Delta Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, was granted permission yesterday by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate the two carriers – Delta Airlines and acquired Northwest Airlines – as one, single airline.  This involved the FAA granting Delta Airlines a single operating certificate to use for both carriers. 

Delta plans to make some of the internal changes necessary to accomplish this in the first quarter of 2010.  Delta must not only change the code associated with Northwest flights to DL from NW, but they have to fully bring all NW flights into the Delta reservation system and web site. 

There are lingering labor issues that remain as constraints to Delta fully realizing the efficiencies it should have as a result of this merger/acquisition.  Without labor agreements, the Delta and Northwest aircraft crews will remain mostly seperate for the time being.