Delta Awards Internet Contract To iXL

Delta Air Lines has awarded a five-year, $50 millioncontract to iXL Inc., an Internet services firm. The dealis one of the largest ever for a services company thatspecializes in Internet development.

Under the terms of the contract, iXL is guaranteed $10million for its first year of service, after which Delta hasthe option to cancel. The contract can last for a maximum offive years, and iXL will receive at least $10 million foreach year.

This year, iXL will add more options to Delta's SkyLinks Website, which lets consumers buy tickets directly from theairline. In addition, iXL will develop intranet-basedtraining and human resources applications for Delta, andextranet links to the airline's customers, suppliers, andvendors.