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Delta Air Lines is a major American airline with a history that goes back to 1924.

1924 through 1940

Delta's origins can be traced to a decision by B. R. Coad and Collett E. Woolman. Coad was an employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's field laboratory in Tallulah, Louisiana; Woolman was with its extension service. They worked on finding a solution to the boll weevil infestation of cotton crops and concluded that the "dusting" of an insecticide powder from the air would be the most effective form of treatment. From this decision, Huff Daland Dusters Incorporated was born. It was founded on May 30, 1924, in Macon, Georgia, and became the world's first aerial crop dusting company. The company moved to Monroe, Louisiana, in 1925. Woolman left his position with the extension service and in the off-season traveled with the company to Peru, where they helped to establish crop-dusting and passenger services. With this experience, Woolman returned to the United States and in 1928 raised the capital to buy Huff Daland, purchasing it on September 13, 1928, and renaming the company Delta Air Service, with its headquarters in Monroe. The name Delta, referring to the Mississippi Delta, was suggested by Catherine Fitzgerald, a secretary who later would rise to the rank of an executive in the company.^[1]

In 1930 the Delta Air Corporation (as it was then called) expanded eastward to include service to Atlanta, the fastest-growing city in the South, and westward to Fort Worth, Texas.^[1] This service was terminated in 1930 after the "Spoils Conference", when the Post Office awarded the route to American Airlines. Delta's lack of success in winning a commercial airmail contract—the bread and butter of any aspiring airline—jeopardized its existence, and the company suspended passenger service.^[1]

A reprieve came for Delta on the heels of the "airmail scandal", when the U.S. Congress enacted the Air Mail Act of 1934. Woolman secured a low-bid contract for the new Route 33 airmail service between Dallas and Charleston, South Carolina, via Atlanta.^[1] In August of that same year Delta resumed passenger services, flying Stinson Trimotors,^[1] with a route from Charleston, SC to Fort Worth, with stops in Columbia, SC, Augusta, Atlanta, Birmingham, and Meridian along the way.^[2]

1940s and 1950s

In 1941, Delta moved its headquarters from Monroe to Atlanta, to center itself along its new route network that now stretched to Chicago, Miami, and New Orleans.

In 1953 Delta purchased Chicago and Southern Air Lines, and flew under the name Delta C&S for the next two years.^[3] Like Braniff, Delta was initially restricted to Newark, but both airlines transferred across the Hudson River to Idlewild in a couple of years.^{[citation needed]}

1960s and 1970s

Delta added jet airliners to its fleet in the 1960s, following the purchase of the Douglas DC-8 that entered service in 1959. Delta's new red, white, and blue triangle logo (the "widget") which began appearing on Delta's aircraft at that time was a representation of the jet's swept wing. Its fleet grew with the addition in 1960 of Convair 880s (they set a coast-to-coast record of just over three hours)^[4] and in 1965, the DC-9. Delta became an all-jet airline in 1970.^[1]

Delta purchased Northeast Airlines in 1972 to strengthen its market share in the northeastern United States.^[1]

Delta launched its cargo service Delta Air Express in 1975.^[5]

1980s

Delta launched its first frequent flyer program in 1981 which became the SkyMiles program in 1995. In 1983, Delta took delivery of its first Boeing 767-200, named the Spirit of Delta, which was paid for "by voluntary contributions from employees, retirees and Delta's community partners." The effort, called Project 767, was spearheaded by three Delta flight attendants to show the employees' appreciation to Delta for solid management and strong leadership during the first years following airline deregulation."^[6] The airplane remained in the Delta fleet until 2006, and was repainted in a commemorative paint scheme and toured the country to celebrate the airline's 75th anniversary in 2004.^[7]

1990s

In 1990, Delta became the first U.S. airline to operate the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft,^[8] leasing two from Mitsui.

Delta expanded dramatically by purchasing most of Pan Am's European routes after Pan Am declared bankruptcy in 1991. Delta initially explored a joint divvying-up of Pan Am's assets with United Airlines where Delta would take over the New York-based European operations and United would take over the Miami-based Latin American operations, but the two carriers reached an impasse over which would assume the Pan Am Miami-London route. On September 1, Delta acquired Pan Am's East Coast and European routes (except for its intra-European routes from Frankfurt, acquired by Lufthansa) and assumed a controlling interest in the remainder of Pan Am, which continued to operate routes from Miami to London, Paris and Latin America. The total price for these assets was $1.3 billion.^[9]

Although Delta initially promised further equity injections to keep Pan Am afloat, it refused to do so only a month later, which forced Pan Am to cease operations on December 4.^[10] United purchased the remaining assets of Pan Am a few days later, including transatlantic routes from Miami, for a total of $135 million.^[9]

The Pan Am creditors' committee sued Delta for more than $2.5 billion on December 9.^[11]

The Pan Am transaction gave Delta the largest transatlantic route network among U.S. airlines. Because of these acquisitions, Delta became and remains the largest U.S. transatlantic carrier, in terms of passengers carried and number of flights operated. The ex-Pan Am routes acquired by Delta included Detroit to London, despite Northwest Airlines' objections due to Delta's small presence in Detroit and Northwest's comparatively larger operations.^[12] Northwest later attempted to buy US Air's (now US Airways) Baltimore-London route for $5 million and transfer the route to Detroit^[13] but ended up buying the route from Delta in 1995^[14] for a rumored $32 million.^{[citation needed]}

Throughout the 1990s, Delta maintained a secondary hub at Portland for its Asia operations. In addition to regularly scheduled flights to Delta's primary hubs during this time (Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, and Salt Lake City), several of Delta's flights to Asia were routed from Portland and Los Angeles, using L-1011 and MD-11 aircraft. Destinations included Bangkok, Fukuoka (resumed December 28, 2011 from Honolulu as a seasonal route), Hong Kong, Manila, Nagoya, Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo (resumed June 3, 2009 replacing Northwest Airlines route). Delta was one of the airlines targeted in the failed Operation Bojinka plot: the conspirators planned to bomb a Delta MD-11 flying from Seoul to Bangkok via Taipei on January 21, 1995. Today, all Asia operations from Portland and Los Angeles have ceased (except for Portland-Tokyo and Los Angeles-Tokyo).^[15]

In 1998, Delta and United Airlines introduced a marketing partnership that included a reciprocal redemption agreement between SkyMiles and Mileage Plus programs and shared lounges.^[16] This scheme allowed members of either frequent flier program to earn miles on both carriers and utilize both carriers' lounges. Delta and United attempted to introduce an even closer codeshare agreement, but this was deal was effectively killed by ALPA.^[17]

2000s

In 2000 Delta partnered with AeroMéxico, Air France, and Korean Air to form SkyTeam, a global alliance. Three years later, Delta began the largest domestic codeshare alliance with Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Today SkyTeam is the second largest airline alliance in the world (after Star Alliance).^[18]

Delta's short-lived Los Angeles focus city was significantly reduced in 2008, ending the build up toward hub status as Delta went from a high of 48 destinations from the airport to just 17.^[19]

Fleet transformation in the early 2000s

In an effort to simplify its fleet and capitalize on cross-platform compatibility, not only in pilot training but also maintenance, the airline began to retire its trijets (three-engine planes) in favor of twinjets (two-engine planes). Delta's entire active fleet is now composed of twinjets, except for the 747s. The airline is now the world's largest operator of 767 aircraft.

The Lockheed L-1011 was, for many years, the workhorse of the fleet and backbone of Delta's international network, numbering as high as 56 in service at one time. The last L-1011 (N728DA) was retired on July 31, 2001. The final flight operated as Flight 1949 from Orlando to Atlanta. The Lockheed L-1011's were replaced with the Boeing 767-400.
The airline's many Boeing 727s were completely replaced with Boeing 737-800s in 2003.
Delta operated its last MD-11 flight on January 1, 2004, operating as Flight 56 from Narita International Airport to Atlanta. This concluded the MD-11s relatively short service in the fleet. MD-11 aircraft have been replaced with Boeing 777-200ERs. On September 23, 2004, a Delta spokesperson confirmed plans to sell 8 MD-11s to FedEx Express. The remainder MD-11s were either sold to World Airways for charter use or converted to freighters for UPS Airlines.

