BEFORE THE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Joint Application of 

Delta Air Lines, Inc., Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., 

 and 

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 

for a statement of authorization pursuant to 

14 C.F.R. Part 212 (U.S.-EU codesharing ) 

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Dockets 

DOT-OST-2004-19214 

DOT-OST-2003-15191 

JOINT APPLICATION OF DELTA AIR LINES, INC., 

PINNACLE AIRLINES, INC., AND KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES 

FOR A STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION 

AND MOTION TO CONSOLIDATE

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to: 

Paul V. Mifsud 

Vice President 

Government & Legal Affairs-USA 

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES 

2501 M Street NW 

Washington, D.C. 20037 

Brian T. Hunt 

Vice President and General Counsel 

PINNACLE AIRLINES, INC. 

1689 Nonconnah Parkway 

Suite 111 

Memphis, Tennessee 38132 

January 15, 2010

Alexander Van der Bellen 

Managing Director, Government Affairs 

& Associate General Counsel 

Jeff Morgan 

Director, International and Regulatory Affairs

DELTA AIR LINES, INC. 

1212 New York Avenue NW 

Suite 200 

Washington, D.C. 20005 

(202) 842-4184 

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com 

NOTICE: The Joint Applicants are conducting a poll on this application and will 

advise the Department of the results as quickly as possible.
 

BEFORE THE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Joint Application of 

Delta Air Lines, Inc., Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., 

 and 

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 

for a statement of authorization pursuant to 

14 C.F.R. Part 212 (U.S.-EU codesharing ) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

Dockets 

DOT-OST-2004-19214 

DOT-OST-2003-15191 

JOINT APPLICATION OF DELTA AIR LINES, INC., 

PINNACLE AIRLINES, INC., AND KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES 

FOR A STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION 

AND MOTION TO CONSOLIDATE

 Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 212, Delta Air Lines, Inc. (“Delta”), Pinnacle Airlines, 

Inc. (“Pinnacle”), and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (“KLM”) (collectively, the “Joint 

Applicants”), hereby apply for a blanket statement of authorization permitting Pinnacle to 

display the “KL*” designator code of KLM on flights operated by Pinnacle on behalf of 

Delta within the United States and beyond the United States to third countries.1

 Delta, 

Pinnacle, and KLM seek to begin offering these codeshare services as soon as possible. 

Accordingly, the Joint Applicants request that this application be promptly approved and 

that the requested statement of authorization be granted for an indefinite duration.2

 In support of this application, the Joint Applicants state as follows: 

1. Pinnacle is a certificated U.S. air carrier that operates flights for marketing 

and sale by Delta. Pinnacle operates scheduled services using 50 and 76 seat regional 

 

1

 To the extent necessary, the Joint Applicants request consolidation of this application into the 

Docket established by the Department for the administration of the grant of the blanket statement 

of authorization issued to Delta and KLM (Docket OST-2004-19124). Codeshare authority was 

issued to Northwest/Pinnacle/KLM in Docket OST-2003-15191. As the Department is well aware, 

Delta and Northwest have merged and have integrated their operations under Delta’s operating 

certificate. 

2

 The Joint Applicants hereby request a waiver of the 45-day advance filing requirement under Part 

212 so that KLM/Pinnacle codesharing services may be introduced without delay. 
Joint Application and Motion of Delta, Pinnacle, and KLM 

Page 2 

jet aircraft throughout the United States and to and from foreign countries, including 

Canada, Mexico, Belize, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. 

2. The Department has previously approved Delta/KLM blanket statements of 

authorization for reciprocal codesharing. See, Order 2006-2-1, Docket OST-2004-19124. 

The proposed services are fully consistent with the Department’s prior codeshare 

approval and with the U.S.-EU open skies agreement. 

3. KLM currently codeshares on Pinnacle flights operated by 50 seat aircraft, 

for which no statement of authorization is required. However, KLM, Delta, and Pinnacle 

have now agreed to expand codesharing to encompass flights operated by Pinnacle with 

large jet aircraft within and beyond the United States. Accordingly, the Joint Applicants 

request a blanket statement of authorization under 14 C.F.R. Part 212, permitting 

Pinnacle to display KLM’s “KL*” designator code on flights operated by Pinnacle (a) within 

the United States (in conjunction with KLM’s services in foreign air transportation), and 

(b) between the United States and third countries. 

