Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today issued the following statement from CEO Richard Anderson:

"Delta applauds President Obama's efforts to increase travel and tourism to the United States. Expanding this important sector of the economy means more job growth and economic opportunities across our nation. In particular, we welcome the president's efforts, and the efforts of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, to expedite and streamline the entry process for travelers coming into the U.S. Improving and speeding up the entry process for our customers has been a top priority for Delta. Many of these customers are visitors from overseas who will be spending money in the U.S. on business or leisure pursuits during their visit, further bolstering our economy."

Delta's recent efforts to improve the entry process for travelers arriving on international flights include:

• The installation of Automated Passport Control kiosks at Delta's international gateways, including New York-JFK, Seattle, Los Angeles, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Atlanta, which reduce waiting times at Customs and Border Protection entry points. Nearly 200 kiosks will be in operation this summer.
• Coordination with CBP on daily scheduling and passenger loads to help plan for appropriate staffing levels.
• Regular communication with CBP on changes to flight arrivals times, entry waiting times and staffing levels.
• The installation of signage to direct passengers enrolled in the Global Entry program to the appropriate kiosks for quicker processing.
• The addition of lanes and rails in the CBP waiting area at JFK to increase the efficiency of the space and keep lines moving.

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 322 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.

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SOURCE Delta Air Lines