More Stranded Snowstorm Victims - 8 Hours on the Tarmac at Atlanta's Hartsfield

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Having your flight canceled because of the snowstorm is bad enough, but imagine having to sit helpless and strapped in, on the tarmac, for as long as 8 hours beforehand.

That's what happened yesterday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where passengers on dozens of flights were forced to sit on the tarmac for as long as 8 hours waiting for a takeoff that in most cases never happened.

"It was like being in a concentration camp!" said Maureen Sternberg of Palm Beach who was stranded on the tarmac in ATL. "No food, no water, no help and lies from the cockpit".

Sternberg said that pilots and the crew repeatedly assured her and other passengers that takeoff was imminent, but she described a series of miscues that ultimately forced her to sit on the tarmac for more than 7 hours on Delta Flight #1725, only to have the flight cancelled.

"Delta Airlines clearly has a flawed system of deicing in Atlanta. Many of the victims of yesterdays horrifying event reported having to go through the deicing line up to 3 times prior to take off. This is identical to 4 days in January of last year." Apparently Delta doesn't want to invest in more deicing pads and anti-icing fluid which would protect passengers from these horrific events.

"Snowstorms happen, but forcing paying customers to sit in a locked metal tube for hours at a time should not," said Kate Hanni, President of FlyersRights.org.

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National Mediation Board Upholds Delta Flight Attendants’ Decision To Reject Union Representation

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has been notified by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that its flight attendants’ decision to reject union representation will be upheld. The Board dismissed the Association of Flight Attendants’ allegations of interference in the May 2008 representation election at Delta, stating that the union’s claims either “are unsubstantiated…”, ”do not rise to the level of interference under clear, longstanding Board precedent”, or ”constitute isolated incidents…that do not amount to the kind of systematic, pervasive conduct that would have tainted laboratory conditions.”

Delta Senior Vice President of In-Flight Service Joanne Smith issued the following statement today in response to the NMB’s decision:

“Delta has always believed that the AFA’s allegations of interference were unfounded. Armed with the facts and the understanding that this decision had a significant impact on their careers, our flight attendants spoke decisively about their preference for maintaining Delta’s unique culture. We are pleased that the NMB has upheld our flight attendants’ decision. It’s time now to turn our attention to the exciting opportunity ahead of us – creating a premier global airline that will allow our people to share in the airline’s success and provide a legendary travel experience for our customers.”

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 287 destinations in 58 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 42 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers 315 weekly flights to 43 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 16,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 500 worldwide destinations in 105 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and flight status at delta.com.

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Machinists Union to Protest Merger at Northwest/Delta Shareholder Meetings

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) will demonstrate in opposition to the proposed Northwest Airlines/Delta Air Lines merger at shareholder meetings in New York and Atlanta.

Northwest Airlines Shareholder Meeting Protest
September 25, 2008
8:30 am-11:30 am
AXA Equitable Center Auditorium
787 Seventh Ave, New York, NY 10019

-and-

Delta Air Lines Shareholder Meeting Protest
September 25, 2008
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
2000 Convention Center Concourse
College Park, GA 30337


"This merger would eliminate jobs, reduce service and create a single mega-carrier that could lead to the combined entity's bankruptcy," said IAM Transportation Vice President Robert Roach, Jr.

The Machinists Union is the largest airline union in North America. The IAM represents 12,500 Northwest Airlines Ramp Service, Customer Service, Reservation, Stockroom, Office & Clerical, Flight Simulate Technician and Plant Protection employees. More information about the machinists Union and the proposed Northwest/Delta merger is available at www.goiam.org/mergers.

New York Event Contact: Joseph Tiberi, IAMAW
202-974-8250 (office)
301-529-9341 (cell)
Georgia Event Contact: Gary Mobley, IAMAW
404-208-8807 (office)
612-432-6067 (cell)

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Delta’s ‘Dream Flight’ Carries Aviation Students to Johnson Space Center

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and the Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP) today (July 23, 2008) celebrate the ninth annual ‘Dream Flight’ carrying more than 150 students to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Delta co-sponsors OBAP’s Aviation Career Education (ACE) camp – two, week-long summer programs for youth, ages 14 - 18, who have an interest in pursuing careers in aviation. During the camp, held primarily at Delta’s world headquarters in Atlanta, qualified flight instructors teach students aviation history, aerodynamics, meteorology, navigation and flight simulator orientation. Select graduates from ACE Camp are invited back the following year to participate in Flight Line, an intensive tutorial focused specifically on pilot training, including allowing students to perform solo flights during their week-long training.

As part of the final week of training, all camp students participate in a day-long field trip to an aviation facility in the United States. Past trips include visits to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., and most recently the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

"We are proud to continue Delta's tradition of educating future professionals," said Stephen Dickson, Delta’s senior vice president - Flight Operations. "Regardless of whether these teens become pilots, flight attendants or something else, we know that their time at camp has given them a bigger platform to pursue their educational and employment dreams."

Delta donated a charter flight to carry the aviation students, many of whom are taking their first commercial flight. After arriving in Houston on Flight 9997, operated by Delta using a Boeing 757, students will enjoy a guided tour of the historic space center, complete with briefings from active NASA astronauts.

In the brief ACE camp/Flight Line history, Delta and OBAP have exposed more than 1000 students to careers in aviation. Currently, six former ACE camp attendees are studying aviation at the U.S. Air Force and Naval Academies, and four other camp alumni are commercial pilots.
On Friday, July 25, all three camps will take part of the 2008 graduation ceremonies held in the Delta Training Center.