Delta Open to New Ventures Amid ‘Final Stages’ of Consolidation

Delta Air Lines Inc. Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson said the carrier’s joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia has had the “economic effect of merging” and will serve as a template for future accords.

Delta executives declined to comment today during a webcast investor conference about a Sky News report that Delta was among carriers exploring a tie-up with Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., which has hired Deutsche Bank AG as an adviser.