This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker have formed a partnership whose first action will be to probe the ramifications to Utah of a possible merger of Delta Air Lines with United Airlines or Northwest Airlines.
Huntsman and Becker will co-chair the Air Transportation Promotion Alliance, which will also tackle other issues besides a Delta merger that may affect Salt Lake City International Airport.
"It's just brand-new. A lot of the details are still being worked out, but Mayor Becker and Governor Huntsman met this week and decided to form this alliance," Helen Langan, Becker's spokeswoman, said Friday.
"It is definitely about more than Delta. It's about [developing] a strategic plan for short-term and long-term air transportation issues," Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said.
Delta's western hub is at Salt Lake City International Airport and it employs approximately 3,900 here.
Last week, Delta's board authorized CEO Richard Anderson to begin formal talks with United and Northwest, with the intent of possibly merging with one of the airlines.
None of the airlines has confirmed the talks, though all have said a merger would be possible under the right circumstances.
A tie-up with Northwest is said to be Delta's preference. It probably would be preferable to Salt Lake travelers, too.
Northwest doesn't have a hub in the West, while United has its second-biggest hub at Denver International Airport.
The alliance comprises business, government and community leaders. No meetings have been set, nor have any proposals to assist Delta or protect its Salt Lake hub been floated, Langan said.
"We look forward to working with Delta to find solutions that benefit our state," House Speaker Greg Curtis said.
Delta Air Lines has imposed a $40 fuel surcharge for business and leisure travelers on most of its routes, matching a similar increase by American Airlines.
Delta put the increase in place Thursday evening, following the American increase earlier in the day, Rick Seaney, chief executive officer of FareCompare.com, said in an e-mail Friday.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black confirmed the fare increase.
Also Friday, United Airlines and Continental Airlines raised fuel charges to $40 round-trip, leaving only Northwest Airlines and US Airways among major carriers on the sidelines, Seaney said.
"While Delta has not initiated many increases in the last six months, they have almost always been the first to match as other legacy airlines have been floating an average of 2.5 increases a month since Labor Day," said Seaney, whose site watches ticket prices.
- Paul Beebe