ATLANTA, April 21, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles(r) customer Charles Maier has banked enough miles to fly Delta for free at least once a year for the next 50 years, or 2.5 million miles. Maier, an executive vice president for Shasta Sales in Columbia, S.C., was the grand prize winner in Delta's recent "Tickets for Life" sweepstakes which awarded enough miles to redeem two 25,000 SkySaver(tm) awards or one 50,000 SkyChoice(tm) domestic award ticket every year for 50 years plus $25,000 cash.
"We are set for life and can travel anywhere in the world," said Mr. Maier, "It's unimaginable, and I still can't believe it. In fact, I've already planned a trip to take my wife to Kauai, Hawaii."
Delta Chief Operating Officer Jim Whitehurst and Delta employees met Mr. Maier between flights and presented him with the award in a surprise presentation at 2 p.m. today at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
"As we celebrate our SkyMiles program's 25th anniversary, we are pleased to give Mr. Maier the opportunity to travel anywhere and everywhere he has ever dreamed of on Delta," Whitehurst said. "You name the destination and Mr. Maier can now fly there with Delta or one of our partner airlines. As we continue expanding our international routes this year to some of the world's most popular destinations -- Budapest, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Johannesburg, Quito, and Tel Aviv, just to name a few -- Mr. Maier and all of our SkyMiles customers will have more choices on Delta for earning and redeeming award travel than ever before."
Additionally, Delta's sweepstakes awarded a daily prize of 50,000 miles to 45 SkyMiles members who purchased a qualifying round-trip ticket on delta.com between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15, 2005, and completed travel by Jan. 31, 2006. The grand-prize winner was selected from members who enrolled in the sweepstakes and fulfilled the same qualification criteria during the sweepstakes period. Participants in the sweepstakes registered at delta.com/ticketsforlife and were required to be SkyMiles members at the time of entry.
Delta SkyMiles members earn miles by flying Delta, Song(r), Delta Shuttle(r), the Delta Connection carriers, Delta AirElite and Delta's SkyTeam(r) partners. The SkyMiles program offers additional mileage-building opportunities through partners such as the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, SkyMilesShopping.com, participating hotels, car rental companies, telecommunication services, restaurants, floral and gift retailers and financial, mortgage and realty services. Now in its 25th year, the SkyMiles program was recently named the Best Frequent Flyer Program by Travel Savvy magazine in a survey that included all global and domestic loyalty programs. The airline plans to offer an array of exciting programs, promotions and benefits as Delta celebrates the silver anniversary of its frequent flyer program in 2006.
Delta Air Lines (Other OTC:DALRQ) is one of the world's fastest growing international carriers with more than 50 new international routes added or announced in the last year. Delta offers flights to 452 destinations in 95 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. In summer 2006, Delta plans to offer customers more destinations and departures between the U.S., Europe, India and Israel than any global airline (see Note), including service on 11 new transatlantic routes from its Atlanta and New York-JFK hubs. Delta also is a major carrier to Mexico, South and Central America and the Caribbean, with more than 35 routes announced, added or applied to serve since Jan. 1, 2005. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 14,000 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. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.
Note: From the U.S., based on July 2006 OAG.
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Terms and Conditions
Taxes and fees for Award Travel are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is booked. Award Travel seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or in all markets. Offers void where prohibited by law. Other restrictions may apply. Offers subject to change without notice. All SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/skymiles.
No purchase was necessary. The Ticket for Life Sweepstakes is sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia.