Saatchi faces threat to $100m Delta brief

Delta Airlines is understood to be carrying out a secret pitch for its US$100m global account currently held by Saatchi and Saatchi.

Delta Airlines is understood to be reviewing its global US$100m account out of Saatchi and Saatchi in a secret pitch.

A spokeswoman for Delta denied that a review was taking place. She says: “Right now we have no announcement that we’re doing anything like that. We are currently with Saatchi.”

However, sources suggest that Delta is holding conversations about the account with other agencies.

Saatchi and Saatchi’s win of the US$100m (UK£70m) account in March 1997 was seen as compensation for the loss of the £60m British Airways account in 1995. British Airways had switched allegiance from Saatchi and Saatchi to M C Saatchi after Maurice Saatchi was ousted as chairman in 1994.

It is thought that the Delta account adds some £8.8m to Saatchi parent Cordiant’s annual revenues.