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Delta Air Lines

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Delta Air Lines
IATA ICAO Callsign
DL DAL DELTA
Founded1924
(as Huff Daland Dusters)
In Monroe, Louisiana[1]
Commenced operationsJune 17, 1929[1]
Hubs
Frequent-flyer programSkyMiles
AllianceSkyTeam
Subsidiaries
Fleet size743 (+ 41 Orders)
Destinations375
(excl.subsidiaries and code-shares)
Parent companyPublicly owned (NYSEDAL)
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
Key peopleRichard Anderson (CEO)
Edward Bastian (President)
Stephen Gorman (COO)
Hank Halter (CFO)
Glen Hauenstein (EVP)
RevenueIncrease $22.7 Billion (FY 2008)[4]
Operating incomeDecrease $-8.22 Billion (FY 2008)[4]
Net incomeDecrease $-8.92 Billion (FY 2008)[4]
Total assetsIncrease $45.0 Billion (FY 2008)[5]
Total equityDecrease $874 Million (FY 2008)[5]
Websitedelta.com

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSEDAL) is a United States airline[6] based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the world's largest airline in terms of passenger traffic and fleet size[7]. Delta operates an extensive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Australia. Delta began service to Sydney, Australia from Los Angeles in July 2009, which at the time made it the only current American carrier to serve every continent except Antarctica (United Airlines will join them in mid-2010). Delta and its subsidiaries fly to over 375 destinations in 88 countries (excluding codeshare), across six continents.[8] As of November 2009, Delta is the only major U.S. carrier that flies to Africa. [9]

Delta operates its largest hubs at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and also maintains hubs at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Salt Lake City International Airport, Memphis International Airport, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Narita International Airport near Tokyo and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis, Tokyo, and Amsterdam hubs were inherited from the Northwest merger. Delta's Atlanta hub is the busiest airline hub in the world. Delta carries more passengers across the Atlantic than any other carrier worldwide.

On October 29, 2008, Delta completed its merger with Northwest Airlines to form the world's largest commercial carrier.[10] In February 2009, the airline began consolidating gates and ticket counters at airports where both Delta and Northwest operate. The consolidation was completed February 2010.[11] On December 31, 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration granted Delta's request to allow Delta and Northwest to operate under a single operating certificate [12].

History

Formed as Huff Daland Dusters, Incorporated, an aerial crop dusting operation, on May 30, 1924 in Macon, Georgia, the company moved to Monroe, Louisiana, in 1925 and began acting as a passenger airline in late 1929. Collett E. Woolman purchased the company on September 13, 1928, and renamed it Delta Air Service, with headquarters in Monroe.[13] In the ensuing decades, Delta grew through the addition of routes and the acquisition of other airlines. It transitioned from propeller planes to jets in the 1970s, and entered international competition to Europe in the 1970s and across the Pacific in the 1980s.

Headquarters

Delta's corporate headquarters is housed in a corporate campus on the northern boundary of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, within the city limits of Atlanta.[14][15][16]

Delta Air Lines headquarters

This location has served as Delta's headquarters since 1941, when the company relocated its corporate offices from Monroe, Louisiana to Atlanta. [17][18]

In addition to hosting Delta's corporate headquarters, Hartsfield-Jackson is also the site of Delta's Technical Operations Center, which is the airline's primary fleet maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility.

Company information and subsidiaries

Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Company typePublic (NYSEDAL)
IndustryTransportation
Founded1941 (current stock 2007)
HeadquartersUnited States Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Richard H. Anderson (CEO)
Edward Bastian (President and Chief Financial Officer)
ServicesAirline services
Revenue50,582,000,000 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
3,661,000,000 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
1,318,000,000 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets60,270,000,000 United States dollar (2018) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
~75,000 (2008)
SubsidiariesSee left
Websitedelta.com

Airline operations

  • Delta, the mainline component of Delta Air Lines, Inc., – serves primarily high-volume domestic flights and long-haul international services.
  • Comair a regional component of Delta Air Lines, Inc., – serves primarily domestic short-haul, low-density, high frequency flights.
  • Mesaba Airlines – regional component of Northwest acquired in the merger.
  • Compass Airlines – regional component of Northwest acquired in the merger.

