Delta Air Lines, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK International Air Terminal Unveil Plans for Next Phase of Terminal 4 Expansion at JFK Airport

Addition of 11 gates continues Delta's investment at JFK hub

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Feb 11, 2013, 11:00 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK International Air Terminal LLC (JFKIAT) will continue expansion at John F. Kennedy International Airport with a $175 million project that will add 11 gates and 75,000 square feet to Terminal 4's Concourse B. Delta has committed an additional $5 million for information technology enhancements. The new project is in addition to the previously announced $1.2 billion redevelopment at Terminal 4 set to open in May.

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"This additional expansion project at Terminal 4 is another in a long line of substantial investments we are making in New York," said Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive officer. "As we continue to bring benefits to Delta people, Delta customers and the citizens of New York with significant enhancements to our JFK hub, we are thankful to have great entities to partner with including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, JFKIAT and Schiphol Group."

"This continued expansion project will improve New York's infrastructure and make JFK Terminal 4 a world class facility to serve New Yorkers and visitors," Governor Cuomo said. "This investment by Delta, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, JFKIAT and Schiphol Group will provide a boost for the local economy and create jobs for the community. As a major gateway to New York, JFK Terminal 4 will be a major asset in the State's efforts to increase tourism in the Empire State."

"Delta's numerous investments in New York, including the expansion of Terminal 4, are key to strengthening our economy and maintaining New York City's position as a top tourist destination," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "The jobs that result from this continued expansion are important to our city and its economy."

"Schiphol Group is proud to play an important role in supporting our partner Delta through this exciting expansion project at JFK," said Jos Nijhuis, CEO Schiphol Group "And we are encouraged that the relationship continues to grow."

With the new expansion, Terminal 4's Concourse B will house 27 Delta gates and completely replace Delta's current Terminal 2 regional jet operation. Each of the new gates will feature a dedicated boarding counter, seating area and jet bridge, eliminating the need for ramp level boarding, which currently exists at Terminal 2. All gates will be designed to accommodate two-class regional jets as well as provide flexibility for gating additional mainline aircraft.

The new expansion builds on Delta's previously announced $1.2 billion Terminal 4 redevelopment opening in May. That expansion, which is 90 percent complete, features nine new and seven renovated international gates; improved and renovated check-in areas, including a dedicated Sky Priority check-in area; a centralized security checkpoint; new dining and retail offerings; a new 24,000 square-foot flagship Delta Sky Club with the first ever Sky Deck outdoor terrace; dual taxiways for less congestion and shorter taxi times; and improved Customs and Border Protection and baggage claim facilities.

The expanded Terminal 4 – which has been successfully managed by JFKIAT for more than a decade – will replace the outdated Terminal 3 facilities, improving the customer experience for the 11 million passengers Delta serves at JFK annually. Demolition of Terminal 3 is expected to be completed by summer 2015. The Terminal 3 site will then be used for aircraft parking.

"The approval of the second phase of the expansion project is a boon to Terminal 4 and its partnership with Delta," according to Alain Maca, president of JFKIAT. "This will enable the continuity of this significant project as we continue to build for a better and bigger tomorrow."

Once the new Terminal 4 opens in May, Delta will more than double the current shuttle bus operation for passengers connecting between Terminals 2 and 4. Ten buses will carry connecting passengers between the existing bus holdrooms in Terminals 2 and 4. By September 2013, Delta will open a new 8,000 square-foot bus holdroom facility adjacent to gate B20.

Delta is New York City's largest and fastest growing carrier, providing service to more destinations from New York than any other airline. Last year Delta launched the largest expansion at New York's LaGuardia Airport in over 40 years and is investing more than $160 million to expand and update Terminals C and D. Delta's operation at the three metropolitan area airports carried 20.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2011, and that number grew to 23.1 million in 2012. Delta and its nearly 8,000 New York-based employees are part of the fabric of the New York community, acting as the official airline of the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, Madison Square Garden, Food Bank for New York City, New York Wine and Food and AmFar among many others.

About JFKIAT
JFKIAT LLC leases and operates Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in a public/private partnership with the Port Authority of NY & NJ. JFKIAT, through its sole member, is a partly-owned subsidiary of Schiphol USA Inc. (SUSA). SUSA is an indirect U.S. subsidiary of Schiphol Group. JFKIAT is the only private, non-airline company to operate a terminal at JFK.

Terminal 4 is one of the largest air terminals in the New York area, serving 30 international and domestic airlines with an annual passenger volume of 10.7 million travelers in 2012. With a major expansion currently underway to make Terminal 4 the new home of Delta Air Lines at JFK Airport, the 1.5-million-square-foot Terminal 4 will grow to nearly two million square feet and accommodate 15 million passengers. Phase I of the expansion project, slated for completion in May 2013, will result in improvements and enhancements that will benefit Terminal 4 airline partners and their passengers including an in-line baggage system, a centralized passenger security checkpoint and a host of new retail and restaurant offerings. For more information visit www.jfkiat.com.

About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta won 33 airline industry awards sweeping the major corporate travel surveys including Business Travel News, Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, Recommend Magazine and The Beat. Delta was also a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award for exceptional support of National Guard and Reserve employees. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 319 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections or strategies for the future, may be "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections and strategies reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the cost of aircraft fuel; the impact of posting collateral in connection with our fuel hedge contracts; the impact of significant funding obligations with respect to defined benefit pension plans; the impact that our indebtedness may have on our financial and operating activities and our ability to incur additional debt; the restrictions that financial covenants in our financing agreements will have on our financial and business operations; labor issues; interruptions or disruptions in service at one of our hub airports; our increasing dependence on technology in our operations; the ability of our credit card processors to take significant holdbacks in certain circumstances; the possible effects of accidents involving our aircraft; the effects of weather, natural disasters and seasonality on our business; the effects of an extended disruption in services provided by third party regional carriers; our ability to retain management and key employees; competitive conditions in the airline industry; the effects of the rapid spread of contagious illnesses; the effects of terrorist attacks; and risks related to the operation of a refinery.

Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause differences between actual results and forward-looking statements is contained in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2011 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2012. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which represent our views only as of February 11, 2013, and which we have no current intention to update.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines