Filed by
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Pursuant
to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and
deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
Subject
Company: Northwest Airlines Corporation
Commission
File No.: 1-15285
On September 18, 2008 Edward
H. Bastian, President and Chief Financial Officer of Delta presented
to the 2008 Calyon Securities U.S. Airline Conference. The following
materials were used in conjunction with the presentation.
Statements
in the following presentation 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 that our indebtedness will 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; our
ability to retain management and key employees; the ability of our credit card
processors to take significant holdbacks in certain circumstances; the effects
of terrorist attacks; and competitive conditions in the airline
industry.
Forward-looking
statements in the presentation that relate to our proposed merger transaction
with Northwest Airlines Corporation include, without limitation, our
expectations with respect to the synergies, costs and charges, capitalization
and anticipated financial impacts of the merger transaction and related
transactions; approval of the merger transaction and related transactions by
shareholders; the satisfaction of the closing conditions to the merger
transaction and related transactions; and the timing of the completion of the
merger transaction and related transactions. Factors that may cause
the actual results to differ materially from the expected results include, but
are not limited to, the possibility that the expected synergies will not be
realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period, due to, among
other things, (1) the airline pricing environment; (2) competitive actions taken
by other airlines; (3) general economic conditions; (4) changes in jet fuel
prices; (5) actions taken or conditions imposed by the United States and foreign
governments; (6) the willingness of customers to travel; (7) difficulties in
integrating the operations of the two airlines; (8) the impact of labor
relations; and (9) fluctuations in foreign currency exchange
rates. Other factors include the possibility that the merger does not
close, including due to the failure to receive required stockholder or
regulatory approvals, or the failure of other closing conditions.
Additional
information concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause differences
between actual results and forward-looking statements is contained in Delta’s
Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and Form 10-Q for the quarterly
period ended June 30, 2008. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance
on Delta’s forward-looking statements, which represent Delta’s views only as of
September 18, 2008, and which Delta has no current intention to
update.
Additional
Information About the Merger and Where to Find It
In
connection with the proposed merger, Delta has filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (No.
333-151060), as amended, that includes a joint proxy statement of Delta and
Northwest, dated August 8, 2008, and that also constitutes a prospectus of
Delta. Delta and Northwest urge investors and security holders to
read the joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed merger because
it contains important information. You may obtain copies of all
documents filed with the SEC regarding this transaction, free of charge, at the
SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). You may also obtain these documents,
free of charge, from Delta’s website (www.delta.com) under the tab “About Delta”
and then under the heading “Investor Relations” and then under the item “SEC
Filings.” You may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from Northwest’s
website (www.nwa.com) under the tab “About Northwest” and then under the heading
“Investor Relations” and then under the item “SEC Filings and Section 16
Filings.”
Delta,
Northwest and their respective directors, executive officers and certain other
members of management and employees may be soliciting proxies from Delta and
Northwest stockholders in favor of the merger. Information regarding the persons
who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation
of Delta and Northwest stockholders in connection with the proposed merger are
set forth in the joint proxy statement/prospectus. You can find
additional information about Delta’s executive officers and directors in its
definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 25, 2008 related to
Delta’s 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. You can find additional information
about Northwest’s executive officers and directors in its Amendment to its
Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 29, 2008. You can obtain
free copies of these documents from Delta and Northwest using the contact
information above.
Delta
Air Lines
Edward H.
Bastian
President and
Chief Financial Officer
Calyon Securities
U.S. Airline Conference
September 18,
2008
1
This presentation
contains various projections and other forward-looking statements which
represent Delta’s estimates or
expectations
regarding future events. All forward-looking statements involve a number
of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many
of
which are beyond Delta’s control, that could cause the actual results to differ
materially from the projected results. Factors which
could
cause such differences include, without limitation, business, economic,
competitive, industry, regulatory, market and financial
uncertainties
and contingencies, as well as the “Risk Factors” discussed in Delta’s Form 10-Q
filed with the SEC on July 17, 2008 and
Form
10-K filed with the SEC on February 15, 2008. Caution should be taken not
to place undue reliance on Delta’s forward-looking
statements,
which represent Delta’s views only as of the date of this presentation, and
which Delta has no current intention to update.
In this
presentation, we will discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures in talking
about our company’s performance. You can find
the
reconciliations of those measures to comparable GAAP measures on our website at
delta.com.