Former subsidiaries

Defunct airline brands operated by Delta

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-300 in the old livery, takes off from London Heathrow Airport. (2008)
  • Delta Express began service in October 1996 in an attempt by Delta to compete with low cost airlines on leisure-oriented routes. Its main base of operations was Orlando International Airport and it used Boeing 737-200 aircraft. It ceased operations in November, 2003 after Song was established.
  • Northwest Airlines was acquired on October 29, 2008 to form the world's largest airline. After approval of the merger, Northwest continued to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta until December 31, 2009 when both carriers' operating certificates were merged (the Delta certificate survived)[20]. Delta completed the acquisition of Northwest on January 31, 2010 when their reservation systems/websites were combined, officially retiring the Northwest Airlines name and brand[21].
  • Song began service on April 15, 2003 as a single-class airline operated by Delta to compete directly with JetBlue Airways from both airlines' hubs at New York-JFK. While the brand was considered a successful addition to the Northeast-to-Florida market, financially the airline suffered[22]. On May 1, 2006, Song was folded into the Delta mainline brand. The "Song" entertainment system will remain in place on certain long-haul domestic flights. Additionally, all former "Song" aircraft have been reconfigured to accommodate 26 First/158 Economy passengers. These aircraft are now focused primarily on trans-continental flights from JFK and ATL. Song used Boeing 757 aircraft.
  • Western Airlines was acquired on December 16, 1986, and was operated as a separate airline by Delta for over three months.[23] In a case by a union to stop the workforce integration, the U.S. Supreme Court wrote "On December 16, 1986, shareholder approval of the merger was confirmed and Western Airlines became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta."[24] The changeover date for discontinuation of the Western Airlines brand and the date for merger of the two airlines' workforce was April 1, 1987. After the merger, Delta eventually released the name Western Airlines. Delta has maintained Western's former Salt Lake City hub on almost all routes and has added many more destinations; it also uses the former Los Angeles International Airport hub as a gateway to Mexico's vacation destinations, Hawaii, and Australia.

Hub information

Current hubs:[25]

The "Fly Delta Air Lines" marker at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport emphasizes the presence of the airline
File:Deltaairline-logo-1.png
Logo of Delta Air Lines from March 2000 to April 2007 – Based on Soft Widget

Future hubs:

  • LaGuardia Airport – Domestic hub for Delta (deal with US Airways for landings slots, pending US Government approval)[27]

Former hubs:

  • Chicago O'Hare International Airport – Delta, until the early 1990s, operated a small hub at Chicago. It served thirteen non-stop destinations from its new Delta Flight Center, which opened in the summer of 1984. During this time Delta also maintained a flight attendant base in Chicago.
  • Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport – Delta at one time operated over 200 flights a day from DFW. At times, it was Delta's second largest hub. Delta closed the hub in February 2005.
  • Frankfurt Airport – Delta's Frankfurt hub was acquired from Pan Am. Delta dismantled the hub in 1997.
  • Los Angeles International Airport – Delta dismantled its Western Airlines inherited LAX hub in the mid 1990s when it decided to relocate most of those aircraft to the US East Coast. Since that point, it has operated a focus city with a varying portfolio of destinations, of which the hallmark has been flying to Mexico, Florida, and Hawaii. Today, Delta and Northwest combined maintain an 11% passenger marketshare with flights to Hawaii, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, and some of Delta's large domestic bases throughout the United States. LAX also remains Delta's sole gateway to Australia.
  • Orlando International Airport – Delta built up an Orlando hub shortly after the demise of Eastern Air Lines in the early 1990s, and subsequently became the "Official Airline of Walt Disney World". The airport then became the hub for Delta Express and song, before Delta pulled back mainline presence in the mid-2000s. Orlando then became a hub for Delta Connection carriers, with a focus on regional jet point-to-point operations in the southeast. Comair and Chautauqua Airlines closed their Orlando hub operations in 2008.