Bankruptcy

As early as 2004, in an effort to avoid bankruptcy, Delta announced a restructuring of the company that included job cuts and an aggressive expansion of Atlanta operations by some 100 new flights, making it a 'super-hub' and requiring the airline to spread its flight schedule more evenly across the day.^[21]

On August 15, 2005, in an SEC filing, Delta announced that it had finalized a deal to sell Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) for $425 million in cash to SkyWest Airlines in an effort to obtain money to avoid bankruptcy. Analysts called the move a desperate one, estimating ASA's worth at around $700–$800 million – a price which SkyWest would not have been willing to pay.^[22]

On September 7, 2005, Delta announced that it would cut 26% of its flights at its Cincinnati hub and redeploy aircraft to its hubs in Atlanta and Salt Lake City.^[23]

Reorganization during bankruptcy

On September 22, 2005, Delta announced the acceleration of restructuring activities, targeting an additional $3 billion per year in cost reductions by 2007. $970 million of this amount was to come from debt relief, lease and facility savings, and previously commenced fleet modifications. Non-union workers' salaries were to be reduced by a minimum of 9% across the board, with a 15% reduction for executive officers and a 25% pay cut for CEO Gerald Grinstein. In December 2005, the Delta pilots agreed to an additional temporary 14% cut in pay, piggybacking onto the 32.5% taken at the beginning of 2005. This cut was made permanent with the ratification of an agreement in June 2006. Additionally, the company planned to lay off between 7,000 and 9,000 of its 52,000 employees.^[24]

In 2006, Delta purchased rights to fly between New York City and London from United Airlines.^[25]

On February 24, 2006, Delta, along with Continental Airlines and FedEx Express, saw future operations to Venezuela severely affected by President Hugo Chávez's decision to restrict flights coming into that South American country from the United States.^[26]^{[needs update]}

Based on all of these new initiatives, Delta projected a return to profitability by late 2007, based on a crude oil price model of $66 per barrel, in contrast to other bankrupt carriers' restructuring modeled on $55 per barrel. Delta would eventually reach this goal of full year profitability in 2007.^[27]

Delta announced that coach travelers in the United States who have a flight longer than four hours will have on-demand programming on all those flights starting in 2007 at its main hubs in New York City, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta. This was to counter entertainment offerings of other airlines like JetBlue Airways, and take place of Song's service. Delta claimed to offer the leading in-flight entertainment system in the United States. Live programming and music are free, and movies will be available on demand for a nominal fee in coach and for free in first class.^[28] Delta also intends to install an improved in-flight entertainment system on internationally-configured aircraft, featuring a personal selection of movies. The system was installed in all classes on Boeing 767-400ER and 777-200ER aircraft, and in the BusinessElite section on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.^[29]

On November 9, 2006, the airline announced that it would recall 1,000 flight attendants that were previously laid off. In addition to the flight attendant recall, Delta announced in late December 2006 that it had exhausted its pilot recall list and was now accepting pilot applications for the first time in 5 years. They expected to take on close to 200 first officers through 2007.^[30]

Failed takeover attempt by US Airways

On November 15, 2006, Bloomberg reported that US Airways Group, the parent of US Airways, proposed a takeover of Delta for $8 billion in cash and stock.^[31]

In addition to Delta management, Delta employees appeared to be extremely skeptical of US Airways management's claims that a merger would result in no job reductions and provide a more secure future for a combined entity. Employees had started wearing "Keep Delta My Delta" buttons and campaigning to raise public awareness of their opposition to the proposed takeover.^[32]

On December 19, 2006, Delta announced (as expected) that it had rejected US Airways Group's proposed merger. Along with the announcement, it launched a media campaign against the merger to raise public support. The campaign, "Keep Delta My Delta", was picked up from the employee grassroots effort of the same name. The effort's website harbored an e-petition, quotes from prominent dissidents, and the effects the merger could have on selected localities. In its report, Delta cited many reasons for rejecting the bid, including it would lead to worse customer service, possible layoffs, an inefficient carrier, the carrier with the largest debt-load in the industry, and near-monopoly powers.^[33]

On December 20, 2006, Delta and its financial advisor, the Blackstone Group, declared that Delta would be valued at between $9.4 billion and $12 billion after emerging from bankruptcy, which would (at the time of this writing ^[when?]) give it a market capitalization comparable to that of Southwest Airlines Co. or greater than that of American Airlines' AMR Corp. and Continental Airlines, Inc. combined. US Airways Group CEO Doug Parker stated that Delta's self-valuation lacked credibility and was unrealistic.^[34] Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein retorted by stating that the Tempe-based airline was "the worst of all potential merger partners".^[35]

On January 10, 2007, US Airways raised its bid by 20%, to $10.2 billion. The revised offer was set to expire by February 1 unless Delta's creditors opened the airline's books to US Airways and delayed a scheduled February 7 court hearing pertaining to Delta's reorganization plan.^[36] Delta responded with a statement, claiming that "...the revised proposal does not address significant concerns that have been raised about the initial US Airways proposal and, in fact, would increase the debt burden of the combined company by yet another $1 billion."^[37] That same day Delta Air Lines was speculated to be in talks with Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and United Airlines to fend off the US Airways bid.^[38] CEO Gerald Grinstein, however, denied that any serious negotiations were ongoing with Northwest or any other airline.^{[citation needed]}

On January 28, 2007, US Airways holding company raised its bid by another $1 billion according to the Wall Street Journal,^[39] but company spokesmen denied any change.^{[citation needed]} On January 31, 2007, Delta's creditors rejected US Airways' hostile takeover attempt, and US Airways withdrew its offer to buy Delta. On the same day, executives and employees of the company gathered to celebrate the re-lighting of the historic "FLY DELTA JETS" sign at the company's main hub, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.^[40]^[41]

Emergence from bankruptcy

On April 25, 2007, the airline's bankruptcy plan was approved by the bankruptcy court. On April 30, 2007, Delta Air Lines emerged from bankruptcy protection as an independent carrier. Delta also unveiled a new logo, reminiscent of its logo from the 1970s and 1980s, and a new paint scheme. Delta's bankruptcy exit strategy was vastly different from that of United in that it expanded its way out of bankruptcy, rather than retrenching. ^{[citation needed]}

Delta's previous stock was canceled as of Monday, April 30, 2007, and new shares are trading on a "when issued" basis on the New York Stock Exchange. These shares began trading normally on Thursday, May 3, 2007. The starting price was around $20.00 a share, and went up to as high as $23.35. But investors showed little confidence in the stock as the price fell to $19.00 later in the week.^[42]

Upon exiting bankruptcy, Delta also announced a 50% increase in operations at Los Angeles International Airport,^[43] thus establishing Los Angeles as Delta's second West Coast hub and new potential Asian gateway with a total of 99 daily departures.

Post-bankruptcy

On May 10, 2007, Delta announced a partnership with US Helicopter, who provides service from John F. Kennedy International Airport to several helipads in downtown Manhattan.^[44]

On July 12, 2007, Delta and its SkyTeam partners announced that they would forfeit slots in the European Union to relieve antitrust concerns.^[45]

On August 21, 2007, Delta named Richard Anderson, former CEO of Northwest Airlines and executive at UnitedHealth Group, as a replacement for outgoing CEO Gerald Grinstein. Anderson assumed the post on September 1.^[46]

On November 14, 2007, Pardus Capital Management LP, a hedge fund that owns 7 million shares of Delta and 5.6 million shares of United, called for the two carriers to merge. This action sent shares of both airlines up. However, the two airlines quickly denied official talks of any merger.^[47]^[48] ^[49]

Japan Airlines shareholder negotiations

In an effort to expand Delta's Tokyo hub operations at Narita International Airport after the merger with Northwest, on September 11, 2009, Japans's NHK reported that Japan Airlines (JAL) is seriously considering allowing Delta to become a majority shareholder. JAL is a member of Oneworld, which is rival to Delta's SkyTeam alliance.^[50]^[51] In addition, it was reported that JAL was in talks with Delta's partner Air France-KLM and JAL's Oneworld partner and Delta's rival American Airlines (AMR Corporation) for equity investments in the airline.^[52]

On January 4, 2010, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that JAL and the Japanese government-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan will likely choose to form a business and capital tie-up with Delta, and that JAL would enter the SkyTeam alliance as part of the deal. The move, according to the report, would reduce JAL's international flight operations in favor of code-share agreements with Delta. The report also said that American Airlines had begun procedures to end negotiations with JAL.^[53] A JAL spokesman denied the report, stating that negotiations with Delta and American were continuing.^[54]

Yomiuri reported on January 16 that Delta had reached an agreement with JAL on a tie-up consisting mostly of code-sharing flight services. JAL and Delta intended to sign the agreement after JAL's bankruptcy protection proceedings begin, and both airlines will apply for antitrust immunity with the United States Department of Transportation in February^{[citation needed]}. Also, JAL announced that it will leave Oneworld and will join the SkyTeam alliance.^[55]^[56] JAL was expected to officially announce the tie-up with Delta and the switch from Oneworld to SkyTeam on February 1, the day Delta's and NWA's reservation systems merge, which is scheduled on January 31, though the antitrust immunity approval may not yet be received until as late as autumn 2010, and JAL's introduction into SkyTeam may not be until as early as the beginning of the 2011 Japanese fiscal year, which begins on April 1 of that year, as the plan by the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan (ETIC) suggests. On February 8, 2010, Japan Airlines announced that will remain partners with American Airlines and will stay in Oneworld and the airline's talks with Delta ended.^[57]

2010s

Merger with Northwest Airlines

On April 14, 2008, following merger talks first reported on January 15, 2008,^[58] Delta and Northwest Airlines announced that they would merge to create the world's largest airline under the Delta name.^[59] The merger formed the largest commercial airline in the world, with 786 aircraft.^[60] The Atlanta-based combined airline will have $17.7 billion enterprise value. The company also stated on April 14, 2008 that it agreed with its pilot union to extend the existing collective bargaining agreement through the end of 2012. The agreement, subject to a vote by the pilots, provides Delta pilots a 3.5 percent equity stake in the created new airline.^[61]

Northwest WorldPerks was merged into Delta SkyMiles on October 1, 2009. Operating certificates were merged on December 31, 2009. Reservations systems were merged on January 31, 2010; officially retiring the Northwest brand.^[62]^[63]

