for the next year with new entrees and side dishes available on flights between the United States and Africa, Asia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Europe, and the Middle East. Specialty entrees available during the following months include:

August, November, February and May

• Departing the United States: Braised beef short ribs served with beef sauce, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts
• Returning to the United States: Seared filet of beef with sauce au poivre, served with macaroni & cheese and sautéed spinach

September, December, March and June

• Departing the United States: Grilled chicken breast Ras el Hanout topped with yogurt sauce, served with pearl couscous with leeks & olives and sautéed zucchini
• Returning to the United States: Pan seared flounder with grapes and capers, served with cauliflower purée and sautéed spinach

October, January, April and July

• Departing the United States: Grilled filet of beef & shrimp scampi, served with lemon risotto, sautéed zucchini and squash
• Returning to the United States: Lamb chops with pomegranate glaze, served with rice pilaf with cherries, green beans and pearl onions

Bon Appetit

from Delta Airlines

Multidimensional lounge, open for six weeks in the heart of midtown Manhattan, will showcase Delta´s unique in-flight experience and worldwide destinations

Delta Air Lines is bringing its award-winning in-flight experience to the streets of New York City. The airline will open SKY360° by Delta, a multidimensional lounge in the heart of midtown Manhattan created to showcase key elements of Delta´s unique in-flight experience and worldwide destinations.

Located at 101 West 57th St. (at the intersection of 6th Avenue), the 3,500 square-foot space will be open for six weeks only, Oct. 3–Nov. 10, showcasing Delta´s on-board experience and worldwide network of destinations. Visitors can also interact with the airline´s state-of-the-art amenities - all within a contemporary, high-style space. SKY360 by Delta will feature:

Sky High Entertainment: An entertainment/screening area features Delta´s all-leather Coach Class seats and its new international BusinessElite® seats which recline into a fully flat position and will be featured on Delta´s new 777 Long Range aircraft in spring 2008. The seats in SKY360 feature the state-of-the art, Delta on Demand in-flight entertainment system, including movies, HBO programming, TV, music and more. SKY360° guests can:

1. Watch their favorite HBO program – Entourage, Sex and the City or The Sopranos
2. Catch the latest films currently airing on Delta Ocean´s 13, Knocked Up, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
3. Listen to cool tunes – 90s mix, salsa, country and more

The Midnight Sky Bar: Serving coffee and complimentary Coca-Cola products by day and cocktails by night, including selections from Midnight Sky, the signature cocktail program created exclusively for Delta by nightlife proprietor Rande Gerber.

Delta Cafe Pods: Unique seating pods located throughout the space enable daytime guests to relax and sample selections from Delta´s new food-for-sale menu, featuring creations from Chef Todd English, including Roast Beef Steak Cobb Sandwich, Mediterranean Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Chilled Black Olive Spaghetti Salad.

The Reservation Area: A computer zone where visitors can check fares and
worldwide flight schedules, as well as book reservations via www.delta.com.

American Express® Connectivity Lounge and Charging Station: A free charging station for an assortment of mobile devices, including cell phones, BlackBerrys and iPods, sponsored by Delta partner American Express.

AvisConnect Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi capability throughout SKY360.

"We are excited to provide costumers with an opportunity to experience all of the unique, stylish and entertaining elements of Delta´s award-winning in-flight service in the heart of New York City," said Tim Mapes, Delta´s vice president of Marketing. "SKY360 is an experiential vehicle that enables Delta to highlight our robust array of in-flight offerings and provides a platform for visitors to try out our state-of-the-art amenities."

Throughout its six-week time frame, SKY360° will host for the public a variety of daily events and programs related to amenities specific to Delta and travel overall. Evenings will be reserved for a wide variety of private events. Thematic programming and select events include:

• Oct. 2-6: Grand Opening – daily sweepstakes and giveaways;
• Oct. 9-13: International Week – sweepstakes for international tickets on Delta;
• Oct. 16-20: Living Well Week – free massages from Delta’s spa partner, Lather;
• Oct. 23-27: Stress Free Week – packing tips and tricks and aromatherapy from Lather;
• Oct. 30-Nov 3: Food & Wine Week – Filippo Berio Olive Oil samplings;
• Nov. 6-10: Entertainment Week – a gadget lab, showcasing the latest media players, cameras and phones, and a travel photo exhibition.

Evenings at SKY360° will be reserved for a wide variety of private events, Tuesday through Saturday:

Esquire Magazine: Man at His Best Cocktail Reception – based on Man
at his Best editorial platform, guests are invited to experience the newest
trends in fashion, luxury goods and culture.

New Yorker: Cartoons and Cocktails – guests will experience live cartoonist demonstrations, signed sketches, cocktails.

New York Magazine: International Cinema at SKY360° – in partnership with Rooftop films, the event will showcase international short films.

Peter Greenberg Book Reception: Cocktail reception to celebrate the newest book from Today Show correspondent Peter Greenberg: The Complete Travel Detective Bible.

From Delta´s Newsroom

Northwest Airlines became the first airline in the world to implement its 100th interline electronic ticket (IET) agreement.

This landmark agreement is part of a global movement by Northwest, its SkyTeam partners and other members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to eliminate paper tickets by June 2008.

IET enables a passenger to use a single e-ticket on any airline with an agreement.

“By becoming the first airline to implement 100 interline e-ticket agreements, Northwest Airlines has reached a pivotal point in improving our customers´ travel experience,” said Al Lenza, vice president distribution and e-commerce. “But being the first to reach 100 IETs does not mean we will relax. In fact, we expect to implement four more agreements tomorrow.”

Northwest currently has e-ticketing available on 99.9 percent of all air travel within the United States and 99.2 percent of ticketing with its international partners.

In 2004, IATA´s airline members resolved to eliminate all paper tickets. Since then, the amount of e-ticketing has risen to 84% of all transactions processed by IATA´s billing and settlement system from the 16% recorded in June 2004. IATA currently processes about 400 million ticket transactions annually.

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.

Northwest Airlines

Delta Air Lines’ Customers to Benefit from New U.S.-Japan Air Services Agreement.

Delta Air Lines will make Asia even more accessible to travelers thanks to an agreement reached between the U.S. and the government of Japan.

Today’s agreement, makes important steps toward achieving a more liberalized air services framework between the two nations – steps that will benefit U.S. and Japanese airlines and better enable Delta and its U.S. SkyTeam partner airlines to compete in and beyond Japan.

This is the first time since 1998 that the U.S.-Japan agreement has been modified.

"Delta applauds the U.S. and Japanese governments for reaching an agreement that affords Delta and its U.S. SkyTeam partners the ability to offer greater choice of services to our customers flying between the United States and Japan and beyond to other Asian countries,” said Sametta Barnett, director for Government Affairs for Delta. “Under this new accord, Delta will now have greater flexibility to place its code and sell services operated by its partners and vice versa."

Delta offers nonstop flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Tokyo´s Narita airport and to Seoul´s Incheon airport.

"Delta looks forward for future bilateral aviation talks between the two countries that seek to further liberalize the agreement," Barnett added.

from Delta Airlines

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