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Ashley Hayes ReportingThe Salt Lake City Council is taking a stand for what has been the state's prominent airline carrier. The council is offering support to Delta Air Lines.
The bankrupt carrier is resisting a merger with US Airways.
With the name change from the Delta Center to the Energy Solutions Center downtown, we are seeing the airline's presence in Salt Lake City beginning to diminish.
But imagine arriving at this terminal and not seeing any Delta signs-- no Delta widget or jet tails painted in red and blue. That's a scenario the Salt Lake City Council does not want to see happen.
Last night the council unanimously passed a resolution saying the city wants Delta to reemerge from bankruptcy as a stand-alone carrier.
US Airways announced its plans for a hostile takeover last month. The council has vested interest in Delta remaining an independent carrier.
Salt Lake City is Delta's major western hub, a gateway to the West of sorts as far as flight travel goes. While representatives from US Airways have said the Salt Lake hub is safe, their hub in Phoenix makes outsiders think otherwise.
The resolution asked federal officials to:
"carefully scrutinize US Airways' unsolicited merger with Delta Air Lines to guard against the potential for anti-competitive behavior, to ensure a level of competition among airlines that will benefit the traveling public and to ensure that the high level of air service to Utah and the Intermountain West is continued."
A Delta spokesman said the airline appreciates the city's continued support. From here the resolution, signed by Mayor Rocky Anderson, goes to the governor's office and to members of Utah's Congressional Delegation.
That resolution is expected to continue to gain state support. Both congressmen Rob Bishop and Chris Cannon have released statements addressing their concerns with a US Airways takeover.
