Delta has named Richard Anderson, former CEO of Northwest Airlines as their new CEO according to CNNMoney.

Yes, that Northwest airlines. We can only assume that a merger is in the works (though they deny it), and the combination of Delta and Northwest… We don’t even want to think about it, but we will speculate that if those two operations merged we’d have to hire another e-mail intern.

Anderson’s appointment as Delta’s (Charts, Fortune 500) chief, which takes effect Sept. 1, stoked speculation that Delta, the No. 3 U.S. airline, and Northwest, No. 5, could join forces. But Anderson said in a conference call there are no plans for a merger between the two.

Anderson, 52, has been president of UnitedHealth Group’s (Charts, Fortune 500) commercial services unit since 2006. He joined UnitedHealth after a 14-year career with Northwest (Charts, Fortune 500), which emerged from bankruptcy this past spring.

Grinstein preferred a choice from Delta’s executive team that helped in the recent turnaround. But the board went in another direction.

“After a thorough search, the board concluded that Richard Anderson possesses the right blend of seasoned leadership, strategic skills, international experience and airline knowledge the company needs to navigate the industry’s challenges and capitalize on its opportunities,” said Daniel Carp, chairman of Delta’s board.

Hmm. Whatever. Our most important task will be to give Richie a nickname. Richard “Northwest Airlines” Anderson? Richard “Traitor” Anderson? Richard “Anyone Want To Buy An Airline?” Anderson?

The comments are open for suggestions.

Delta names Richard Anderson as CEO [CNNMoney]

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