ATLANTA, Dec. 19, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Community leaders and Delta Air Lines people will gather in nine cities today to say "no" to the US Airways hostile takeover bid and share concerns about the potential negative impact this takeover could have on communities, including fare increases, job losses, and fewer travel choices.
State representatives, mayors, business leaders, and other concerned citizens are among the people scheduled to join Delta employees in Atlanta; Augusta, Ga.; Boston; Charleston, W. Va.; Cincinnati; Columbia, S.C.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Salt Lake City; and Tallahassee, Fla. to sign the "Keep Delta My Delta" petition. "Keep Delta My Delta" is an employee-led grassroots campaign supporting the airline's emergence from bankruptcy as an independent, standalone company.
"People need to realize what's at stake here. More than 50,000 Delta and Delta connection carrier employees are employed in these states alone. We will not compromise our efforts to rebuild Delta by being willing participants in US Airways' hostile takeover attempt," said Bill Morey, a member of the Delta Board Council, which represents the company's non-pilot employees to Delta's Board of Directors.
Captain Lee Moak, chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association said, "This hostile takeover attempt represents the perfect storm of everything than can go wrong with an airline merger -- extensive route overlap, reduced competition, higher fares, massive job losses, devastating economic impacts to the communities we serve, and more. The employees of Delta Air Lines stand unified in our overwhelming opposition to this assault on our company."
The people of Delta Air Lines have established www.KeepDeltaMyDelta.org where interested persons can learn more and sign an e-petition opposing US Airways' hostile takeover bid.
Editor's Note: Following are specific times and locations for in-state press availability.
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006 Atlanta: 10:30 a.m., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta's South Terminal, International Ticketing Lobby Augusta, Ga.: 11 a.m. ET, Delta Augusta Reservations Center, 100 Delta Drive Boston: 11 a.m. ET, Delta ticket lobby at Boston-Logan International Airport Charleston, W. Va.: 2 p.m. ET, Governor's Press Conference Room, State Capitol Cincinnati: 11 a.m. CT, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Columbia, S.C.: 1 p.m. ET, Columbia Regional Airport, Main Atrium Harrisburg, Pa.: 11 a.m. ET, Harrisburg Regional Airport, Delta ticket lobby Salt Lake City: 11 a.m. MT, Salt Lake City International Airport, International Lobby Tallahassee, Fla.: 11 a.m. ET, Tallahassee Regional Airport, Delta ticket lobby
The Delta logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1825