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Delta Lands at Madison Square Garden

Dépèche transmise le 20 octobre 2009 par Business Wire

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Madison Square Garden and Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) announced today a new long term multi-year agreement bringing together the world’s largest airline and the world’s most famous arena. Delta, New York City’s largest and fastest growing carrier, is solidifying its commitment to the city by becoming the Official Airline of Madison Square Garden (MSG) and the first “Signature Partner” with a custom-branded presence in the renovated Garden and a significant presence across all MSG properties, including its iconic venues, professional sports teams, television networks and collection of websites.

“Delta’s new relationship with Madison Square Garden allows us to continue supporting venues, events and organizations that make New York the capital of the world, especially at a time when Delta is committed to being the preferred airline for New Yorkers,” said Gail Grimmett, senior vice president-New York for Delta Air Lines. “Delta is honored to be the Official Airline of MSG and all its venues – including the renovated Garden -- as we become part of the pulse of New York City.”

“We are delighted to welcome Delta into the Madison Square Garden family as the new Official Airline across all of our divisions, and the first marketing partner tied to the upcoming Garden renovation,” said Hank Ratner, vice chairman, Madison Square Garden. “This is an exciting time to be a part of Madison Square Garden, and we will look to align with partners like Delta that share our vision for delivering great experiences and service to our fans and customers.”

Scott O’Neil, president, MSG Sports added: “This historic relationship was a perfect match bringing together the world’s largest airline and the world’s most famous arena. We look forward to helping Delta establish an even greater presence in New York by becoming the official airline of our professional sports teams -- the Knicks, Rangers and Liberty -- and our iconic venues including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theatre.”

This agreement offers Delta a highly visible presence across MSG mediums, properties and teams, establishing unparalleled exposure in New York and beyond. In addition to being the Official Airline of MSG’s professional sports teams and iconic venues, Delta will be an official partner of College Basketball and the Concert Series at MSG, and have an integrated presence on MSG network and across the Garden’s collection of websites, blogs and social networks. The signature element will be a custom Delta-branded space at all of Madison Square Garden’s iconic sports and entertainment venues in the country, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the WaMu Theater at MSG and the Beacon Theatre in New York City, as well as The Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre in Boston. In the newly renovated Garden, a Delta themed Event Level Club will be the signature space that redefines access and includes a view of players as they walk onto the court/ice, specialized menus, and world-class amenities.

Delta’s new relationship with MSG is the final piece in a series of strategic initiatives designed to make Delta New York’s preferred carrier. The airline’s New York strategy includes recently announced plans to create a domestic hub at LaGuardia along with major investments across the tri-state region, boosting Delta’s economic impact to more than $13 billion annually. In addition to adding more than 30 new international routes at JFK, Delta has created more than 2,000 jobs across the state, invested heavily in New York community events, significant sponsorships and advertising, and completed more than $70 million in facility upgrades at JFK’s Terminals 2 and 3.

This year, Delta also became the Official Airline of New York Baseball with its sponsorship of the New York Mets and the New York Yankees, with Delta Sky360 hospitality venues at both Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. Delta also sponsors the New York City Wine & Food Festival, as well as the Tribeca Film Festival – two preeminent events that have become synonymous with the city. Additionally, Delta also recently established relationships with Food Bank For New York City, one of the nation’s largest food banks and the city's major provider of food to New Yorkers in need, as well as New Yorkers for Children, a non-profit agency established to supplement the foster care system through college scholarships, tutoring programs, mentoring, and networking opportunities.

For MSG, this agreement is part of a new marketing partnership strategy working with companies to weave their brand into the Garden experience while extending the connection to fans and consumers through an integrated platform that touches MSG’s unparalleled assets including sports, music and entertainment. Under this new strategy, Delta is MSG’s first “Signature Partner,” which will include a select group who share MSG’s vision. In addition to a presence across MSG’s properties, “Signature Partners” will have a significant presence in the renovated Garden. The MSG renovation will be a comprehensive, top-to-bottom transformation of the interior of the building that will enhance the experience for customers, athletes, entertainers, fans and partners. MSG is paying for the renovation itself and it will generate thousands of construction jobs. The lower bowl of the arena is expected to be ready for the 2011-2012 seasons, and the upper bowl for the 2012-2013 seasons.

MSG’s lineup of iconic New York City venues hosts more than 800 events annually, reaching over six million people. The four venues account for 84% of all concert tickets sold in the NYC metropolitan area each year, with Madison Square Garden alone accounting for 50%. In addition to top music and entertainment acts, each year MSG hosts over 160 live sports events. MSG’s footprint reaches outside of New York with the historic Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre in Boston. Additional regional and national reach is secured through MSG Media, including our networks MSG and MSG Plus, and MSG’s collection of websites, social networks and blogs.

To celebrate this new partnership, Delta and MSG will be launching a promotion offering fans the opportunity to win great seats at Madison Square Garden venues and on Delta flights in the upcoming months. Brand ambassadors will be around New York City and at Delta’s local terminals through Saturday, October 24^th handing out scratch and win boarding passes. For additional information on the partnership and promotions, please go to MSG.com/delta.

About Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, L.P. is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the legendary Chicago Theatre, as well as an exclusive co-booking agreement with the venerable Wang Theatre in Boston, and which manages wholly-owned live entertainment properties including the Radio City Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; MSG Media, which is comprised of television networks MSG and MSG Plus, MSG Interactive, which oversees all company wireless and online initiatives, and Fuse, the only national music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is the world’s largest airline. From its hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita, Delta, its NWA subsidiary and Delta Connection carriers offer service to more than 376 destinations worldwide in 66 countries and serve more than 170 million passengers each year. Delta’s marketing alliances allow customers to earn and redeem either SkyMiles or WorldPerks on more than 16,000 daily flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta and its 75,000 worldwide employees are reshaping the aviation industry as the only U.S. airline to offer a full global network. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and flight status at delta.com.