Approval

The deal passed anti-trust overview from the Department of Justice; as most analysis expected, the deal was not blocked, due to the minimal overlap between the two airlines' routes and very little threat to competition in the industry.^[64] The merger was also expected to be the subject of several hearings on Capitol Hill. Representative Jim Oberstar of Minnesota, who also serves as chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, made clear his opposition to the merger, and he fought it in Washington^{[citation needed]}. There was also strong support for the merger at the Capitol from legislators from Georgia, including Representative Lynn Westmoreland, Representative David Scott, and Senator Johnny Isakson.^[65] On August 7, 2008, the merger won regulatory approval from the European Union.^[66]

After a six-month investigation, government economists concluded the merger would likely drive down costs for consumers without curbing competition.^[67] On October 29, 2008, the United States Department of Justice approved the merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest.^[68]

Transition

As of December 31, 2009, 216 of NWA's 303 aircraft have been painted in Delta livery.^[63] Northwest's three US hubs have been fully rebranded and gates have been consolidated along with other US airports. Some routes are being transferred to Delta from Northwest and to Northwest from Delta depending on the route. In airports where Northwest and Delta operate in separate terminals, one airline moves to another's terminal. For example, in Los Angeles International Airport, NWA, which had a smaller operation, moved into Delta's Terminals 5 and 6 from its previous home in Terminal 2 on June 30, 2009.

Northwest officially ceased operations on January 31, 2010, however certain planes still operate in NWA colors and some of them may not even be repainted as Delta colors. Old NWA markings can also be seen on ship's equipment, such as beverage and food carts, that are loaded on former Northwest aircraft. However, flight crews have yet to be integrated as union rules do not allow unionized Northwest flight attendants to work the same flight as non-unionized Delta flight attendants.

Possible Bid for AMR

On January 12, 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported that Delta is considering a bid to purchase AMR, the parent of American Airlines. In addition, US Airways and private-equity firm TPG capital are each also considering bids.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g This article incorporates material written by Jamil S. Zainaldin of the Georgia Humanities Council of May 31, 2007 for the New Georgia Encyclopedia ("NGE"), posted or last updated 1302. All derived works must credit the NGE and the original author.
^ "Delta Air Lines; Delta Through the Decades". Delta.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ "Delta Through the Decades". Delta.com. April 30, 2007. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ A Texaco ad in Aviation Week September 19, 1960 p48 says flight time San Diego to Miami was 3 hr 31 min 45 sec (date not given).
^ "Delta Through the Decades". Delta.com. April 30, 2007. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ "Spirit of Delta". Retrieved September 17, 2006.
^ "The Spirit of Delta launched to commemorate anniversary". Atlanta Business Chronicle. April 23, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2006.
^ MD-11 jumbo jet arriving to fly Delta into the future, Atlanta Journal-Constitution December 22, 1990
^ ^a ^b Petzinger, Thomas (1996). Hard Landing: The Epic Contest For Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos. Random House. ISBN 978-0-307-77449-1.
^ Pan Am Faces Shutdown Today Without Financing, Associated Press December 4, 1991
^ "Pan Am, Creditors Sue Delta – The Washington Post – HighBeam Research". Highbeam.com. December 9, 1991. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ "Company news; Pan American Route Transfer". New York Times. April 1, 1992. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ "Company News; Northwest Agrees To Pay $5 Million For London Route". New York Times. April 16, 1993. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ "History". MetroAirport.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ "Complaints make Portland-Tokyo flight bumpy for Delta". The Oregonian. September 3, 2009.
^ "Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to end marketing relationship|Airline Industry Information|Find Articles at BNET.com". Findarticles.com. July 29, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ "News & Analysis". FrequentFlier.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ "SkyTeam Alliance Members – Member Airlines of SkyTeam". Businesstravel.about.com. April 10, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ "Delta Air Lines Plan of Reorganization (LAX included in 5 hubs/gateways, pgs 23 and 24)" (PDF). Retrieved December 20, 2006.
^ "Delta Logo Timeline". Retrieved June 27, 2010.
^ "Guiding Pilots to their Professional Goals". FLTops.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ Delta Air Lines Reaches Definitive Agreement to Sell Atlantic Southeast Airlines to SkyWest (Press release), Delta Air Lines, August 15, 2005, archived from the original on November 18, 2005
^ Delta Air Lines Strengthens Domestic Hubs, Offers Customers More International Choices with Winter Schedule (Press release), Delta Air Lines, September 7, 2005, archived from the original on November 20, 2005
^ Delta Air Lines Steps Up Transformation Plan to Accelerate Path to Profitability (Press Release), Delta Air Lines, September 22, 2005, archived from the original on February 20, 2006
^ "Delta Air Lines Seeks 'Crown Jewel' for New York-JFK Hub: Nonstop Flights to London". News.delta.com. July 28, 2006. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ Bachelet, Pablo (February 25, 2006). "Chávez restricting U.S. flights". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ "Delta Air Lines in black for 2007; Business Courier of Cincinnati, Wednesday, January 23, 2008". Cincinnati.bizjournals.com. January 23, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ Adams, Marilyn (September 13, 2006). "Delta plans to keep fliers entertained". USA Today. Retrieved September 17, 2006.
^ "Delta Continues Successful International Expansion with New Nonstop Service to Dubai, Seoul, three Destinations in Europe" (Press release). Delta Air Lines. October 12, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2006.
^ http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=10496 "Delta Accepting Pilot Applications" (Press release). Delta Air Lines. {{cite press release}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
^ Schlangenstein, Mary (November 15, 2006). "US Airways Proposes Merging With Delta Air Lines". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
^ Howe, Peter J. (November 23, 2006). "Delta workers see trouble in takeover bid". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
^ Keep Delta My Delta, archived from the original on December 31, 2006
^ Grantham, Russell (December 22, 2006). "US Airways CEO: Delta's self-valuation 'lacks credibility'". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2006.
^ Gibbons, Tom (December 24, 2006). "Money talks in bid to acquire Delta". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2006.
^ Schneiderman, R.M. (January 10, 2007). "US Airways Sweetens Delta Bid". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
^ "Delta Air Lines Issues Preliminary Statement Regarding US Airways Revised Proposal" (Press release). Delta Air Lines. January 10, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
^ Delta Air Lines Is Speculated To Be In Talks with Two Other Airlines For Possible Merger (CNN Money: January 10, 2007)
^ The Wall Street Journal, p. 3, January 29, 2007 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ Isidore, Chris (January 31, 2007). "US Air drops hostile bid for Delta after creditors say no – Jan. 31, 2007". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ maritimeseven (January 31, 2007). "Video showing FLY DELTA JETS sign being relighted". Youtube.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ "DAL – Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Google Finance". Finance.google.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ Peter Pae (May 7, 2007), "Delta's ambitions soar again", Los Angeles Times, articles.latimes.com
^ http://www.flyush.com/pdfs/USH-Delta-Announcement.pdf
^ "Europe". Bloomberg.com. July 12, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ "Former Northwest CEO Becomes Delta Chief". CBS News. Associated Press. August 21, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
^ "Hedge fund calls for Delta-United merger – South Florida Business Journal:". Bizjournals.com. November 14, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
^ Grantham, Russell (11/14/07). "Metro Atlanta Business News | ajc.com". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 2013-01-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ Laura Mandaro (November 14, 2007). "Delta Air says it's not in merger talks with United". Marketwatch.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ "JAL seek capital tie-up with Delta". NHK. September 11, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
^ "JAL mulling capital, business tie-up with Delta Air Lines: sources". Kyodo News. September 11, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
^ "JAL in talks to strengthen ties with American Airlines". Kyodo News. September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
^ "JAL, Delta seen forming business ties". The Yomiuri Shimbun. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
^ Takahashi, Yoshio (January 4, 2010). "Japan Airlines: Still In Talks With Delta, American". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
^ Ben Mutzabaugh. "Report: Japan Airlines to leave oneworld, defect to SkyTeam". Usatoday.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.^{[dead link]}
^ [1]^{[dead link]}
^ [2]^{[dead link]}
^ Delta Air Lines Begins Merger Talks With NWA and UAL (USA Today: January 15, 2008)
^ Delta/Northwest Announce Merger Agreements (Official Press Release: April 14, 2008)
^ Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines Combining To Create America's Premier Global Airline (Press release), Delta Air Lines, April 14, 2008, archived from the original on April 15, 2008
^ Delta, Northwest approve merger, CNN, April 15, 2008
^ "Delta Air steps up makeover with branding changes". Reuters. March 26, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Ellen Creager (August 9, 2009). "Delta-Northwest merger will pick up steam soon – Detroit Free Press". Freep.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ KEVIN DIAZ (January 20, 2008). "NWA-Delta merger seen likely to pass U.S. scrutiny". Startribune.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
^ [3]^{[dead link]}
^ "Delta's merger with Northwest gets OK in Europe - chicagotribune.com". Chicago Tribune.
^ "My Stocks & Funds". CNN.
^ "Delta, Northwest deal gets DOJ approval", CNNMoney.com, Associated Press, CNN, 2008-10-29, archived from the original on 208-11-01 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |archivedate= (help)

External links

[4] has several Delta timetables from 1938–62.

