The long awaited merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines has been announced in an all-stock deal valued at $17.7 billion. The airlines said the deal would take as long as a year to be finalized, including regulatory approvals. The new airline will be called Delta.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed to allow United Air Lines to begin new flights between Los Angeles and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. The service was made available when Frontier Airlines notified the Department that it would cease flying that route after April 13.
Start of a major new project at Düsseldorf International: The cornerstone for Hangar 7 was laid. The Air Berlin Group will be using the hangar, which has room for three wide-body aircrafts. This is a major expansion of its service facilities at Germany’s third largest airport.
Brazil’s TAM and TAP Portugal, a member of the Star Alliance, have flown 52,900 passengers since signing a codeshare operational agreement launched in September 2007.
Continental Airlines signed a deal with MLT Vacations to begin operating the airline’s private label vacation packaging service effective Jan. 1, 2009. The agreement moves the private label from Certified Vacations, which operated the brand for 11 years, to MLT.
Mexicana has accepted an invitation to become part of the Oneworld airline alliance. The airline’s low-cost subsidiary, Click Mexicana, will join at the same time as a Oneworld affiliate member.