Northwest Airlines and NWA Air Line Pilots Association announce agreement on marketing Proposal

Northwest Airlines and its pilots, represented by the NWA unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), have announced that an agreement has been reached enabling the airline to proceed with its marketing agreement with Delta Air Lines.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with our pilots that allows our efforts with Delta Air Lines to move forward," said Doug Steenland, president of Northwest Airlines. "Northwest's marketing agreement with Delta builds on the successful model already in place with Continental Airlines, which has proven to be good for competition, consumers and the employees of both airlines since its launch in 1998."

In August, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced a cooperative marketing agreement that will connect the three carriers' domestic and international networks, and include code sharing, frequent flyer program reciprocity and a reciprocal airport lounge program. Under the agreement, the three airlines will offer travelers a broad network connecting hundreds of cities. Ease of ticketing, check-in and luggage handling will make travel on two or more carriers a seamless experience.

"Northwest's marketing agreement with Delta will benefit our airline, our passengers, NWA pilots, and the pilots and employees of the alliance carriers," said Capt. Mark McClain, Master Executive Chairman of the NWA unit of ALPA. "We were able to achieve an agreement which allows the alliance to proceed and provides necessary job protections and addresses other concerns of Northwest pilots without creating an economic burden on our company."

The marketing agreement, which currently is under U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) review, is a response to the current financial challenges facing the aviation industry. The agreement will allow the three airlines to increase revenues, and at the same time, preserve competition among the airlines. The agreement does not involve a merger or consolidation, and there will be no pooling or sharing of revenues. A participating carrier will only earn revenues from passengers flying on its airplanes.

In November, Delta Air Lines confirmed that its ALPA pilot group had approved the proposed marketing agreement.

ALPA represents 66,000 airline pilots at 43 airlines in the United States and Canada.