[NGE-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g This article incorporates material written by Jamil S. Zainaldin of the Georgia Humanities Council of May 31, 2007 for the New Georgia Encyclopedia ("NGE"), posted or last updated 1302. All derived works must credit the NGE and the original author.

[2] "Delta Air Lines; Delta Through the Decades". Delta.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[3] "Delta Through the Decades". Delta.com. April 30, 2007. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[4] A Texaco ad in Aviation Week September 19, 1960 p48 says flight time San Diego to Miami was 3 hr 31 min 45 sec (date not given).

[5] "Delta Through the Decades". Delta.com. April 30, 2007. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[6] "Spirit of Delta". Retrieved September 17, 2006.

[7] "The Spirit of Delta launched to commemorate anniversary". Atlanta Business Chronicle. April 23, 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2006.

[8] MD-11 jumbo jet arriving to fly Delta into the future, Atlanta Journal-Constitution December 22, 1990

[petzinger-9] Petzinger, Thomas (1996). Hard Landing: The Epic Contest For Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos. Random House. ISBN 978-0-307-77449-1.

[10] Pan Am Faces Shutdown Today Without Financing, Associated Press December 4, 1991

[11] "Pan Am, Creditors Sue Delta – The Washington Post – HighBeam Research". Highbeam.com. December 9, 1991. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[12] "Company news; Pan American Route Transfer". New York Times. April 1, 1992. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[13] "Company News; Northwest Agrees To Pay $5 Million For London Route". New York Times. April 16, 1993. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[14] "History". MetroAirport.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[15] "Complaints make Portland-Tokyo flight bumpy for Delta". The Oregonian. September 3, 2009.

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[17] "News & Analysis". FrequentFlier.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[18] "SkyTeam Alliance Members – Member Airlines of SkyTeam". Businesstravel.about.com. April 10, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[19] "Delta Air Lines Plan of Reorganization (LAX included in 5 hubs/gateways, pgs 23 and 24)" (PDF). Retrieved December 20, 2006.

[20] "Delta Logo Timeline". Retrieved June 27, 2010.

[21] "Guiding Pilots to their Professional Goals". FLTops.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[deltapr200508-22] Delta Air Lines Reaches Definitive Agreement to Sell Atlantic Southeast Airlines to SkyWest (Press release), Delta Air Lines, August 15, 2005, archived from the original on November 18, 2005

[deltapr200509-23] Delta Air Lines Strengthens Domestic Hubs, Offers Customers More International Choices with Winter Schedule (Press release), Delta Air Lines, September 7, 2005, archived from the original on November 20, 2005

[deltapr200509b-24] Delta Air Lines Steps Up Transformation Plan to Accelerate Path to Profitability (Press Release), Delta Air Lines, September 22, 2005, archived from the original on February 20, 2006

[25] "Delta Air Lines Seeks 'Crown Jewel' for New York-JFK Hub: Nonstop Flights to London". News.delta.com. July 28, 2006. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[26] Bachelet, Pablo (February 25, 2006). "Chávez restricting U.S. flights". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[27] "Delta Air Lines in black for 2007; Business Courier of Cincinnati, Wednesday, January 23, 2008". Cincinnati.bizjournals.com. January 23, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[28] Adams, Marilyn (September 13, 2006). "Delta plans to keep fliers entertained". USA Today. Retrieved September 17, 2006.

[29] "Delta Continues Successful International Expansion with New Nonstop Service to Dubai, Seoul, three Destinations in Europe" (Press release). Delta Air Lines. October 12, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2006.

[30] ttp://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=10496 "Delta Accepting Pilot Applications" (Press release). Delta Air Lines. {{cite press release}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)

[bloomberg_20061115_usairways_delta_merger-31] Schlangenstein, Mary (November 15, 2006). "US Airways Proposes Merging With Delta Air Lines". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 10, 2007.

[bostonglobe_20061123_delta_workers_see_trouble-32] Howe, Peter J. (November 23, 2006). "Delta workers see trouble in takeover bid". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 10, 2007.

[keepdelta-33] Keep Delta My Delta, archived from the original on December 31, 2006

[DLValuation-34] Grantham, Russell (December 22, 2006). "US Airways CEO: Delta's self-valuation 'lacks credibility'". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2006.

[DLValuation2-35] Gibbons, Tom (December 24, 2006). "Money talks in bid to acquire Delta". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2006.

[36] Schneiderman, R.M. (January 10, 2007). "US Airways Sweetens Delta Bid". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2007.

[37] "Delta Air Lines Issues Preliminary Statement Regarding US Airways Revised Proposal" (Press release). Delta Air Lines. January 10, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.

[38] Delta Air Lines Is Speculated To Be In Talks with Two Other Airlines For Possible Merger (CNN Money: January 10, 2007)

[wsj20070131-39] The Wall Street Journal, p. 3, January 29, 2007 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[40] Isidore, Chris (January 31, 2007). "US Air drops hostile bid for Delta after creditors say no – Jan. 31, 2007". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[41] ritimeseven (January 31, 2007). "Video showing FLY DELTA JETS sign being relighted". Youtube.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[42] "DAL – Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Google Finance". Finance.google.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[43] Peter Pae (May 7, 2007), "Delta's ambitions soar again", Los Angeles Times, articles.latimes.com

[44] ttp://www.flyush.com/pdfs/USH-Delta-Announcement.pdf

[45] "Europe". Bloomberg.com. July 12, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[46] "Former Northwest CEO Becomes Delta Chief". CBS News. Associated Press. August 21, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.

[47] "Hedge fund calls for Delta-United merger – South Florida Business Journal:". Bizjournals.com. November 14, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

[48] Grantham, Russell (11/14/07). "Metro Atlanta Business News | ajc.com". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 2013-01-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[49] Laura Mandaro (November 14, 2007). "Delta Air says it's not in merger talks with United". Marketwatch.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[50] "JAL seek capital tie-up with Delta". NHK. September 11, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.

[51] "JAL mulling capital, business tie-up with Delta Air Lines: sources". Kyodo News. September 11, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.

[52] "JAL in talks to strengthen ties with American Airlines". Kyodo News. September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2009.

[53] "JAL, Delta seen forming business ties". The Yomiuri Shimbun. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010. ^{[dead link]}

[54] Takahashi, Yoshio (January 4, 2010). "Japan Airlines: Still In Talks With Delta, American". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2010. ^{[dead link]}

[55] Ben Mutzabaugh. "Report: Japan Airlines to leave oneworld, defect to SkyTeam". Usatoday.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.^{[dead link]}

[56] [1]^{[dead link]}

[57] [2]^{[dead link]}

[58] Delta Air Lines Begins Merger Talks With NWA and UAL (USA Today: January 15, 2008)

[59] Delta/Northwest Announce Merger Agreements (Official Press Release: April 14, 2008)

[deltapr20080414-60] Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines Combining To Create America's Premier Global Airline (Press release), Delta Air Lines, April 14, 2008, archived from the original on April 15, 2008

[61] Delta, Northwest approve merger, CNN, April 15, 2008

[62] "Delta Air steps up makeover with branding changes". Reuters. March 26, 2009.

[dlnwfreep-63] Ellen Creager (August 9, 2009). "Delta-Northwest merger will pick up steam soon – Detroit Free Press". Freep.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[64] KEVIN DIAZ (January 20, 2008). "NWA-Delta merger seen likely to pass U.S. scrutiny". Startribune.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

[65] [3]^{[dead link]}

[66] "Delta's merger with Northwest gets OK in Europe - chicagotribune.com". Chicago Tribune.

[67] "My Stocks & Funds". CNN.

[appcnn200810-68] "Delta, Northwest deal gets DOJ approval", CNNMoney.com, Associated Press, CNN, 2008-10-29, archived from the original on 208-11-01 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |archivedate= (help)