In connection with
the proposed merger of Delta and Northwest Airlines Corporation, Delta has filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission
(“SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (No. 333-151060), as amended, that
includes a joint proxy statement of
Delta
and Northwest, dated August 8, 2008, and that also constitutes a prospectus of
Delta.
Delta
and Northwest urge investors
and
security holders to read the joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the
proposed merger because it contains
important
information.
You may obtain
copies of all documents filed with the SEC regarding this transaction, free of
charge, at the
SEC’s
website (www.sec.gov). You may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from
Delta’s website (www.delta.com) under
the
tab “About Delta” and then under the heading “Investor Relations” and then under
the item “SEC Filings” or from Northwest’s
website
(www.nwa.com) under the tab “About Northwest” and then under the heading
“Investor Relations” and then under the item
“SEC
Filings and Section 16 Filings.”
Delta, Northwest
and their respective directors, executive officers and certain other members of
management and employees may be
soliciting
proxies from Delta and Northwest stockholders in favor of the merger.
Information regarding the persons who may, under
the
rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of Delta and
Northwest stockholders in connection with the proposed
merger
are set forth in the joint proxy statement/prospectus.
You
can find additional information about Delta’s executive officers and
directors
in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 25, 2008 related
to Delta’s 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
You
can find additional information about Northwest’s executive officers and
directors in its Amendment to its Annual Report on Form
10-K
filed with the SEC on April 29, 2008. You can obtain free copies of these
documents from Delta and Northwest using the contact
information
above.
Safe
Harbor
2
•
Industry leading June quarter results
•
Revenue premium to the industry
•
Creates powerful global leader
•
$2B expected annual synergies by 2012
•
Advance planning de-risks integration
•
Capacity and cost discipline
•
Additional cash raising opportunities
Strong
operating
performance
Game-changing
merger
with Northwest
Preserving
solid
liquidity position
Delta
Air Lines - Positioned For Long Term Success
3
1
Excludes
special and non-recurring items
June
Quarter 2008 Pre-Tax Income ($M)
1
Pre-tax profit
despite $1B increase in fuel input costs
Delta
Posts Top Tier Results
4
1
Excludes
special and non-recurring items. Delta’s performance reflects its reported
all-in fuel price of
$3.13
per gallon. The performance of other airlines is adjusted to this
price.
Pre-Tax Margin
(%)
1
Pre-Tax Income
($M)
1
June
Quarter 2008 Results Normalized for Fuel
Delivers leading
pre-tax income in June 2008 quarter
Delta
Posts Top Tier Results
5
2007
2008
Source:
WTI Crude
Delta
standalone
While
reaching unprecedented
heights
this year…
Recent
decline provides substantial
cash
flow relief
Delta
+ Northwest
$1
barrel
=
$80
million per year
$1
barrel
=
$135
million per year
Volatile Fuel
Prices Persist
6
Delta
Maintains A Strong Liquidity Position
Note:
Liquidity balance includes cash and
short
term securities.
Operating
cash flow excludes fuel price increase from 2007 to 2008.
