Major life or death decision

Coke or Pepsi? That’s the age-old question Delta faces now that it has acquired Northwest. Delta, of course, currently serves Coke while Northwest is a Pepsi airline. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that –- for now –- each airline will stick with its current soft drink “until a final determination has been made on a single beverage provider,” according to a company memo issued last week. “We’re having conversations with both,” Delta vice president of marketing Tim Mapes tells the paper. “There are contracts in place with each of the two entities that have got to be addressed… . There definitely will be financial considerations that we will be taking into account.”

However, it was just last year that Delta president Ed Bastian was quoted as saying: “It’ll be Coke. That’s not a hard one.” Coke, like Delta, is headquartered in Atlanta and both companies’ corporate identities are strongly liked with their hometown city. Still, despite what would seem to be an advantage for Coke, the Journal-Constitution writes “the practical matter of breaking Northwest’s contract with Pepsi may make the decision more difficult than simply a matter of taste — or hometown connections.” Adding to the mix, by the way, is that Bastian is a former Pepsi executive, according to the Journal-Constitution. No word when a final decision might be made.

Source:USA Today