4. KLM holds a foreign air carrier permit authorizing it to engage in the full 

scope of foreign air transportation permissible under the U.S.-EU open skies agreement. 

See, Order 2008-5-40. 

5. Attached is the KLM/Pinnacle Codesharing Agreement covering these 

services, adopting terms and conditions substantially similar to the main Delta/KLM 

Codesharing Agreement previously approved by the Department. 

 6. The Joint Applicants intend that the Delta/KLM blanket open skies 

codeshare notification filed on February 24, 2009 in docket OST-2004-19214 apply to 

KLM/Pinnacle codeshare services. The initial Pinnacle non-Open Skies service points 

encompassed by this application are listed on Attachment A to this application. Delta and 

KLM will continue to provide 30 day notifications pertaining to new codesharing to nonopen skies countries. The Joint Applicants request that the codeshare authority 
Joint Application and Motion of Delta, Pinnacle, and KLM 

Page 3 

requested herein be administered jointly with the existing Delta/KLM and 

Delta(Northwest)/KLM blanket statements of authorization in dockets OST-2004-19124 

and OST-2003-15191, and that a non-open skies codeshare notice given by Delta or any

Delta Connection carrier (including Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, Compass, 

Freedom, and Mesaba) be deemed notice given by all of the Delta carriers, thereby 

providing the Joint Applicants with the flexibility to switch between mainline and the 

various Delta Connection operators as warranted by market conditions. In addition, as 

with the existing Delta/KLM authority, the Joint Applicants request that notice regarding 

codeshare service to additional points via one U.S. gateway be deemed notice given via 

all U.S. gateways. Such flexibility is consistent with the practices routinely followed by 

other codesharing alliance partners. 

7. The same public interest considerations that supported the grant of blanket 

statements of authorization to Delta and KLM apply with equal force to the services 

operated by Pinnacle. The proposed new services will extend the availability of KLM’s online services to additional U.S. and beyond-U.S. cities. 

8. The proposed services are fully consistent with the U.S.-EU agreement, 

which allows U.S. carriers to enter into cooperative marketing arrangements including 

codesharing agreements with Dutch carriers. 

9. Pinnacle is not a CRAF participant. 

 10. Delta, Pinnacle, and KLM will conduct these codeshare services in 

accordance with 14 C.F.R. Part 257 and the other conditions normally imposed by the 

Department on codesharing statements of authorization. 

WHEREFORE, Delta Air Lines, Inc., Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., and KLM Royal Dutch 

Airlines request that the Department promptly grant the requested statement of 

authorization to permit the KLM codesharing services described herein. 
Joint Application and Motion of Delta, Pinnacle, and KLM 

Page 4 

Respectfully submitted, 

/s/Paul V. Mifsud

Paul V. Mifsud 

Vice President 

Government & Legal Affairs-USA 

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES 

2501 M Street NW 

Washington, D.C. 20037 

/s/ Brian T. Hunt

Brian T. Hunt 

Vice President and General Counsel 

PINNACLE AIRLINES, INC. 

1689 Nonconnah Parkway 

Suite 111 

Memphis, Tennessee 38132 

Alexander Van der Bellen 

Managing Director, Government Affairs 

& Associate General Counsel 

DELTA AIR LINES, INC. 

1212 New York Avenue NW 

Suite 200 

Washington, D.C. 20005 

(202) 842-4184 

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com 
Attachment A 

KLM “KL*”code on flights operated by Pinnacle Airlines, Inc.

to non-Open Skies points

Belize City, Belize (BZE) 

Cozumel, Mexico (CZM) 

Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL) 

Monterrey, Mexico (MTY) 

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (PLS) 

 































CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

A copy of the foregoing Joint Application and Motion has been served this 15th day 

of January, 2010, upon each of the following addressees. 

carl.nelson@aa.com 

dan.weiss@coair.com 

hkamen@coair.com 

rbkeiner@crowell.com (for Continental) 

mrosia@crowell.com (for Continental) 

jeffrey.manley@united.com 

julie.oettinger@united.com 

benjamin.slocum@usairways.com 

howard_kass@usairways.com 

mike.orr@airlineinfo.com