SLC Prepares for Delta Merger

None by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) Salt Lake City's Mayor Ralph Becker called a last-minute meeting of the Air Transportation Promotion Alliance yesterday evening. Representatives from the Legislature, the governor's office, the airport and others joined Becker to strategize about an upcoming meeting with Delta Airlines officials.

"I think we just need to be as prepared as we can for things that we want to make sure we are both asking but also make sure we are on the same page in terms of where we are and what we can do to make sure we can be helpful and make this a good result for Salt Lake City and for the state," Becker says.

Both Delta and Northwest are touting their merger as a good thing for Utah, with the possibility of more international flights. But members of the Alliance detailed several things that could go wrong. First, the deal is not final, and could still fall through. Another air carrier could come into the picture, and perhaps jeopardize Salt Lake International's status as a major hub for air travel. And when airlines go through a mergers, layoffs are expected and so is trimming the flight schedule. However, Jason Perry, from the governor's office of economic development says the state has a lot to gain from the merger.

"This is a chance for us with this great Delta to really expand our opportunities in the state," Perry says. "Even with this merger there's a chance to make sure we're the part that grows. I think our economy, our workforce is perfectly situated to take advantage of this opportunity. There were worse options out there and this was a pretty good one for us."

Delta's officials will be in Salt Lake City Friday. It will be thier first visit to the Capitol City since the airline announced its pending merger with Northwest.

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