ATLANTA One of Minot's major employers will be growing even larger this summer.
Delta Air Lines announced Friday that it is transferring the operation and management of Delta Vacations in the United States and Canada to MLT Vacations, effective July 6.
MLT Vacations, Minneapolis, operates a service center in Minot.
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MLT Vacations in north Minot may be expanding again with the announcement that Delta Vacations is transferring its operations to MLT in July.
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MLT Vacations became a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines following the airline's merger with Northwest Airlines in October 2008. MLT Vacations, one of the largest providers of leisure vacation packages in the United States, manages multiple package vacation brands, including NWA WorldVacations and Worry-Free Vacations.
Delta Vacations offers leisure trips to more than 200 destinations.
The effect of the operation transfer on jobs in Minot is unknown at this point, said Alison Traxler, MLT Vacations spokeswoman. However, she added, "We certainly know that news like this only means more growth."
MLT has been hiring recently to maintain its employee base and in response to adding Continental Vacations last November. The company listed about 300 employees last November.
MLT employees will be undergoing an intensive training before the transfer of Delta Vacations, Traxler said.
Until July, Delta Vacations will continue to be managed by Travel Impressions, a subsidiary of American Express. Customers who previously booked a Delta vacation package through Travel Impressions won't be affected by the change.
"As Delta moves to quickly deliver the benefits of our merger with Northwest to our customers, transferring the management of Delta Vacations to our in-house tour operator is natural step in the process of consolidating both airlines," Jim Cron, Delta's senior vice president of Global Sales and Distribution, said in a prepared statement.
Cron said Delta will continue to work with Travel Impressions as a preferred partner because of the airline's relationship with American Express.
Delta is the world's largest airline. Its carriers offer service to 379 destinations in 66 countries and serve more than 170 million passengers each year. Delta Vacations coordinates packages that include air transportation via Delta, the Delta Connection carriers or Delta Worldwide partners, hotel accommodations, optional destination ground transportation and travel insurance.