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@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 Delta's origins can be traced to a decision by [[B. R. Coad]] and [[Collett E. Woolman]]. Coad was an employee of the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture]]'s field laboratory in [[Tallulah, Louisiana]]; Woolman was with its extension service. They worked on finding a solution to the [[boll weevil]] infestation of cotton crops and concluded that the "dusting" of an [[insecticide]] powder from the air would be the most effective form of treatment. From this decision,  Huff Daland Dusters Incorporated was born. It was founded on May 30, 1924, in [[Macon, Georgia]], and became the world's first [[Aerial application|aerial crop dusting]] company. The company moved to [[Monroe, Louisiana]], in 1925. Woolman left his position with the extension service and in the off-season traveled with the company to Peru, where they helped to establish crop-dusting and passenger services. With this experience, Woolman returned to the United States and in 1928 raised the capital to buy Huff Daland, purchasing it on September 13, 1928, and renaming the company Delta Air Service, with its headquarters in Monroe. The name Delta, referring to the [[Mississippi Delta]], was suggested by Catherine Fitzgerald, a secretary who later would rise to the rank of an executive in the company.<ref name="NGE">{{NGE|Jamil S. Zainaldin of the Georgia Humanities Council|May 31, 2007|1302}}</ref>
-Woolman purchased three [[Travel Air]] six-seat monoplanes and, on June 17, 1929, Delta began passenger service from [[Dallas Love Field|Love Field]] in [[Dallas, Texas]], to [[Jackson, Mississippi]], via [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]] and Monroe. Later in that year, service to [[Birmingham, Alabama]], and [[Meridian, Mississippi]], was added. The original directors of Delta Air Service were C.H. McHenry, Travis Oliver, and M.S. Biedenharn.{{Cn|date=June 2013}}
 In 1930 the Delta Air Corporation (as it was then called) expanded eastward to include service to Atlanta, the fastest-growing city in the South, and westward to [[Fort Worth, Texas]].<ref name="NGE"/> This service was terminated in 1930 after the "Spoils Conference", when the Post Office awarded the route to American Airlines. Delta's lack of success in winning a commercial airmail contract—the bread and butter of any aspiring airline—jeopardized its existence, and the company suspended passenger service.<ref name="NGE"/>
@@ Line 16: / Line 14: @@
 ==1940s and 1950s==
-With the exception of the "Big Four" airlines (Eastern, TWA, United, American) that were favored with mail contracts and routes, the aviation industry in the 1930s was less a business than a high-stakes gamble. Safety remained a constant concern. An important step in regulation was the passage of the [[Civil Aeronautics Act]] of 1938, which created the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB). The legislation was typical of U.S. president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s second term, favoring business stabilization, growth, and safety within a competitive market. Delta was an early beneficiary and by 1943 obtained CAB approval to expand its route system to [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], to the north, [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] to the east, and [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], to the south. In the meantime, Delta upgraded its fleet to include [[Douglas DC-2]]s and [[Douglas DC-3|DC-3s]], and in 1940 added [[flight attendant]]s to the flight crews. {{cn|date=June 2013}}
-In 1941, Delta moved its headquarters from [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] to [[Atlanta]], to center itself along its new route network that now stretched to Chicago, Miami, and [[New Orleans]]. America's entry into [[World War II]] slowed Delta's growth. With fewer aircraft in operation, Delta converted its Atlanta facility and personnel into aviation maintenance and training cogs in the national war effort. In 1945 the company's official name became Delta Air Lines, and Woolman, Delta's first vice president, became president and general manager.<ref name="NGE"/>
+In 1941, Delta moved its headquarters from [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] to [[Atlanta]], to center itself along its new route network that now stretched to Chicago, Miami, and [[New Orleans]].
-In the decade after the peace of 1945, Delta stayed current with technology advances by purchasing new equipment and seeking new routes. In 1945 the CAB approved a [[Chicago]]–[[Miami, Florida]], route via Atlanta—Delta's second foray outside the South. In 1948 the company began flying the all-new [[Douglas DC-6]], a pressurized, four-engine passenger plane that cruised at 328 miles per hour.<ref name="NGE" />
 [[File:Delta DC-7.jpg|thumb|A Delta [[Douglas DC-7]], circa 1955]]
-The company next purchased the [[Douglas DC-7|DC-7]] and replaced its DC-3 aircraft with <nowiki/>[[Convair 440|Convair 440s]]. Delta also benefited from "[[Codeshare agreement|interchange service]]" agreements with [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]], [[National Airlines (NA)|National Airlines]], and [[American Airlines]], which allowed Delta aircraft to carry passengers to and from airports in Michigan, Florida, and California.<ref name="NGE" />
-In 1953 Delta purchased [[Chicago and Southern Air Lines]], and flew under the name Delta C&S for the next two years.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/delta_through_decades/index.jsp#1950 |title = Delta Through the Decades |publisher = Delta.com |date = April 30, 2007 |accessdate = 2009-03-01| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080420144521/http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/delta_through_decades/index.jsp| archivedate = April 20, 2008}}</ref> This gave it access to a [[Great Lakes]] route system in the upper Midwest and, importantly, to points in the [[Caribbean Sea]] served by C&S.<ref name="NGE"/> In 1955 Delta obtained approval to operate an Atlanta to [[New York City|New York]] route. (Like [[Braniff International Airways|Braniff]], Delta was initially restricted to [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]], but both airlines transferred across the Hudson River to [[Idlewild Airport|Idlewild]] in a couple of years.) Scheduled service extended to [[Philadelphia]]; [[Baltimore, Maryland]]; and [[Charlotte, North Carolina]].  It was also in 1955 that Delta introduced the "[[hub and spoke]]" system of connecting flights, now used by most major airlines.<ref name="NGE"/>
+In 1953 Delta purchased [[Chicago and Southern Air Lines]], and flew under the name Delta C&S for the next two years.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/delta_through_decades/index.jsp#1950 |title = Delta Through the Decades |publisher = Delta.com |date = April 30, 2007 |accessdate = 2009-03-01| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080420144521/http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/delta_through_decades/index.jsp| archivedate = April 20, 2008}}</ref> Like [[Braniff International Airways|Braniff]], Delta was initially restricted to [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]], but both airlines transferred across the Hudson River to [[Idlewild Airport|Idlewild]] in a couple of years.{{fact}}
 ==1960s and 1970s==
@@ Line 31: / Line 25: @@
 [[File:Douglas DC-10-10 N601DA Delta LGA 04.10.73 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|Delta Air Lines Douglas DC-10-10 at [[La Guardia Airport]] New York in 1973]]
 [[File:Delta Air Lines Boeing 747-100 Fitzgerald.jpg|thumb|Delta [[Boeing 747-100]] at [[Heathrow Airport]] in 1973]]
-Delta secured CAB approval in 1961 to operate in its own right (as opposed to interchange service) from points in California and Florida. Two years later, Delta's continuing foray into international markets received CAB approval for an interchange agreement with [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] that allowed Delta aircraft to fly from Atlanta and [[New Orleans]] to points in Europe. Successor chief executive officers over the next two decades were Charles H. Dolson (1965–70), W. T. Beebe (1970–71), and David Garrett (1971–87).<ref name="NGE" />
 Delta added jet airliners to its fleet in the 1960s, following the purchase of the [[Douglas DC-8]] that entered service in 1959. Delta's new red, white, and blue triangle logo (the "widget") which began appearing on Delta's aircraft at that time was a representation of the jet's swept wing. Its fleet grew with the addition in 1960 of [[Convair 880|Convair 880s]] (they set a coast-to-coast record of just over three hours)<ref>A Texaco ad in ''Aviation Week'' September 19, 1960 p48 says flight time San Diego to Miami was 3 hr 31 min 45 sec (date not given).</ref> and in 1965, the [[Douglas DC-9|DC-9]]. Delta became an all-jet airline in 1970.<ref name="NGE" />
-In 1970 Delta entered the "wide-body" jet era with the purchase of five [[Boeing 747]]s for its new long-haul high density routes. The initial route was Los Angeles-[[Dallas Love Field]]-Atlanta. Delta also had an interchange with [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] using Delta 747 to fly to [[London Heathrow Airport]]. With the economic slowdown of the early 1970s Delta found the aircraft too large for its routes and it sold them a few years later. In early 1971, Delta leased five [[DC-10-10]] wide-body trijets from United Airlines as a stopgap measure until its larger order of the new [[Lockheed L-1011]] TriStars could be delivered.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 [[File:DeltaL-1011.jpg|thumb|A Delta [[L-1011]]]]
-Delta purchased [[Northeast Airlines]] in 1972 to strengthen its market share in the northeastern United States. Though a troubled airline, Northeast offered an attractive prize to a national carrier with its Boston base and routes to Canada, [[Bermuda]], [[the Bahamas]], and [[Miami, Florida]].<ref name="NGE"/> Through the purchase, Delta began its long [[Boeing 727]] operation.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
+Delta purchased [[Northeast Airlines]] in 1972 to strengthen its market share in the northeastern United States.<ref name="NGE"/>
-In 1973 the Lockheed L-1011 entered service as Delta's flagship and remained so until the early 1990s. The TriStars started flights from Atlanta to [[London]] in 1978; [[Frankfurt]] was added the following year. In August 1979 Delta was the first airline in the world to board one million passengers at one airport in one month ([[Atlanta]]).{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 Delta launched its cargo service Delta Air Express in 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/delta_through_decades/index.jsp#1970 |title = Delta Through the Decades |publisher = Delta.com |date = April 30, 2007 |accessdate = 2009-03-01| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080420144521/http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/delta_through_decades/index.jsp| archivedate = April 20, 2008}}</ref>
-{| class="wikitable"
-|+ Revenue Passenger-Miles (Millions)(Scheduled Service Only){{cn|date=June 2013}}
-|-
-! !! Delta !! Northeast !! C&S
-|- style="text-align:right;"
-! scope="row" | 1951
-| 402 || 88 || 200
-|- style="text-align:right;"
-! scope="row" | 1955
-| 1008 || 116 || (merged with DL)
-|- style="text-align:right;"
-! scope="row" | 1960
-| 1870 || 565
-|- style="text-align:right;"
-! scope="row" | 1965
-| 4304 || 666
-|- style="text-align:right;"
-! scope="row" | 1970
-| 9713 || 1856
-|- style="text-align:right;"
-! scope="row" | 1975
-| 16460 || (merged)
-|}
 ==1980s==
 Delta launched its first frequent flyer program in 1981 which became the SkyMiles program in 1995. In 1983, Delta took delivery of its first [[Boeing]] [[Boeing 767|767-200]], named the ''[[Spirit of Delta]]'', which was paid for "by voluntary contributions from employees, retirees and Delta's community partners." The effort, called Project 767, was spearheaded by three Delta flight attendants to show the employees' appreciation to Delta for solid management and strong leadership during the first years following [[airline deregulation]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.l1011.homestead.com/SpirtofDL.html|title=Spirit of Delta|accessdate=2006-09-17}}</ref> The airplane remained in the Delta fleet until 2006, and was repainted in a commemorative paint scheme and toured the country to celebrate the airline's 75th anniversary in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2004/04/19/daily67.html|title=The Spirit of Delta launched to commemorate anniversary|work=[[Atlanta Business Chronicle]]|accessdate=2006-09-17|date=April 23, 2004}}</ref>
-In 1984, the company established its [[commuter airline]] [[Delta Connection]] linking local "feeder" airlines that served mid-size population areas to Delta hubs. The same year, Delta began flying to Hawaii ([[Honolulu International Airport]]) with L-1011 aircraft. Also in 1984, Delta began to offer the nation's first public air-to-ground telephone system with [[Airfone]], on the L-1011. Delta was named 'Official Airline of [[Walt Disney World]]' in 1986, and its official ride in the Magic Kingdom was [[Delta Dreamflight]], which was discontinued in the late 1990s when Delta's partnership with Walt Disney World ended.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-Delta started its first transpacific service to [[Tokyo]], Japan, from [[Portland, Oregon]], on March 2, 1987. The following month, Delta merged with [[Western Airlines]] of Los Angeles and absorbed its large hubs at [[Salt Lake City]] and Los Angeles. Western's Salt Lake City, Utah, base brought access to the West, Mexico, and Canada and made Delta the fourth largest U.S. carrier and fifth largest world carrier. It also added to the company's growing fleet of Boeing aircraft (the [[Boeing 737|737]], [[Boeing 757|757]], and 767). Delta's relationship with Douglas continued with the purchase of the [[McDonnell Douglas MD-88]], a descendent of the DC-9, and the wide-body [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11]] for its new Pacific route. Also in 1987, Ronald W. Allen became CEO and chairman.<ref name="NGE" />
 ==1990s==
 [[File:Delta B763 N1201P.jpg|thumb|A Delta Air Lines [[Boeing 767|Boeing 767-300ER]] in 1997–2000 livery, more commonly referred to as the [[Ronald W Allen|Ron Allen]] scheme. The last mainline aircraft in this livery was repainted to the current livery as of July 2008.]]
-In 1990, Delta became the first U.S. airline to operate the [[McDonnell Douglas]] [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11]] aircraft,<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7C4CD465670BB&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM MD-11 jumbo jet arriving to fly Delta into the future], ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' December 22, 1990</ref> leasing two from Mitsui. Delta eventually operated 15 MD-11s.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
+In 1990, Delta became the first U.S. airline to operate the [[McDonnell Douglas]] [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11]] aircraft,<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7C4CD465670BB&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM MD-11 jumbo jet arriving to fly Delta into the future], ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' December 22, 1990</ref> leasing two from Mitsui.
 Delta expanded dramatically by purchasing most of [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]]'s European routes after Pan Am declared bankruptcy in 1991. Delta initially explored a joint divvying-up of Pan Am's assets with [[United Airlines]] where Delta would take over the New York-based European operations and United would take over the Miami-based Latin American operations, but the two carriers reached an impasse over which would assume the Pan Am Miami-London route. On September 1, Delta acquired Pan Am's East Coast and European routes (except for its intra-European routes from Frankfurt, acquired by [[Lufthansa]]) and assumed a controlling interest in the remainder of Pan Am, which continued to operate routes from Miami to London, Paris and Latin America. The total price for these assets was $1.3 billion.<ref name="petzinger">{{cite book |last= Petzinger |first= Thomas |title= Hard Landing: The Epic Contest For Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos |publisher= [[Random House]] |year= 1996 |isbn= 978-0-307-77449-1}}</ref>
@@ Line 85: / Line 46: @@
 Although Delta initially promised further equity injections to keep Pan Am afloat, it refused to do so only a month later, which forced Pan Am to cease operations on December 4.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADDF987B230E98&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Pan Am Faces Shutdown Today Without Financing], ''Associated Press'' December 4, 1991</ref> United purchased the remaining assets of Pan Am a few days later, including transatlantic routes from Miami, for a total of $135 million.<ref name="petzinger" />
-The Pan Am creditors' committee sued Delta for more than $2.5 billion on December 9.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1099194.html |title=Pan Am, Creditors Sue Delta – The Washington Post – HighBeam Research |publisher=Highbeam.com |date=December 9, 1991 |accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, a large group of former Pan Am employees also sued Delta. Delta was able to combine and move the cases from New York City to Atlanta. Delta was also able to prevent a jury trial, which, according to ''[[Business Week]]'' magazine, its attorneys had stated it would likely lose. The Atlanta judge then dismissed the lawsuits.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
+The Pan Am creditors' committee sued Delta for more than $2.5 billion on December 9.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1099194.html |title=Pan Am, Creditors Sue Delta – The Washington Post – HighBeam Research |publisher=Highbeam.com |date=December 9, 1991 |accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref>
-The Pan Am transaction gave Delta the largest transatlantic route network among U.S. airlines. Due to these acquisitions, Delta became and remains today the largest U.S. transatlantic carrier, in terms of passengers carried and number of flights operated.  The ex-Pan Am routes acquired by Delta included [[Detroit]] to London, despite [[Northwest Airlines]]' objections due to Delta's small presence in Detroit, and Northwest's correspondingly larger operations.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D91738F932A35757C0A964958260 |title=Company news; Pan American Route Transfer |publisher=New York Times |date=April 1, 1992 |accessdate=2013-01-30}}</ref> Northwest later attempted to buy US Air's (now [[US Airways]]) Baltimore-London route for $5 million and transfer the route to Detroit<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE3D8153FF935A25757C0A965958260 |title=Company News; Northwest Agrees To Pay $5 Million For London Route |publisher=New York Times |date=April 16, 1993 |accessdate=2013-01-30}}</ref> but ended up buying the route from Delta in 1995<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metroairport.com/about/history.asp |title= History|publisher=MetroAirport.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref> for a rumored $32 million.
+The Pan Am transaction gave Delta the largest transatlantic route network among U.S. airlines. Because of these acquisitions, Delta became and remains the largest U.S. transatlantic carrier, in terms of passengers carried and number of flights operated. The ex-Pan Am routes acquired by Delta included [[Detroit]] to London, despite [[Northwest Airlines]]' objections due to Delta's small presence in Detroit and Northwest's comparatively larger operations.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D91738F932A35757C0A964958260 | title=Company news; Pan American Route Transfer | publisher=New York Times | date=April 1, 1992 | accessdate=2013-01-30}}</ref> Northwest later attempted to buy US Air's (now [[US Airways]]) Baltimore-London route for $5 million and transfer the route to Detroit<ref>{{cite web | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE3D8153FF935A25757C0A965958260 | title=Company News; Northwest Agrees To Pay $5 Million For London Route | publisher=New York Times | date=April 16, 1993 | accessdate=2013-01-30}}</ref> but ended up buying the route from Delta in 1995<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.metroairport.com/about/history.asp | title= History | publisher=MetroAirport.com | accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref> for a rumored $32 million.{{fact}}
+Throughout the 1990s, Delta maintained a secondary hub at [[Portland International Airport|Portland]] for its Asia operations. In addition to regularly scheduled flights to Delta's primary hubs during this time (Atlanta, Cincinnati, [[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas]], and Salt Lake City), several of Delta's flights to Asia were routed from Portland and Los Angeles, using L-1011 and MD-11 aircraft. Destinations included [[Bangkok]], [[Fukuoka, Fukuoka|Fukuoka]] (resumed December 28, 2011 from Honolulu as a seasonal route), Hong Kong, [[Manila]], [[Nagoya]], [[Seoul]], [[Taipei]], and Tokyo (resumed June 3, 2009 replacing Northwest Airlines route). Delta was one of the airlines targeted in the failed [[Operation Bojinka]] plot: the conspirators planned to bomb a Delta [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11]] flying from Seoul to Bangkok via Taipei on January 21, 1995. Today, all Asia operations from Portland and Los Angeles have ceased (except for Portland-Tokyo and Los Angeles-Tokyo).<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/09/complaints_make_portlandtoyko.html | work=The Oregonian | title=Complaints make Portland-Tokyo flight bumpy for Delta | date=September 3, 2009}}</ref>
-Delta also acquired Pan Am's northeastern shuttle, inheriting a number of [[Boeing 727]]s, and forming what is today [[Delta Shuttle]].{{cn|date=June 2013}}
+In 1998, Delta and [[United Airlines]] introduced a marketing partnership that included a reciprocal redemption agreement between SkyMiles and [[Mileage Plus]] programs and shared lounges.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CWU/is_2003_July_29/ai_105988602 | title=Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to end marketing relationship&#124;Airline Industry Information&#124;Find Articles at BNET.com | publisher=Findarticles.com | date= July 29, 2003 | accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref> This scheme allowed members of either frequent flier program to earn miles on both carriers and utilize both carriers' lounges. Delta and United attempted to introduce an even closer codeshare agreement, but this was deal was effectively killed by [[Air Line Pilots Association, International|ALPA]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.frequentflier.com/ffc-0905.htm |title=News & Analysis | publisher=FrequentFlier.com | accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref>
-In 1995, responding to [[Qantas]] and [[American Airlines]] introduction of [[codeshare]] agreements, Delta established its own codesharing arrangements with [[Swissair]], [[Sabena]], and [[Austrian Airlines]], which launched the [[Atlantic Excellence]] alliance, disbanded in 2000, for codesharing with [[Air France]] which led to the [[SkyTeam]] alliance.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-In 1996, Delta carried the [[Olympic Torch]] from [[Athens, Greece]] where it was lit, to Los Angeles for its traditional circuit to the [[Centennial Olympic Stadium|Olympic Stadium]] in Atlanta, Georgia for the [[1996 Summer Olympics]], of which Delta was the official airline.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-By 1997, during which [[Leo Mullin]] was named CEO, Delta began large expansions into Latin America and in 1999 introduced the [[Boeing 777]] into its fleet, for longer non-stop flights. During Mullin's tenure, Delta saw large expansions into Latin America and the Caribbean. However, Mullin's legacy was ruined by labor woes, huge losses in the post-9/11 period, a major executive compensation scandal, and a bankruptcy filing months after he abruptly retired.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-Throughout the 1990s, Delta maintained a secondary hub at [[Portland International Airport|Portland]] for its Asia operations. In addition to regularly scheduled flights to Delta's primary hubs during this time (Atlanta, Cincinnati, [[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas]], and Salt Lake City), several of Delta's flights to Asia were routed from Portland and Los Angeles, using L-1011 and MD-11 aircraft. Destinations included [[Bangkok]], [[Fukuoka, Fukuoka|Fukuoka]] (resumed December 28, 2011 from Honolulu as a seasonal route), Hong Kong, [[Manila]], [[Nagoya]], [[Seoul]], [[Taipei]], and Tokyo (resumed June 3, 2009 replacing Northwest Airlines route). Delta was one of the airlines targeted in the failed [[Operation Bojinka]] plot: the conspirators planned to bomb a Delta [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11|MD-11]] flying from Seoul to Bangkok via Taipei on January 21, 1995. Today, all Asia operations from Portland and Los Angeles have ceased (except for Portland-Tokyo and Los Angeles-Tokyo).<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/09/complaints_make_portlandtoyko.html | work=The Oregonian | title=Complaints make Portland-Tokyo flight bumpy for Delta | date=September 3, 2009}}</ref> Asian service is offered from Delta's Detroit hub to [[Beijing, China]]; [[Seoul, South Korea]]; [[Nagoya, Japan]]; [[Manila, Philippines]] (via Nagoya); [[Shanghai, China]]; and Tokyo, Japan from Atlanta, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York-JFK, Portland, and Seattle. Service from Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea (SkyTeam member [[Korean Air]] is currently the sole operator on the route); and Shanghai, China was suspended due to weak demand (Delta service from Atlanta to Shanghai, China resumed June 2011 but was terminated once again in January 2012). Currently, Delta serves Shanghai from its Detroit and Tokyo-Narita hubs and Seoul from its Detroit hub (service to Seoul from the Narita hub was terminated in May 2013). Delta later resumed service to Hong Kong and Seoul in June 2010 and to Beijing in July 2011 from its Detroit hub. The airline's service from Detroit to Hong Kong was terminated on August 2012 due to the airline's capacity cuts; leaving the airline's service to Hong Kong solely out of its Tokyo-Narita hub. Delta also launched seasonal service to Fukuoka from Honolulu in December 2011; marking the Delta's resumption to Fukuoka after nearly a decade.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-In 1998, Delta and [[United Airlines]] introduced a marketing partnership that included a reciprocal redemption agreement between SkyMiles and [[Mileage Plus]] programs and shared lounges.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CWU/is_2003_July_29/ai_105988602 |title=Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to end marketing relationship&#124;Airline Industry Information&#124;Find Articles at BNET.com |publisher=Findarticles.com |date= July 29, 2003|accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref> This scheme allowed members of either frequent flier program to earn miles on both carriers and utilize both carriers' lounges. Delta and United attempted to introduce an even closer codeshare agreement, but this was deal was effectively killed by [[Air Line Pilots Association, International|ALPA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frequentflier.com/ffc-0905.htm |title=News & Analysis |publisher=FrequentFlier.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref> The marketing partnership ended in 2003, paving the way for an expansion of the SkyTeam alliance.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-In 1999, Delta was a founding partner of the online [[travel agency]] [[Orbitz]], originally began by a group of several major U.S. airlines, which was purchased by [[Cendant]] in 2004.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 ==2000s==
-In 2004, Delta also started flights to [[Fairbanks International Airport]] in [[Fairbanks, Alaska]] from [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] during the summer (seasonal service was then eliminated by Delta). [[Northwest Airlines|Northwest]] started flights to [[Fairbanks International Airport|Fairbanks]] from [[Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport|Minneapolis]] in the summer as well.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 In 2000 Delta partnered with [[AeroMéxico]], [[Air France]], and [[Korean Air]] to form [[SkyTeam]], a global alliance. Three years later, Delta began the largest domestic codeshare alliance with [[Continental Airlines]] and [[Northwest Airlines]]. Today SkyTeam is the second largest airline alliance in the world (after [[Star Alliance]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://businesstravel.about.com/od/airlines/g/SkyTeam.htm |title=SkyTeam Alliance Members – Member Airlines of SkyTeam |publisher=Businesstravel.about.com |date=April 10, 2012 |accessdate=2013-01-30}}</ref>
-Delta's short-lived Los Angeles focus city was significantly reduced in 2008, ending the build up toward hub status as Delta went from a high of 48 destinations from the airport to just 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.delta.com.edgesuite.net/delta/pdfs/speeches_pres/investor.pdf|title=Delta Air Lines Plan of Reorganization (LAX included in 5 hubs/gateways, pgs 23 and 24)|accessdate=2006-12-20|format=PDF}}
+Delta's short-lived Los Angeles focus city was significantly reduced in 2008, ending the build up toward hub status as Delta went from a high of 48 destinations from the airport to just 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.delta.com.edgesuite.net/delta/pdfs/speeches_pres/investor.pdf|title=Delta Air Lines Plan of Reorganization (LAX included in 5 hubs/gateways, pgs 23 and 24)|accessdate=2006-12-20|format=PDF}}</ref>
-</ref>
-Delta Air Lines started the first long distance international flights out of Salt Lake City with non-stops to [[Cancún|Cancun]], [[Paris]], [[Mexico City]], and Tokyo. During this time, until 2013, Delta operated the only non-stop flight in the Rocky Mountain region to Asia and Paris.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 ===Fleet transformation in the early 2000s===
 {{Unreferenced|section|date=June 2013}}[[File:Delta B763 N194DN.jpg|thumb|A Delta [[Boeing 767|Boeing 767-300ER]] at [[Stuttgart Airport|Stuttgart, Germany]]]]
 In an effort to simplify its fleet and capitalize on cross-platform compatibility, not only in pilot training but also maintenance, the airline began to retire its [[trijet]]s (three-engine planes) in favor of [[twinjet]]s (two-engine planes). Delta's entire active fleet is now composed of twinjets, except for the [[Boeing 747|747s]]. The airline is now the world's largest operator of [[Boeing 767|767]] aircraft.
@@ Line 124: / Line 72: @@
 [[File:Delta Air Lines Logo (2000-2004).png|thumb|Logo of Delta Air Lines from March 2000 to July 2004<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deltamuseum.org/M_Education_DeltaHistory_Facts_Logos.htm |title=Delta Logo Timeline |accessdate=June 27, 2010}}</ref>]]
-As early as 2004, in an effort to avoid bankruptcy, Delta announced a restructuring of the company that included job cuts and an aggressive expansion of Atlanta operations by some 100 new flights, making it a 'super-hub' and requiring the airline to spread its flight schedule more evenly across the day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fltops.com/profile.asp?ID=7 |title=Guiding Pilots to their Professional Goals |publisher=FLTops.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref> This was known to all Delta employees as "Operation Clockwork". Further, by mid-2004 the airline had announced it would be closing its fourth busiest hub ([[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport]]), which it did on January 31, 2005. In a significant concessionary move, the pilots at Delta agreed to across-the-board 32.5% reductions in hourly pay rates in order to help the company stave off a bankruptcy filing. The agreement also included numerous changes in work rules, granting the company efficiencies in staffing and scheduling.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
+As early as 2004, in an effort to avoid bankruptcy, Delta announced a restructuring of the company that included job cuts and an aggressive expansion of Atlanta operations by some 100 new flights, making it a 'super-hub' and requiring the airline to spread its flight schedule more evenly across the day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fltops.com/profile.asp?ID=7 |title=Guiding Pilots to their Professional Goals |publisher=FLTops.com |date= |accessdate=2009-03-01}}</ref>