Former Secondary Hubs:[28]

  • Memphis International Airport – MEM was a mini-hub in conjunction with regional carrier ASA. This operation ended in the mid-1980s when competition became too stiff with Republic Airlines and ASA shifted its aircraft to Delta's Dallas hub. Delta once again regained its hub status here after its merger with Northwest.
  • Portland International Airport – Portland, Oregon (PDX) was at one time Delta's main Asian gateway. It was closed in 2001, further described in the 'route eliminations' section of this article. Delta currently uses Detroit, Michigan (DTW) as its main Asian gateway as a result of its merger with Northwest.

Personnel

Between its mainline operation and subsidiaries, Delta employs approximately 75,000 people.

Delta's approximately 12,400 pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The union has represented Delta pilots since 1940.[29] Pilot domiciles are located in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New York City, and Salt Lake City.

The company's approximately 180 flight dispatchers are represented by the Professional Airline Flight Control Association (PAFCA).

The rest of Delta's workforce, in contrast to other legacy air carriers, is nonunion.

On March 18, 2008, Delta announced that it was offering voluntary severance payouts for up to 30,000 employees (though the target headcount reduction is significantly less than that), and that it would cut domestic capacity by 5%.[30]

Destinations

Delta operates 1,534 flights per day. Delta Connection has 2,533 daily flights. Delta, Delta Connection, and other flights from the SkyTeam Alliance partners have 6,795 daily flights.[31]

Codeshare agreements

Delta Air Lines has the largest Boeing 757 fleet.

Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group announced with "Group" "CEO Bill Ayer to amend their marketing agreement" to make Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air the "preferred alliance partners on the West Coast."[32][33] Delta Air Lines also has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of August 2008[34]:

This list does not include SkyTeam airlines

Fleet

Prior to merging with Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines had an all-Boeing (including McDonnell Douglas aircraft) fleet. Delta inherited numerous Airbus aircraft in its merger with Northwest Airlines. Delta was one of the last major airlines to operate the original Boeing 737–200 models, until the last of these aircraft retired in 2006. Delta has the largest fleets of Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 and the largest US operator of the Airbus A330 aircraft of any airline. It is the second largest operator of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (behind American Airlines) and the largest operator of the Boeing 767–300 and 767-400ER. Delta's Boeing Customer Code is "32", i.e., 777-232LR, 767-432ER, etc.

The Delta Air Lines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of April, 2010):[38]

Delta Air Lines fleet
Aircraft Total Orders Passengers Notes Livery
New Old NWA SkyTeam Special
Airbus A319-100
7

50
5 VIP
54 (54/0)
Standard
124 (16/108)
All aircraft to get AVOD and Wi-Fi 57 0 0 0 0
Airbus A320-200 69 2 148 (16/132) All aircraft to get AVOD and Wi-Fi 69 0 0 0 0
Airbus A330-200 11 0 243 (32/211) Largest US operator of the Airbus A330 11 0 0 0 0
Airbus A330-300 21 0 298 (34/264) Largest US operator of the Airbus A330 21 0 0 0 0
Boeing 737-700 10 0 124 (12/112) Winglets 10 0 0 0 0
Boeing 737-800 71 2 160 (16/144) Deliveries: May/June 2010
120 rolling options(737NG)
All aircraft to get AVOD[39]
Winglets (56), all to get winglets
19 52 0 0 0
Boeing 747-400 16 0 403 (65/338) Northwest was launch customer
All aircraft to get AVOD
16 0 0 0 0
Boeing 757-200
57

