Bob Johnson, Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf and Delta Air Lines Jointly Announce New Flight Service

WASHINGTON (Map) - WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), the only U.S. carrier to serve Africa, today jointly announce that it will expand its service to the continent with the introduction of the first and only flight between Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Monrovia's Roberts International Airport, Liberia*. The service, which will make a stop in Amilcar Cabral International Airport on Sal Island, Cape Verde*, will start in June, 2009.

"Delta is pleased to add Monrovia to our industry-leading Africa network," said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president-Network and Revenue Management. "Passenger traffic to and from Africa continues to grow at some of the highest rates in the world. We have been very pleased with the response to our flights Africa and look forward to serving Liberia and contributing to its trade and tourism development efforts."

Currently, Delta offers service between the United States and six African destinations with flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Accra, Ghana; Dakar, Senegal, Cairo, Egypt, and Cape Town in South Africa (via Dakar) and between Atlanta and Lagos, Nigeria, and Johannesburg, South Africa (via Dakar).

In an announcement at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf praised Delta's investment in her country. "I was excited to learn that Delta Air Lines has made the commitment to provide direct flight service to Liberia," said President Sirleaf.

"Liberia continues to flourish and with the commitment by companies in the U.S. to do business in our country there is opportunity for continued economic growth. This development also provides convenience for Liberians in Diaspora to come home and to bring their skills and talents in support of the country's development. Delta Air Lines is providing a means to bring business into the country and we welcome them," she concluded.

Bob Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies, which owns significant development projects in Liberia, also commented on the flight and his investments in Liberia during the press conference. "Two years ago while attending the Clinton Global Initiative and after hearing President Sirleaf appeal to the American private sector for support, I made a commitment to mobilize $30 million for Liberia," said Bob Johnson.

"I have further committed to mobilizing funds through a recent $100 million finance protocol with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to build housing, as well as to build an 84-room villa style hotel, the RLJ Kendja Resort & Villas opening in March 2009. I applaud Delta Air Lines for making the commitment to provide direct air service to Liberia which will provide economic growth opportunities to Liberia from a variety of business sectors around the world," Johnson concluded.

Delta's new service between Atlanta and Monrovia will operate once weekly using a Boeing 757 aircraft with up to 174 seats in a two-cabin configuration. Passengers on the only direct flight between the U.S. and Liberia will benefit from significant time savings compared to other routes. Moreover, they will also be able to connect to 150 destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean via Delta's Atlanta hub.

Liberia is situated in West Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean to the country's southwest. The country has strong historical and cultural ties to the United States. With key exports of minerals and timber, there is also a strong and growing market for business traffic between Liberia and the U.S.

*Subject to government approval.

About The RLJ Companies

The RLJ Companies, founded by Robert L. Johnson, owner of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats and founder of Black Entertainment Television, is a diverse portfolio of companies in the financial services, asset management, real estate, hospitality, professional sports, film production, and gaming industries. An innovative business network, The RLJ Companies seeks to target undiscovered or underserved markets; then exercise solid management to achieve results. The RLJ Companies is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, with operations in Charlotte, Los Angeles, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 287 destinations in 58 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 42 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers 315 weekly flights to 43 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 500 worldwide destinations in 105 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and flight status at delta.com.

For additional information contact:

Traci Otey Blunt, The RLJ Companies, 240.744.7858 or press@rljcompanies.com

Maria Schnabel, Delta Corporate Communications, International, 404.715.8119