Delta and Buffalo Sabres Announce New Partnership

New Relationship Continues Delta's Commitment to Investing in New York

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Oct 10, 2013, 02:20 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) announced today that it will serve as the official airline of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. Additionally, the airline will provide charter service for the team throughout the 2013-2014 season.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090202/DELTALOGO )

"We know that the Buffalo community is crazy about hockey, so we're thrilled to add the Sabres to our growing list of partners in Buffalo, which already includes the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Buffalo Philharmonic and the YMCA," said Gail Grimmett, Delta's senior vice president – New York. "Delta is Buffalo's largest carrier and we are committed to serving both the community and the airport."

As the official airline of the Buffalo Sabres, Delta will be featured on game day signage at the First Niagara Center, the largest indoor arena in western New York, and sponsor in-game promotions.

"We are proud to partner with a world-class brand like Delta," said John Livsey, the Sabres' vice president of sales and business development. "Delta has significantly increased its presence not only in Buffalo but throughout upstate New York, and that level of commitment to the region is very exciting."

Delta now has marketing and/or charter relationships with nine NHL teams. Along with the Buffalo Sabres, Delta is also the official airline of the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings. Additionally, Delta provides charter service for the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals.

Beginning in March 2012, Delta added new all-jet service from LaGuardia to key upstate markets including Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.

Delta is the largest airline at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, offering 23-peak day departures to five non-stop destinations including Atlanta, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul. A portion of travel for some itineraries may be on the Delta Connection Carriers Chautauqua Airlines, Endeavor Air, ExpressJet Airlines, GoJet Airlines and Shuttle America.

Delta is New York's largest and fastest growing carrier, providing service to more destinations from New York State than any other airline. As part of the $1.4 billion project to create a state-of-the-art international gateway at JFK, Delta's new Terminal 4 opened earlier this year. The airline is also investing more than $160 million to expand and update Terminals C and D at LaGuardia. The unique Delta Shuttle product offers hourly service to Boston, Chicago (O'Hare) and Washington D.C. from LaGuardia. Delta's three metropolitan-area airports carried 23.1 million domestic and international passengers in 2013, up from 20.8 million passengers in 2011. Delta and its nearly 9,000 New York-based employees are part of the fabric of the New York community, acting as the official airlines of the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, Madison Square Garden, Food Bank of New York City, New York Wine and Food and AmFar among many others.

About the Buffalo Sabres

One of 30 member clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey organization located in Buffalo, N.Y. The team plays host to nearly one million fans every year at its home arena, First Niagara Center, in downtown Buffalo and is one of the most visible and most successful sports entities in Western New York and Southern Ontario. Owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, the Sabres are also the parent company of its American Hockey League Affiliate (AHL), the Rochester Americans, and also the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 327 destinations in 63 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and 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 15,000 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. 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. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta.