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Delta Air Lines has completed a $2.8 billion deal to absorb Northwest Airlines. The deal will make Delta the world's largest air carrier.
This merger means Salt Lake International Airport could start to see more overseas routes.
The airport will now be the westernmost hub in the U.S. for the world's largest carrier.
Edward Bastian, Delta's president and CFO, said the combination of Delta and Northwest into one airline with global operations reaching into Europe and Asia, coupled with the success of Delta's new route from Salt Lake City to Paris, means Utah travelers will have far more flying options.
Marty Carpenter, with the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce said, "Anything that benefits Delta and makes sure those jobs are more secure is a benefit to us. But in particular, because Delta just established a nonstop flight from Salt Lake City to Paris, and we are now in talks to have a nonstop flight from Salt Lake City to Tokyo, it's just, it helps Salt Lake emerge, or continue to emerge, as a world city."
The chamber of commerce says Utah is currently ranks 3rd in the nation in commercial aviation.
Another reason this merger is so good is because it solidifies the jobs for 3,000 to 4,000 Utahns that work for Delta.
But the merger is a mixed blessing. Professor Scott Schaefer at the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business said, "Vacation travelers trying to get to some specific U.S. cities, it's not necessarily the case that this would be a good thing." Schaefer said fares were likely to go up on routes where the two airlines no longer compete, such as nonstop to Minneapolis.
Delta executives say travelers will see no differences right away, but over the next two years new uniforms will be phased in and Northwest's fleet, with its signature red tail, will be repainted.
Delta says the full integration of the companies will be completed over the next 12 to 24 months.
But in the meantime, it will be business as usual for both airlines. That means both Web sites will continue to operate separately, as will the two airlines' reservations systems and frequent-flier programs.
When it comes to checking in, you will continue to check in with the airline on which you are flying.
As for terminal changes, Northwest will continue to operating out of Terminal 1 and Delta in Terminal 2 for the time being.
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