ATLANTA, Feb. 26, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- What can be better than winning the lottery? Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) today awarded Jerry Yundt of Johns Creek, Ga., the grand prize of 2.5 million miles -- enough miles to redeem two domestic tickets every year for 50 years -- and $25,000 cash in its "Tickets for Life" sweepstakes.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4763

"I moved to Atlanta in 1986, and I don't think I've flown an airline other than Delta since then," said Mr. Yundt, who represents manufacturers in the food service and hospitality industries. "I still can't believe I won. My wife and I are planning to go to Paris and Seattle; and then, who knows?"

"We are pleased to give Mr. Yundt the opportunity to travel the world," said Josh Weiss, Delta's managing director of delta.com. "With Delta's ever-expanding list of international destinations, no corner of the globe is off-limits for any of our customers worldwide. Stockholm(1), Shanghai(2), San Jose...you name the destination and Mr. Yundt can now fly there with Delta or one of our partner airlines."

Additionally, Delta's online sweepstakes awarded 80 daily prizes of 50,000 miles to customers who purchased a qualifying round-trip ticket on delta.com between Sept. 25 and Dec. 15, 2007 for travel beginning by Jan. 15, 2008. Members who purchased tickets with any American Express(r) Card received two entries into the sweepstakes. Mail-in, hand-written entries were also accepted without purchase. Participants in the sweepstakes registered at delta.com/ticketsforlife and were required to be a SkyMiles member at the time of entry.

"More than a quarter of a million customers worldwide visit delta.com every day to check-in online, shop for Award Travel, avoid booking fees, get flight updates and book flights, car rentals, hotels and other trip amenities," added Weiss. "Savvy shoppers like Mr. Yundt know that delta.com is the only Web site that guarantees Delta's lowest published fares -- without any booking fees. And delta.com's speed, ease, convenience and security make it the very best one-stop shop for all of our customers' travel needs."

Previous "Tickets for Life" grand prize winners are Charles Maier of Columbia, S.C. (2005), and Greg Malton of Southgate, Ky. (2006).

The award-winning Delta SkyMiles program offers members multiple mileage-earning opportunities when flying Delta, Delta Shuttle(r), the Delta Connection(r) carriers, Delta AirElite(r) and other SkyTeam(r) airlines. Additional mileage-building opportunities are offered through more than 100 partners such as the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, SkyMilesShopping.com, participating hotels, car rental companies, telecommunication services, restaurants, retailers and more. Now in its 27th year, SkyMiles is one of the longest-running and most successful loyalty programs in the travel industry and was named "Best Frequent Flyer Program" for 2006 and 2007 by Business Traveler magazine.

Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 314 destinations in 59 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 36 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 600 weekly flights to 65 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 14,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 479 worldwide destinations in 107 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.

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 (1) Delta service to Shanghai, China begins Mar 30, 2008
 (2) Delta service to Stockholm, Sweden begins June 3, 2008

Terms & Conditions

Taxes and fees for Award Travel are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is booked. Award Travel seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or in all markets. Offers void where prohibited by law. Other restrictions may apply. Offers subject to change without notice. All SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/skymiles.

No purchase was necessary. The Ticket for Life Sweepstakes is sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia.

The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.