OREANDA-NEWS. Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) announced today that it will serve as the official airline of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. Additionally, the airline will provide charter service for the team throughout the 2013-2014 season.

"We know that the Buffalo community is crazy about hockey, so we're thrilled to add the Sabres to our growing list of partners in Buffalo, which already includes the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Buffalo Philharmonic and the YMCA," said Gail Grimmett, Delta's senior vice president – New York. "Delta is Buffalo's largest carrier and we are committed to serving both the community and the airport."

As the official airline of the Buffalo Sabres, Delta will be featured on game day signage at the First Niagara Center, the largest indoor arena in western New York, and sponsor in-game promotions.

"We are proud to partner with a world-class brand like Delta," said John Livsey, the Sabres' vice president of sales and business development. "Delta has significantly increased its presence not only in Buffalo but throughout upstate New York, and that level of commitment to the region is very exciting."

Delta now has marketing and/or charter relationships with nine NHL teams. Along with the Buffalo Sabres, Delta is also the official airline of the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings.  Additionally, Delta provides charter service for the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals.

Beginning in March 2012, Delta added new all-jet service from LaGuardia to key upstate markets including Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.

Delta is the largest airline at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, offering 23-peak day departures to five non-stop destinations including Atlanta, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul. A portion of travel for some itineraries may be on the Delta Connection Carriers Chautauqua Airlines, Endeavor Air, ExpressJet Airlines, GoJet Airlines and Shuttle America.

Delta is New York's largest and fastest growing carrier, providing service to more destinations from New York State than any other airline. As part of the USD 1.4 billion project to create a state-of-the-art international gateway at JFK, Delta's new Terminal 4 opened earlier this year. The airline is also investing more than USD 160 million to expand and update Terminals C and D at LaGuardia. The unique Delta Shuttle product offers hourly service to Boston, Chicago (O'Hare) and Washington D.C. from LaGuardia. Delta's three metropolitan-area airports carried 23.1 million domestic and international passengers in 2013, up from 20.8 million passengers in 2011. Delta and its nearly 9,000 New York-based employees are part of the fabric of the New York community, acting as the official airlines of the Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, Madison Square Garden, Food Bank of New York City, New York Wine and Food and AmFar among many others.