AIRLINE SPONSORSHIP DEAL HELPS AMERICAN-SCOTTISH FOUNDATION FLY HIGH

The American- Scottish Foundation® (ASF) has today (28 July 2008) announced the appointment of Delta Air Lines as its official air travel provider for the forthcoming year, thanks to a generous sponsorship from the airline.

Further cementing the transatlantic bonds built up by the foundation, the sponsorship support comes at a vital time as the not-for-profit organisation prepares for two important events in 2009 - ‘The Homecoming’, the year long celebration of Scotland to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns, and ‘The Gathering’, the biggest clan gathering for almost 200 years.

In May 2008, Delta Air Lines extended its already broad offering of transatlantic flights by launching the first ever non-stop flight between New York’s JFK airport and Edinburgh airport.

President Emeritus of the ASF Alan Bain comments:

“We are delighted to have the support of Delta Air Lines in the coming year. With so many events taking place throughout 2009, good travel links between both countries are vital. We are pleased that Delta is able to bridge the physical gap that separates the two countries with this service. We sincerely hope that this deal will encourage Scots-Americans to visit their ancestral home on a more frequent basis and encourage Scots to participate and engage in events in the USA as these all help to facilitate the work of the ASF.”

Alfreda Turner, manager commercial sales development, Delta Air Lines, said:

“We are proud to support the American-Scottish Foundation® in their efforts to promote travel between the two countries. New York-JFK is a major hub for Delta Air Lines, with customers connecting through to Edinburgh from around the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Since it was founded in 1956, the ASF has had the remit of bringing Scotland and the USA closer together. Based in New York, the foundation organises and hosts a range of activities on both sides of the Atlantic including fundraising, education and social interaction.

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 324 destinations in 62 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 43 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers 600 weekly flights to 62 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 16,000 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. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 474 worldwide destinations in 104 countries.