Delta And Northwest Merge To Create World's Largest Airline
Delta and Northwest announced today plans to merge the two airlines together to create the world's largest airline. The airline will operate under the name of Delta, and be based in Atlanta.
The deal still needs regulatory approval, and could take six to eight months to be finalized. During that time, the two carriers will continue to operate "business as usual", as separate carriers.
Some industry analysts believe that this announcement may spark a wave of further consolidation, which could result in as few as 3 mega-airlines handling at least 75% of the nation's air traffic.
Although the Northwest name will go away when the merger is completed, the carriers assure passengers that the new Delta will maintain Northwest's hubs in Detroit, Memphis, and Minneapolis; honor all Northwest frequent flyer points; and, of course, accept all tickets previously issued under the Northwest name.