Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 8

Q&A

Chief Executive Officer
Delta Airlines, Inc.

J

etrader: How long have you been in commercial aviation, what roles have you been
in and with what companies?

Richard Anderson: I became the CEO at Delta Air Lines on Sept. 1, 2007, after serving as a member
of the Board of Directors. I entered the industry in 1987 at Continental Airlines, where I was staff vice
president and deputy general counsel. In 1990, I began a 14-year career at Northwest Airlines where I
was the vice president and deputy general counsel; senior vice president of technical operations and
airport affairs; executive vice president and chief operating ofﬁcer; and from 2001 to 2004, as chief
executive ofﬁcer. Prior to joining Delta, I was executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group and served
as president of UnitedHealth's Commercial Markets Group. Currently, I also serve as a director of Cargill Inc.
and Medtronic, Inc.

J: How did you initially get involved in the aviation industry?
RA: I lived across the street from Ben Hirst, general counsel of Continental Airlines. Eventually, I joined
Continental's legal department. Then I went to Northwest in 1990 as deputy general counsel.

J: You left the industry in 2004 to join UnitedHealth Group. What prompted you to
come back into aviation, especially in such a turbulent time?
RA: I like the aviation business and it was more interesting and enjoyable than the health insurance
industry.

J: How has the rapid escalation in oil prices affected your long-term outlook for
commercial airlines? What do airlines need to do differently in this new environment to survive long-term?
RA: We need to change the business model. We must price the product to cover the cost to operate the
business and make a reasonable proﬁt. That means when the cost of fuel goes up, the cost of a ticket must reﬂect
it. As an industry we have had some success but fares must go higher if we are to fully capture those costs. We
also must conserve fuel, proactively hedge over the long term and grow our revenues 10 percent annually.

J: How is the merger with Northwest affecting day-to-day business at Delta?
RA: We are still awaiting approval of the merger by the Department of Justice, which we expect to receive
by the end of the year. At that time, we'll be able to start bringing together the day-to-day operations of
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Jetrader - November/December 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jetrader - November/December 2008

Jertrader - November/December 2008
A Message from the President
Contents
Calendar/News
Q%2BA: Richard Anderson
Building a Strong Foundation
Post Prague
Aircraft Appraisals
From the ISTAT Foundation
Aviation History
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Jertrader - November/December 2008
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Cover2
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - A Message from the President
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 4
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Contents
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 6
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Calendar/News
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Q%2BA: Richard Anderson
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 9
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Building a Strong Foundation
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 11
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 12
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 13
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 14
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 15
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Post Prague
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 17
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 18
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 19
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 20
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 21
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 22
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Aircraft Appraisals
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 24
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - From the ISTAT Foundation
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Aviation History
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 27
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 28
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 29
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - 30
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Cover3
Jetrader - November/December 2008 - Cover4
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