-On January 5, 2005, Delta introduced SimpliFares, a radical transformation of its fare structure, which cut its most expensive fares by as much as 50 percent nationwide and capped one-way domestic fares at $499 in coach class and $599 first class. However, due to continued high fuel costs, the company was forced to raise these fare caps by $100 in July 2005, to $599 in coach class and $699 in first class. Airline fares are constantly in a state of flux, in addition to the constant change in fares due to the selling of seats allocated for lower fares. However, some claim that the system is simply a marketing technique to alert the public that there is a maximum ceiling price for Delta's fares.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}} Delta also launched a "same-day confirmed" system whereby for $25, a passenger is able to confirm a seat on a different flight instead of standing-by. in August 2007, the "same-day confirmed" fee increased to $50.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-Also in 2005, in an attempt to increase profitability, Delta applied to serve a daily non-stop flight from [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]] to [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing]] starting in March 2006, but rights were instead awarded to [[American Airlines]] operating from [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago]] to [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai]] and [[Continental Airlines]] operating from [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] to Beijing.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 On August 15, 2005, in an SEC filing, Delta announced that it had finalized a deal to sell Delta Connection carrier [[Atlantic Southeast Airlines]] (ASA) for $425 million in cash to [[SkyWest Airlines]] in an effort to obtain money to avoid bankruptcy. Analysts called the move a desperate one, estimating ASA's worth at around $700–$800 million – a price which SkyWest would not have been willing to pay.<ref name=deltapr200508>{{Citation
- |publication-date=2005-08-15 |title=Delta Air Lines Reaches Definitive Agreement to Sell Atlantic Southeast Airlines to SkyWest  |type=Press release |publisher=Delta Air Lines |url=http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9836 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20051118093451/http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9836 |archivedate=November 18, 2005 }}</ref>
+ |publication-date=2005-08-15 |title=Delta Air Lines Reaches Definitive Agreement to Sell Atlantic Southeast Airlines to SkyWest  |type=Press release |publisher=Delta Air Lines |url=http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9836 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20051118093451/http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9836 |archivedate=November 18, 2005}}</ref>
 On September 7, 2005, Delta announced that it would cut 26% of its flights at its [[Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport|Cincinnati]] hub and redeploy aircraft to its hubs in [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]] and [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]].<ref name=deltapr200509>{{Citation
- |publication-date=2005-09-07 |title=Delta Air Lines Strengthens Domestic Hubs, Offers Customers More International Choices with Winter Schedule |type=Press release |publisher=Delta Air Lines |url=http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9852  |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20051120170652/http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9852 |archivedate=November 20, 2005 }}</ref>  The move will ultimately eliminate up to 1,000 jobs in Cincinnati. In addition and in hopes of increasing profit yields, the airline announced further international expansion into Europe and Latin America.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
+ |publication-date=2005-09-07 |title=Delta Air Lines Strengthens Domestic Hubs, Offers Customers More International Choices with Winter Schedule |type=Press release |publisher=Delta Air Lines |url=http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9852  |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20051120170652/http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9852 |archivedate=November 20, 2005 }}</ref>
-On September 14, 2005, Delta filed for [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] protection for the first time. The company cited high labor costs and record-breaking jet fuel prices as factors in its filing. At the time of the filing, Delta had $20.5 billion in debt, $10 billion of which was accumulated since 2001.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 ===Reorganization during bankruptcy===
@@ Line 142: / Line 84: @@
 On September 22, 2005, Delta announced the acceleration of restructuring activities, targeting an additional $3 billion per year in cost reductions by 2007. $970 million of this amount was to come from debt relief, lease and facility savings, and previously commenced fleet modifications. Non-union workers' salaries were to be reduced by a minimum of 9% across the board, with a 15% reduction for executive officers and a 25% pay cut for CEO Gerald Grinstein. In December 2005, the Delta pilots agreed to an additional temporary 14% cut in pay, piggybacking onto the 32.5% taken at the beginning of 2005. This cut was made permanent with the ratification of an agreement in June 2006. Additionally, the company planned to lay off between 7,000 and 9,000 of its 52,000 employees.<ref name=deltapr200509b>{{Citation
  |publication-date=2005-09-22 |title=Delta Air Lines Steps Up Transformation Plan to Accelerate Path to Profitability |type=Press Release |publisher=Delta Air Lines |url=http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9879 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060220094848/http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9879 |archivedate=February 20, 2006 }}</ref>
-As for its route network, Delta planned to alter its structure by reinforcing its hub presence in Atlanta, New York City, and Salt Lake City, while at the same time increasing point-to-point routes, reducing domestic capacity by up to 20% while growing more profitable international route (especially Asia, Caribbean and Europe) capacity up to 25%.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 In 2006, Delta purchased rights to fly between New York City and London from United Airlines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.delta.com/print_doc.cfm?article_id=10303 |title=Delta Air Lines Seeks 'Crown Jewel' for New York-JFK Hub: Nonstop Flights to London |publisher=News.delta.com |date=July 28, 2006 |accessdate=2009-03-01| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080527035031/http://news.delta.com/print_doc.cfm?article_id=10303| archivedate = May 27, 2008}}</ref>
-On February 24, 2006, Delta, along with [[Continental Airlines]] and [[FedEx Express]], saw future operations to [[Venezuela]] severely affected by [[List of Presidents of Venezuela|President]] [[Hugo Chávez]]'s decision to restrict flights coming into that South American country from the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/venezuela/16075909.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071216132138/http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/venezuela/16075909.htm|archivedate=December 16, 2007|title=Chávez restricting U.S. flights|accessdate=2007-01-10|date=February 25, 2006|work=[[The Miami Herald]]|last=Bachelet|first=Pablo|coauthors=Jane Bussey and Ina Paiva Cordle}}</ref> As of March 23, 2006, U.S. and Venezuelan aviation authorities were able to negotiate a solution to their dispute, likely ensuring that Delta's operations to Venezuela would not be curtailed in the future.{{cn|date=June 2013}}{{Update inline|date=June 2013}}
+On February 24, 2006, Delta, along with [[Continental Airlines]] and [[FedEx Express]], saw future operations to [[Venezuela]] severely affected by [[List of Presidents of Venezuela|President]] [[Hugo Chávez]]'s decision to restrict flights coming into that South American country from the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/venezuela/16075909.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071216132138/http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/venezuela/16075909.htm|archivedate=December 16, 2007|title=Chávez restricting U.S. flights|accessdate=2007-01-10|date=February 25, 2006|work=[[The Miami Herald]]|last=Bachelet|first=Pablo|coauthors=Jane Bussey and Ina Paiva Cordle}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=June 2013}}
-On March 7, 2006, Delta announced expanded service from its hub at New York-JFK. In addition to the expansion of mainline service at the airport, Delta would partner with [[Mesa Air Group]] to provide regional flights throughout the northeast under the Delta Connection banner. At the same time the airline announced an expansion to a number of new cities from its Salt Lake City hub.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
 Based on all of these new initiatives, Delta projected a return to profitability by late 2007, based on a crude oil price model of $66 per barrel, in contrast to other bankrupt carriers' restructuring modeled on $55 per barrel. Delta would eventually reach this goal of full year profitability in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/01/21/daily26.html |title=Delta Air Lines in black for 2007; Business Courier of Cincinnati, Wednesday, January 23, 2008 |publisher=Cincinnati.bizjournals.com |date=January 23, 2008 |accessdate=2013-01-30}}</ref>
@@ Line 159: / Line 97: @@
 ===Failed takeover attempt by US Airways===
-During the later part of 2006 and early 2007, US Airways Group, holding company for US Airways, proposed an acquisition of Delta Air Lines. The combined entity would have been operated under the Delta name. This attempt was withdrawn after failing to gain support from Delta's major creditors and opposition by Delta management.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
-On November 15, 2006, [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] reported that [[US Airways Group]], the parent of [[US Airways]], proposed a takeover of Delta for $8 billion in cash and stock.<ref name="bloomberg_20061115_usairways_delta_merger">{{cite news|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a8nds0EYuWJg|title=US Airways Proposes Merging With Delta Air Lines|last=Schlangenstein|first=Mary|work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|date=November 15, 2006|accessdate=2007-01-10}}</ref> However, Delta's CEO reiterated that the best interests of Delta and its creditors were served by the company emerging from bankruptcy as an independent, stand alone carrier. In the ensuing days, Delta mounted an aggressive defense against the takeover attempt.{{cn|date=June 2013}}
+On November 15, 2006, [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] reported that [[US Airways Group]], the parent of [[US Airways]], proposed a takeover of Delta for $8 billion in cash and stock.<ref name="bloomberg_20061115_usairways_delta_merger">{{cite news|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a8nds0EYuWJg|title=US Airways Proposes Merging With Delta Air Lines|last=Schlangenstein|first=Mary|work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|date=November 15, 2006|accessdate=2007-01-10}}</ref>
 In addition to Delta management, Delta employees appeared to be extremely skeptical of US Airways management's claims that a merger would result in no job reductions and provide a more secure future for a combined entity. Employees had started wearing "Keep Delta My Delta" buttons and campaigning to raise public awareness of their opposition to the proposed takeover.<ref name="bostonglobe_20061123_delta_workers_see_trouble">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/11/23/delta_workers_see_trouble_in_takeover_bid/|title=Delta workers see trouble in takeover bid|first=Peter J.|last=Howe|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=November 23, 2006|accessdate=2007-01-10}}</ref>