U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) has become the latest member of Congress to call on the Department of Transportation to conclude its review of a proposed cooperative airline marketing agreement that could benefit the flying public.

The marketing agreement among Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines will connect the three carriers’ domestic and international networks, and will include code sharing and frequent-flyer program reciprocity.

In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Sen. Conrad called for a prompt resolution.

“I understand that airlines have relied on cooperative marketing agreements to meet consumer demand for many years and that a similar proposal by United Airlines and US Airways was approved by your office on October 2, 2002,” he wrote. “I hope the Department of Transportation’s review is completed in a timely manner. I know that these airlines are eager to begin implementation.”

Other members of Congress who have written to the secretary in support of the agreement include Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).

At press time, no decision had been made, though a 30-day extension of the review period was scheduled to end in January.