Delta, CO, NW Attempt Codeshare

Delta Air Lines today announced it will align its domestic and international networks with Continental and Northwest airlines. The airlines said they will submit the codeshare agreement to the U.S. Department of Transportation for review today, with possible implementation beginning in the spring. As it affects clauses in the Delta and Northwest pilot contracts, the Air Line Pilots Association also must agree.

Northwest and Continental have had a codesharing agreement in place for the past four years, and once Delta is added to the fold the three carriers plan to market cooperatively and provide frequent flyer program and airport lounge interlining.

The carriers said the agreement will link travelers with an expansive network--particularly linking Northwest's western and Delta's eastern route strengths--while keeping the three airlines competitive. Northwest said Continental and Delta have not yet agreed with their European partners on how the pact would affect international alliance agreements.

Securing a codeshare partnership has been on Delta's agenda since United and US Airways announced their marketing deal last month. Delta president Doug Steenland emphasized the new scheduling conveniences the agreement will bring, even as analysts see schedule conveniences already disappearing with airlines' recent cutbacks. Delta chairman and CEO Leo Mullin added that the proposal would place the three airlines "on a more equal footing with United Airlines and US Airways."

Meanwhile, DOT this week extended its review of the proposed alliance between United and US Airways by 30 days, saying it needed more time to determine the impact on competition.