48

16

1

4

20

10

5

8
0 Domestic
183 (24/159)
Transcontinental
184 (26/158)
International
174 (16/158)
International
172 (16/156)
Hawaii
178 (22/156)
Domestic (5500-series)
182 (22/160)
Domestic (5600-series)
184 (22/162)
Intrapacific
182 (20/162)
Transatlantic/pacific
160 (16/144)
Largest operator of the Boeing 757
6800 & 6900-series aircraft ETOPS-capable, feature BusinessElite cabins
All aircraft to get AVOD
5500-series will receive Delta livery
Winglets (37)
143 8 16 1 1
Boeing 757-300 16 0 224 (24/200) Only customer with Pratt & Whitney engines
All aircraft to get Wi-Fi and AVOD
16 0 0 0 0
Boeing 767-300 14 0 262 (24/238) 4 aircraft ETOPS certified
2 rolling options (also for 300s or 300ERs)
7 7 0 0 0
Boeing 767-300ER
41
7

7
0 Standard
221 (36/185)
219 (34/185)
Ex-Gulf Air
219 (30/189)
Winglets (12), all aircraft will get winglets
To be fitted with flat-bed BusinessElite seats[40]
Largest operator of the Boeing 767-300ER
ETOPS certified
All aircraft to get AVOD
45 9 0 0 1
Boeing 767-400ER
7

14
0 New:
246 (40/206)
Old:
246 (42/204)
Largest operator of the Boeing 767-400ER 2 18 0 1 0
Boeing 777-200ER
0

8
0 New:
268 (45/223)
Old:
271 (50/221)
Lie-flat BusinessElite seats to be installed (4th Quarter 2010)
Capacity to be decreased by 3 seats
8 0 0 0 0
Boeing 777-200LR 10 0 278 (45/233) US launch customer 10 0 0 0 0
Boeing 787-8 0 18 202 (48/154) Entry into service: TBD 0 0 0 0 0
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 17 0 100 (16/84) Exit From Service: By Summer 2010
Will not receive Delta livery
0 0 17 0 0
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-40 7 0 110 (16/94) Exit From Service: By Summer 2010
Will not receive Delta livery
0 0 7 0 0
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 34 0 125 (16/109) All aircraft to get Wi-Fi 34 0 0 0 0
McDonnell Douglas MD-88
0

117
0 New:
150 (14/136)
Old:
142 (14/128)
Capacity to be increased by 8 seats (Summer 2010)
To get new galleys, new first class seats, new overhead bins (June 2010)
42 75 0 0 0
McDonnell Douglas MD-90
0

21
7 (used) New:
160 (16/144)
Old:
150 (12/138)
5 in Pre-service at GSO: 3 from Hello & 2 from China Eastern
Capacity to be increased by 10 seats
Deliveries: 7 ex-China Eastern (end of 2010)
All aircraft to get AVOD
Will be largest operator of the MD-90s after SV phases out theirs
10 11 0 0 0
Total 744 34 520 180 40 2 2


Delta's average fleet age is 15.4 years as of September 30, 2009. Boeing reports that 102+ Boeing 737-800s have been delivered as of April 2009.[41] Delta plans to sell all but 2 of its ordered 737–800s immediately upon delivery.[42]

Cabin

The interior of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800 with in-flight entertainment and slimline seats

On May 1, 2006, the carrier adopted new uniforms from designer Richard Tyler.

Delta started the industry's first comprehensive in-flight recycling program on July 1, 2007. The initial program involved all domestic in-bound flights to its Atlanta hub, and has since expanded to domestic in-bound flights arriving at New York-JFK, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), Salt Lake City (SLC), Portland (PDX) and Seattle (SEA) (Federal regulations require the incineration of international waste).[citation needed]

Wi-Fi

On August 5, 2008, Delta announced it would be installing the Aircell mobile broadband network, Gogo. This system, which is available for a fee, enables customers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, to access the Internet, corporate VPNs, corporate and personal e-mail accounts, as well as instant messaging services.

