Delta pilots tell company no deal with Northwest

ATLANTA (AP) Delta Air Lines' pilots union has told company executives it has been unable to reach a seniority integration deal with its counterpart at Northwest Airlines, raising serious doubts about the prospect of a merger of the two companies.

The disclosure was made Monday afternoon in a letter from the head of the pilots union at Delta, Lee Moak, to rank-and-file Delta pilots.

The letter does not mention Northwest, but describes the union Delta's pilots had been negotiating with as the only one they were focused on talking with. Multiple officials close to the talks have said in recent months that the other company was Northwest.

The letter talks about the discussions with the other carrier in the past tense, suggesting, at least for now, there won't be further talks.

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