Delta Becomes 'Official Sponsor' of World Champion Los Angeles Lakers

Airline continues as team's exclusive charter carrier

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Jan 13, 2011, 05:04 ET

ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and the Los Angeles Lakers today announced a new multi-year sponsorship agreement, aligning the airline with the reigning NBA champions. Starting this season, Delta is an official sponsor of the back-to-back champions and continues to serve as the official charter carrier for the team. Beginning with the start of the 2011-12 season, Delta will become the team's official and exclusive airline partner.

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

"We're thrilled to extend our partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers, a world-class championship team that is a favorite for so many of our customers in a market that is a critical part of the Delta network," said Tim Mapes, Delta's Senior Vice President Marketing. "We continue to proudly serve the team as their exclusive charter airline, and we're honored to now join them as an official sponsor. The Los Angeles Lakers are an exceptional addition to our strong roster of marquee sports sponsorships, and this affiliation expands our sports investments from coast-to-coast."

"The deal is across all platforms and very customer-centric," said Tim Harris, Senior Vice President, Business Operations and Chief Marketing Officer for the Lakers. "The Lakers partnership with Delta gives our season ticket holders and our fans the opportunity to fly and enjoy top notch customer service with Delta just like the team."

The Los Angeles Lakers are the newest addition to Delta's sponsorship portfolio of pre-eminent professional sports teams, including the Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, New York Mets, New York Yankees, New York Rangers and New York Liberty, among others

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 357 destinations in 67 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 75,000 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-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world's largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 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.