Gogo was initially offered on Delta's fleet of 133 MD88/90 aircraft but has expanded to the remaining domestic fleet of Boeing 737, 757–200 and 767-300 aircraft. As of April 2010, 437 domestic aircraft are WiFi equipped with additional A319, A320, DC9-50, 757–200 and 757-300 aircraft scheduled to receive the upgrade by summer 2010.[43] Delta has the largest fleet of Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft in the world.

Current Fleet WiFi count (as of April 6, 2010):

B737-700 (10), B737-800 (71), B757-200 (103), B757-200 ETOPS (17), B757-300 (1), B767-300 (10), A319 (47), A320 (44), DC9-50 (1), MD88 (117), MD90 (16).

In-flight entertainment

Delta Air Lines 747-400
A Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-300 painted in Delta livery as a result of the merger. (2009)

In the 1960s audio programming was introduced where passengers wore headphones consisting of hollow tubes piping in music. These were installed in some Delta aircraft. Some early wide-bodied aircraft, including the L-1011 fleet, had films projected on to the cabin bulkhead. The film projection system on the L-1011s was replaced by CRT-based projectors in the early 1990s. Also during the same time period, CRT monitors over the aisles were added to the 757 fleet. The MD-90 introduced Delta's first IFE system with LCD monitors in 1995, and the 777 introduced Delta's first in-seat video system in 1999, initially using the Rockwell Collins Total Entertainment System. Delta's first all-digital IFE system with AVOD (Panasonic eFX) was first introduced in 2003 on Delta's former low-cost subsidiary, Song. The Rockwell Collins IFE system on the 777s was replaced by the Panasonic eFX system in 2007. The Panasonic eFX system is trademarked by Delta as Delta on Demand.

Audio and video are available on all aircraft except for the MD-88, Delta Connection, and all ex-Northwest narrowbody aircraft except the for the 757-300 and some 757-200s. BusinessElite on all international aircraft except the 777-200LR and all ex-Northwest international aircraft use the all-digital Panasonic eFX AVOD system. 48 Boeing 757s (Transcontinental 752), also using the Panasonic eFX system, feature live television via Dish Network in both first class and economy, while the remainder of the 757 fleet features ceiling-mounted CRT displays over the aisles, with some ex-Northwest 757-200s not equipped with a system at all. The Panasonic eFX with live satellite television has been installed on several aircraft in addition to the 48 757s already featuring the system, including 28 of the 737-800s (two more aircraft to be delivered), and all 21 domestic 767-300s. It is also featured on Delta's 737-700s, which entered service in August 2008. Delta's new 777-200LR aircraft feature the Panasonic eX2 system, which has a greater storage capacity over the eFX.[44] The personal video screens on the 777-200LRs are also larger than those on Delta's other aircraft.

In economy class, Panasonic eFX system (without the satellite TV product) is also found on the 777-200ER and 767-400ER fleet. The 767-400ER fleet initially featured the Rockwell Collins TES system, but it only featured in-seat video (non-AVOD) in the first class section of the aircraft; the economy class section only featured LCDs over the aisles. This system was phased out in 2009, being replaced by the Panasonic eFX AVOD system when the last of the 767-400ERs were converted from domestic to international use.

Delta's 767-300 fleet (both domestic and international) originally featured CRT projectors in economy class, with the international 767-300ERs also featuring ceiling-mounted CRT displays over the aisles. The projectors and CRTs on the international 767-300ER fleet have been replaced by LCD monitors, while the domestic 767-300 fleet has entirely been upgraded to the Panasonic eFX system with AVOD and live satellite television. The 737–800 (non-Transcon), 757-300, and MD-90 fleet feature systems with drop-down LCD displays below the overhead bins, while the Transcon 737–800 fleet has been upgraded to the Panasonic eFX AVOD/live satellite TV system.

