DATE: October 30, 2008
ATTN: Travel Manager/Arranger/Travelers

The Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines merger was completed and announced last night.  The combined airline will provide access to more worldwide destinations than any other airline, with non-stop access between hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City and Tokyo.  The airline will serve more than 375 destinations in 66 countries, and will employ approximately 75,000 people worldwide.

The integration process is expected to take between 12 - 24 months to complete - in the meantime, from the traveler's point-of-view, it is business as usual:

• Travelers flying on NWA should continue to check-in and check baggage with Northwest; travelers flying on DL should continue to check-in and check baggage with Delta
• During the integration process, Delta will continue to operate the airline's separate websites, delta.com and nwa.com, as well as the two airline's loyalty programs
• Earn and redeem miles on Delta, Northwest and partners, as usual
• Enjoy airport lounge reciprocity, with Delta Crown Room Members having full access to Northwest WorldClubs at airports worldwide, and vice versa

Additional information:

• Delta is also expanding code share benefits to immediately offer members of both Delta and Northwest's loyalty programs full elite reciprocity for upgrades based on their status in either program on flights operated by either airline
• The addition of Delta's code to nearly all of the Northwest system by the end of 2008, creating thousands of additional connecting opportunities
• The launchof a fully consolidated worldwide flight schedule in advance of summer 2009
• The consolidation of the Delta and Northwest loyalty programs, ultimately including the ability to combine miles from SkyMiles and WorldPerks accounts at a one-to-one ratio
• Frequent flyer credit cards will not change in the immediate term and customers can continue to earn miles on Delta via American Express and Northwest vis Visa as they always have
• The full-integration of Delta and Northwest websites, kiosks, and customer-facing technology to ensure a consistent worldwide experience
• While most customer experience won't change in the near term, some airports will require special considerations.  Please consult with your Travel One agent for more information.

According to the airlines' Press Release, "...The closing of the Delta-Northwest merger brings together two of the Industry's most financially secure airlines to produce a best-in-class cost structure and an industry-leading balance sheet.  The transaction is expected to generate $2 billion or more in annual revenue and cost synergies from more effective aircraft utilization, a more comprehensive and diversified route system, and cost synergies from reduced overhead and improved operational effeciency.  The company expects to incur one-time cash costs not exceeding $600 million to integrate the two airlines."

Complete merger information is located on the respective websites: www.delta.com and www.nwa.com.

Travel One will continue to keep our clients informed of news and information that may affect their corporate travel program. Please contact your Travel One reservationist at 952-854-2555 or 1-800-245-1111 for the most current travel information.

For vacation travel, call Travel One at 952-854-2551 or 800-247-1311 and ask for a Leisure Agent.