Cash
Flow December 2007 vs. December 2008 ($B)
Fuel
Price
Impact,
Net
of Hedges
Unrestricted
Liquidity
Balance
12/31/07
Unrestricted
Liquidity
Balance
12/31/08
Net
Debt
Issuance
3.1
3.8
(1.3)
Cap
Ex
0.2
(2.6)
3.0
Operating
Cash
Flow
Cash
preservation a priority in time of high fuel prices and economic
uncertainty
7
•
Credit card
processing agreement extended through 2011 with no holdback
•
Manageable cash
trigger thresholds
•
Financing
commitments for all aircraft firm orders through 2010
•
Amendment of NWA
credit facility
•
Addresses
incompatibility - allows us to close transaction with
both credit facilities in place
•
Additional cash
raising opportunities
•
Affinity
card
•
NWA financing
activities
•
Commitment for
$500M revolving credit facility
Delta/Northwest
combined expected to have approximately $6B in cash at year-end
Focused On
Enhancing Liquidity
8
Average Jet
Fuel
Equivalent
Cap
$3.42
$3.45
$2.93
Fuel
Hedging Portfolio
Note:
Hedging
portfolio data as of September 10, 2008
$3.57
$3.50
$3.40
$3.11
%
Hedged
Long-Term Fuel
Hedge Strategy in Place
9
Current
Projection
Passenger
RASM
Up 9
- 10%
Non-Passenger
Revenue*
~$750
million
Up
25%
Mainline non-fuel
CASM
Up 1
- 3%
System
Capacity
Down
1%
September 2008
Quarter
Domestic
Down
12%
International
Up
15%
Operating
Margin
1 -
3%
Fuel
Price
$3.51
*
Includes Cargo and Other Operating Revenue
September 2008
Quarter Guidance
10
Key
Milestones
Merger With
Northwest On Track To Close By End Of Year
•
Unprecedented 4-year
pre-merger joint pilot agreement approved by
both
pilot groups
•
European Commission
merger approval / continued cooperation with
DOJ
analysis
•
Stockholder
meetings
-
September 25
•
Integration planning
teams working diligently
•
Credit agreements
aligned facilitating the close
•
Officer leadership
team named
•
Announced core IT
systems
•
Plan submitted to
FAA for single operating certificate
11
Jul
2008
2009
2010
Senior
Leaders
Announced
Phased
Customer
Deliverables
Frontline
Uniform
Rollout
First
Combined
Schedule
Full
Code Share
Single
Operating
Certificate
Reservations
Cutover
Single
Website
Combined
Crew
Systems
Integrated
Rev
Mgt
Systems
Fully
Integrated
Schedule
Target
Close
Management
Team
Announced
Shareholder
Approval
Resolution of
Labor Representation
Merger Integration
Timeline
12
1
Excludes
special and non-recurring items
Synergy
Phase-in ($B)
1
2.0
1.6
1.1
0.5
2009
2010
2011
2012
Revenue
Cost
Detailed plans in
place enabling smooth integration
Merger expected to
be accretive to shareholders in year one including cash integration
costs
Mitigating Merger
Integration Risk Is Top Priority
13
•
Industry leading results
•
Solid top line growth
•
Creates premier global airline
•
Approval process on track
•
Detailed plan de-risks integration
•
Led domestic capacity rationalization
•
Best in class cost structure
•
Liquidity opportunities post-merger
Strong
operating
performance
Northwest merger is
a
game-changer
Solid
liquidity position
Delta
Air Lines - Positioned For Long Term Success
Mainline
Non-Fuel CASM
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FORECAST
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September
2008 Quarter
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September
2008 Quarter
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Current
Projection
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Previous
Guidance
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Mainline
CASM projection
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12.31
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¢
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12.44
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¢
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12.12
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¢
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11.99
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¢
|
Items
excluded:
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Aircraft
maintenance and staffing services to third parties
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(0.45
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)
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(0.45
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)
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(0.39
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)
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(0.39
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)
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Mainline
CASM projection excluding items not
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related
to generation of a seat mile
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11.86
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¢
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11.99
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¢
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11.73
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¢
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11.60
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¢
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Fuel
expense and related taxes
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(5.29
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)
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(5.29
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)
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(5.23
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)
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(5.23
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)
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Mainline
CASM projection excluding fuel expense
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and
related taxes
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6.57
|
¢
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6.70
|
¢
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6.50
|
¢
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6.37
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¢
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Change
year-over-year in Mainline CASM excluding
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fuel
expense and related taxes
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1%
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3%
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0%
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(2%
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Note:
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Delta's
cost per available seat mile (CASM) excludes expenses related to Delta's
providing maintenance and staffing services to third parties as
these
costs are not associated with the generation of a seat
mile.
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Delta
presents mainline CASM excluding fuel expense and related taxes because
management believes high fuel prices mask the progress
achieved
toward its business plan targets.
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Length
of Haul Adjusted PRASM
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Five
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Months
Ended
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May
31, 2008
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PRASM
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11.63
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¢
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Length
of haul adjustment, including adjustments for
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other
airline revenue and certain other revenue
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0.04
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Length
of haul adjusted PRASM, including adjustments for
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other
airline revenue and certain other revenue
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11.67
|
¢
|
Industry
average PRASM
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11.44
|
¢
|
Percentage
of industry average
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102%
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Note:
|
Delta
presents length of haul adjusted passenger revenue per available
seat
mile (PRASM) including adjustments for other airline revenue and
certain
other revenue because management believes this provides a more
meaningful
comparison of the company’s PRASM to the
industry.
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