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Delta-Northwest teamwork already evident at British trade show
By SHELLEY EMLING
Cox News Service
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
LONDON — No one has confirmed when — or even if — Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines will merge with Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlines.
But at the Business Travel Show here on Tuesday the two airlines, along with Air France and KLM, put on a show of unity that suggested a closer working relationship is in the cards.
The four companies held a two-hour reception with wine and nibbles in order to unveil a new full-flat seat that will become the standard in Delta's BusinessElite class on international flights served with Boeing 767-400 aircraft.
But there was more to the event than the launch of a new product.
"We are doing this to show the market that the four of us are together," said Christine Ourmieres, Air France's general manager for the United Kingdom and Ireland. "We are celebrating our partnership and the coordination of efforts.
"There is a lot of competition out there, but it's good that trans-Atlantic customers know the brands," she said. "They know Delta and they know Northwest."
Last October, Delta signed a joint venture agreement with Air France, which merged with Dutch carrier KLM in 2004. Northwest and KLM forged an alliance in the 1990s, and today there is growing speculation that Delta and Northwest will merge.
The quartet already cooperate as part of the global SkyTeam alliance of 11 companies.
The four airlines are hoping that closer ties will help them take better advantage of the Open Skies agreement, which will give airlines more flexibility in planning trans-Atlantic routes beginning March 28.
The agreement also will open up London's Heathrow Airport for the first time to Delta and Northwest.
The SkyTeam alliance on Tuesday announced 11 new trans-Atlantic daily flights that will serve eight U.S. destinations, including Atlanta, starting March 30.
"Atlanta is the capital of the South, and travelers are now going to have greater choice when it comes to flights to Atlanta," said Craig Musson, Delta's account manager for U.K. sales.
In addition to flights from London's Gatwick airport, daily flights to Atlanta from Heathrow will depart at 1:50 p.m., arriving at 6:30 p.m.
Delta's first flight to Heathrow from Atlanta departs on March 29.
At the same time, Ourmieres said, plans are under way to refurbish the four airlines' space at Heathrow's Terminal 4.
"We are improving the customer experience with better technology and better food services and eventually perhaps even mobile phone check-in," she said.
Terminal 4 will include a common check-in area for customers of the SkyTeam airlines.
Initially Delta will enjoy three slots at Heathrow for landing and three slots for takeoff - a number officials hope will grow over time.
"We're already well-established in Europe and people know the Delta brand but we want to expand more," said Bobby Spann, that Atlanta-based director of sales development, international and alliances.
"We'll have to see how slots become available," he said.
Despite signs of increased cooperation among the four airlines, analysts say there is no guarantee a merger between Delta and Northwest will take place.
Henry Harteveldt, a San Francisco-based travel industry analyst at Forrester Research, said close cooperation among the four airlines already is producing substantial business benefits for the airlines and added convenience for travelers.
"In a way, the airlines are acting like a couple that's doing just fine by living together — so why should they get married?" he said.
Meanwhile, with access to Heathrow only weeks away, Delta officials were keen Tuesday to emphasize their improved premium-class offerings designed to attract the lucrative business travelers who often prefer Heathrow to Gatwick.
In addition to the new full-flat beds, Delta also will offer quilted duvets and new dinnerware, as well as new amenity kits packed with toiletries.
But can Delta compete in a market that has seen flat beds in business class on British Airways flights for at least eight years?
"Delta brings more to the table than a glass of wine and a bed," Spann said. "We offer the most extensive international network in the industry."
This year is the first year that Delta has had a booth at the Business Travel Show, a key annual event for corporate travel managers and travel bookers from around the world.
Shelley Emling is an international correspondent for Cox Newspapers.
By SHELLEY EMLING
Cox News Service
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
LONDON — No one has confirmed when — or even if — Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines will merge with Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlines.
But at the Business Travel Show here on Tuesday the two airlines, along with Air France and KLM, put on a show of unity that suggested a closer working relationship is in the cards.
The four companies held a two-hour reception with wine and nibbles in order to unveil a new full-flat seat that will become the standard in Delta's BusinessElite class on international flights served with Boeing 767-400 aircraft.
But there was more to the event than the launch of a new product.
"We are doing this to show the market that the four of us are together," said Christine Ourmieres, Air France's general manager for the United Kingdom and Ireland. "We are celebrating our partnership and the coordination of efforts.
"There is a lot of competition out there, but it's good that trans-Atlantic customers know the brands," she said. "They know Delta and they know Northwest."
Last October, Delta signed a joint venture agreement with Air France, which merged with Dutch carrier KLM in 2004. Northwest and KLM forged an alliance in the 1990s, and today there is growing speculation that Delta and Northwest will merge.
The quartet already cooperate as part of the global SkyTeam alliance of 11 companies.
The four airlines are hoping that closer ties will help them take better advantage of the Open Skies agreement, which will give airlines more flexibility in planning trans-Atlantic routes beginning March 28.
The agreement also will open up London's Heathrow Airport for the first time to Delta and Northwest.
The SkyTeam alliance on Tuesday announced 11 new trans-Atlantic daily flights that will serve eight U.S. destinations, including Atlanta, starting March 30.
"Atlanta is the capital of the South, and travelers are now going to have greater choice when it comes to flights to Atlanta," said Craig Musson, Delta's account manager for U.K. sales.
In addition to flights from London's Gatwick airport, daily flights to Atlanta from Heathrow will depart at 1:50 p.m., arriving at 6:30 p.m.
Delta's first flight to Heathrow from Atlanta departs on March 29.
At the same time, Ourmieres said, plans are under way to refurbish the four airlines' space at Heathrow's Terminal 4.
"We are improving the customer experience with better technology and better food services and eventually perhaps even mobile phone check-in," she said.
Terminal 4 will include a common check-in area for customers of the SkyTeam airlines.
Initially Delta will enjoy three slots at Heathrow for landing and three slots for takeoff - a number officials hope will grow over time.
"We're already well-established in Europe and people know the Delta brand but we want to expand more," said Bobby Spann, that Atlanta-based director of sales development, international and alliances.
"We'll have to see how slots become available," he said.
Despite signs of increased cooperation among the four airlines, analysts say there is no guarantee a merger between Delta and Northwest will take place.
Henry Harteveldt, a San Francisco-based travel industry analyst at Forrester Research, said close cooperation among the four airlines already is producing substantial business benefits for the airlines and added convenience for travelers.
"In a way, the airlines are acting like a couple that's doing just fine by living together — so why should they get married?" he said.
Meanwhile, with access to Heathrow only weeks away, Delta officials were keen Tuesday to emphasize their improved premium-class offerings designed to attract the lucrative business travelers who often prefer Heathrow to Gatwick.
In addition to the new full-flat beds, Delta also will offer quilted duvets and new dinnerware, as well as new amenity kits packed with toiletries.
But can Delta compete in a market that has seen flat beds in business class on British Airways flights for at least eight years?
"Delta brings more to the table than a glass of wine and a bed," Spann said. "We offer the most extensive international network in the industry."
This year is the first year that Delta has had a booth at the Business Travel Show, a key annual event for corporate travel managers and travel bookers from around the world.
Shelley Emling is an international correspondent for Cox Newspapers.