When Delta's ex-TWA ETOPS 757s were first delivered, they featured a system made by Sony Transcom (a former subsidiary of Sony now sold to Rockwell Collins) system that was factory installed for TWA. The system featured overhead drop-down LCD monitors similar to Delta's non-Transcon 737-800s and MD-90s. Delta replaced the Sony Transcom system with the Panasonic eFX system featuring in-seat video and AVOD at the same time as the new BusinessElite seats and slimline economy class seats were installed.[45]

On the ex-Northwest widebody aircraft, a different AVOD system (Panasonic 3000i) is used. The A330 fleet features the system cabin-wide while the 747-400 only features it in BusinessElite, with overhead CRT monitors in economy class.

In the spring of 2010, Delta will be installing the Panasonic eFX AVOD system in Economy on six 767-300ERs that are used on routes that are 12 hours or longer.[46] Delta also announced it will be installing AVOD in Economy class on 52 767-300ER and 16 747-400 aircraft over the next 3 years. [47]

Travel classes

BusinessElite

BusinessElite symbol

BusinessElite is Delta's international business class, available on the Boeing 767-300ER, 777-200ER, 777-200LR, 767-400ER, and select 757-200 aircraft. Delta's standard recliner BusinessElite seats (made by B/E Aerospace) on Delta's 767-300ER, 767-400ER, and 777-200ER have 60 inches (1,500 mm) of pitch, 160 degrees of recline, and either 18.5 (767) or 21 (777-200ER) inches of width. Passengers in the BusinessElite cabin receive free meals, refreshments, alcohol and an amenity kit. All seats are equipped with a personal, on demand In-Flight-Entertainment (IFE) system, universal power-ports, a moveable reading light, and a folding work table. On the ex-TWA/AA ETOPS 757s, a similar model of BusinessElite seat was introduced in 2008. These seats are off-the-shelf Recaro CL 4420 seats and feature a built-in massage feature, 55 inches of pitch and are 20 inches (510 mm) wide. The BusinessElite seats (former World Business Class seats, also made by B/E Aerospace) on the ex-Northwest Airbus A330 and Boeing 747–400 fleet feature 60 inches (1,500 mm) to 61 inches (150 cm) pitch, 178 degrees of recline (though at a sloped position), and either 20.25 (A330) or 20.5 (747) inches of width.

On March 27, 2007, Delta announced that it will convert its entire 767-400ER fleet to an international configuration, featuring a BusinessElite cabin. During the summer of 2007, 8 out of the 21 767-400ER aircraft were converted and an additional 6 767-400ER aircraft were converted between December 2007 and May 2008.

Delta introduced full-flat sleeper suites made by Contour Premium in its 777-200LR fleet upon delivery and will retrofit its 777-200ER fleet with the Contour full-flat product by 2010.[48]

On February 5, 2008, Delta announced that they will be installing a sleeper suite product on the 767-400ER aircraft.[49] Designed by Thompson Solutions and manufactured by Contour Premium, these sleeper suites use a space-saving design, with the bottom ends of the seats extending under the armrests of the suites in front when in the full horizontal flat bed position. This allows for minimal reduction in capacity compared to most other sleeper suite products, particularly with the 767's narrower fuselage. The suites will be arranged in a 1-2-1 layout, with a total capacity of 40 BusinessElite suites (down from 42). On November 3, 2008, Delta has announced that the 767-300ER fleet will also get the same sleeper suite product that will be first introduced on the 767-400ER fleet.[50] They will first be introduced on six 767-300ERs that are used on flights that are 12 hours or longer.[51]

On January 25, 2010, Delta has also announced they will introduce a flat-bed BusinessElite product to the ex-Northwest 747-400 fleet, however, no specific model of seat has been announced as of yet.[52]

Domestic First Class

First Class is offered on Boeing 737–700, Boeing 737–800, 757–200, MD-88, MD-90, and domestic 767-300 aircraft. Seats range from 18.5–20.75 inches wide, and have between 37–40 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive free meals, drinks, and alcohol. All wingleted 737-800s and (Transcon) 757-200 aircraft have power-ports at each seat.

