"This idea of them (Delta) coming and offering European service is a big factor for the outdoor products industry and the place where we're spending a lot of time recruiting," Edwards said. "Many of those companies have European operations — particularly Salomon, Atomic and Rossignol as examples — all three of them have large manufacturing operations in Europe, and this would be a key gateway for them. They've all expressed support for this idea and have been communicating to Delta as well as part of that process."

Board documents show that Delta operates 373 flights to 114 destinations daily from Salt Lake, its second-largest hub. But it's the second-largest city in the West without direct flights to Europe. Atlanta-based Delta serves 311 cities in 52 countries and operates daily trans-Atlantic flights to 32 destinations.

Delta direct international flights from Salt Lake

• Mexico: Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Cancun

• Canada: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnepeg

Source: Delta Air Lines

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E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com