U.S. House and Senate Aviation
subcommittee chairs, in addition to more than two dozen mayors, 44 airport
directors and Governors and other key state economic development officials
representing 13 states have endorsed Delta Air Lines’ bid to provide daily
service between Atlanta and Beijing. The statements of support have been filed with the U.S. Department of
Transportation, along with the final arguments in support of its proposal
that Delta is filing today, as part of the 2005/2006 U.S.-China services
case.

“The breadth and scope of support from federal, local and state officials
throughout the entire Eastern United States demonstrates the importance of
the economic value associated with Delta’s new service connecting the
Southeast with the People’s Republic of China. These public officials
truly recognize the vital trade importance of Delta’s air link for both
the traveling public and cargo shippers,” said Scott Yohe, Delta’s senior
vice president of Government Affairs.

Delta’s Atlanta-Beijing proposal would provide extensive network coverage
for the entire United States, especially those areas of the Eastern and
Southeastern United States that are in most critical need of first
nonstop-to- nonstop and competitive service options. Delta proposal to
provide non-stop service from its Atlanta hub to Beijing will do more to
improve service and competitive options for more U.S.-China travelers than
any other proposal.

Combined with the vast connection opportunities provided by Delta’s
Atlanta hub—the largest hub in the world—the proposed daily Atlanta-
Beijing service will enable Delta to provide convenient, single-connection
passenger and cargo service to China. Delta plans to utilize its Boeing
777 aircraft, outfitted with Delta’s award-winning BusinessElite service,
on the new service.
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