(Atlanta, GA) -- The two pilots at the controls of a Northwest Airlines jet who flew past their destination airport last week will face consequences from the carrier.

The pilots were using laptop computers at the time in violation of the airline's rules.

Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Richard Anderson has responded to the incident, saying, quote, "we don't operate our airplanes that way." Delta became the largest airline in the world after it acquired Northwest last year.

Timothy Cheney and Richard Cole have been suspended by Delta and federal authorities have also revoked their licenses.

The pilots told NTSB officials they "lost track of time" during a conversation on new crew schedules.

They were using their personal laptop computers as part of the discussion.

Cheney and Cole lost contact with air controllers for more than an hour and overshot the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport by 150 miles.

　

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