Anderson to run merged Delta – Northwest Airlines; Bastian to head NWA subsidiary

Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson will be at the helm of affairs of the merged Delta Airlines (Delta) - Northwest Airlines (NWA) entity based out of Atlanta. This was announced by the carriers as they unveiled the senior management team for what will be the world's largest airline.

The team will work to "ensure the seamless transition of Northwest's operations into Delta over the next 12-24 months," the airlines said in a statement.

Once the merger is closed, Northwest Airlines will be an operating subsidiary of Delta Airlines, and will be headed by the current Delta president and CEO, Ed Bastian, taking on the titles of CEO and president of Northwest.

Current president and CEO Doug Steenland will move on to shoulder responsibilities on the Delta board.

NWA senior vice president for human resources and labour relations Mike Becker will be elevated to executive vice president and chief operating officer of NWA.

Other appointments announced were Mike Campbell as executive vice president for human resources, labour and communications; Steve Gorman as executive vice president for operations; Glen Hauenstein as executive vice president for revenue and network; Ben Hirst as senior vice president of general counsel; Laura Liu as senior vice president –international; and Theresa Wise as senior vice president and chief information officer.

Delta says that by naming the entire officer team ahead of the closing of the merger, Delta has laid a strong foundation for the combined airline to immediately start capturing and exceeding the merger synergies expected at the close of the transaction.

The company also said that the final organisational structure would evolve over time, and that it would not sacrifice revenue or cost synergies by "moving too quickly to integrate".