MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has requested a meeting with the chief executives of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines to discuss the carriers’ merger talks.
Northwest, based in the Minneapolis suburb of Eagan, “committed to keep both a hub presence and its headquarters in Minnesota” as part of a recent airport lease agreement that provided “financial relief” to the airline, the Republican governor told CEO Doug Steenland in a letter.
The letter to Steenland and Delta CEO Richard Anderson adds Pawlenty to a list of politicians querying the airlines about their merger discussions. The governor’s office provided a copy to Bloomberg News on Thursday.
Delta, the third-largest U.S. carrier, is in the “early stages” of talks with Northwest and United, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., said Wednesday, citing a meeting with Northwest executives. Anderson pledged to keep Delta’s name and Atlanta hub in any merger, according to Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.
Separately, Air France-KLM Group will encourage a Delta-Northwest merger and may make a financial investment, a person familiar with the European carrier’s plans said.
A Delta-Northwest combination would preserve the SkyTeam Alliance, a marketing group that includes all three carriers.