When the ex-AA/TWA ETOPS 757s were first delivered, they initially featured 22 domestic First Class seats that were originally installed by TWA. On international routes, the aircraft were sold entirely as Economy class. All of the ETOPS 757s now feature the new Recaro BusinessElite seats.

International Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all international flights. Seats range from 17 to 18 inches (460 mm) wide, and have between 31 and 33 inches (840 mm) of pitch. A few of the newest 767-300ER and all 767-400ER, 777-200ER,777-200LR, and ex-TWA 757-200 aircraft feature economy class seats with moveable headrests. The economy class seats on the 777-200ERs also feature mechanically adjustable lumbar support. The economy seats on the 777-200LRs and ex-TWA 757s are Weber 5751 slimline a high pivot point recline system where the seat bottom moves forward in addition to the seat back tilting backwards when reclining. These seats are better contoured than the Weber 5150 seats on the 777-200ERs and 767-400ERs, allowing for greater passenger comfort, however, they do not feature adjustable lumbar support. In the spring of 2010, the Weber slimline seats will be introduced on six 767-300ERs that are used on flights that are 12 hours or longer[51], and eventually, on the entire 767-300ER and 747-400 fleet.[53]

Domestic Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all domestic flights. Seats range from 17 to 17.5 inches (440 mm) wide, and have between 30 and 33 inches (840 mm) of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive free drinks and snacks. As part of Delta's EATS buy on board program, food is available for purchase on all flights 1,500 miles (2,400 km) or more (some flights to Hawaii and Alaska continue to receive free meal service[54]). Alcoholic beverages are available for a charge. The 737–800 and domestic 767-300 fleet have recently been refitted with new Weber 5751 slimline seats allowing for greater capacity while maintaining sufficient legroom. Unlike the Weber 5751 slimline seats on Delta's international aircraft, the seats on the 737-700s, 800s, and domestic 767-300s do not feature moveable headrests. These seats will also eventually be introduced on the MD-88 and MD-90 fleet (first being introduced on the ex-Hello MD-90s), however, no dates have been specified as of now.

Delta operated a previous buy on board starting in 2003 and ending by 2005.[55][56] The previous program had items from differing providers, depending on the origin and destination of the flight. Items on flights to and from Atlanta had items from the Atlanta Bread Company, while flights from other cities had food from Gate Gourmet.[57][58]

SkyMiles

A SkyMiles membership card issued in 2009. The card has a magnetic strip and a barcode on the back.

SkyMiles is Delta's frequent flyer program. Created in 1981[59] as the "Frequent Flyer Program"; its name was changed to SkyMiles in 1995. When the frequent flyer program was first established in 1981, new members were awarded an enrollment bonus of 10,000 miles. In 2006, SkyMiles was picked as the "best frequent flyer program" in the Best in Business Travel Awards.

In addition to its Delta Connection, Delta Shuttle and SkyTeam alliance partnerships, Delta offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:

On May 1, 1995, Delta Air Lines modified its frequent flyer program, previously called "Delta Air Lines Frequent Flyer Program" and renamed it "SkyMiles". Miles from the old program would never expire but newly earned miles in the SkyMiles program would if there was no account activity for three years. However, effective January 1, 2007, the rules for SkyMile accounts changed, with miles expiring after two years of no activity. At the same time, the old Frequent Flyer program miles were combined into SkyMiles, effectively negating their unlimited shelf-life.

On July 31, 2008, Delta adjusted the cost of award tickets by implementing a three-tiered pricing system. For example, a domestic coach ticket costs 25,000, 32,500, 40,000, or 60,000 miles depending on availability.[62]

On January 1, 2009, Delta changed the expiration date of Delta SkyMiles. Previously, the SkyMiles expired at the end of the calendar year following 24 months of inactivity. The new policy causes the SkyMiles to expire immediately after 24 months of inactivity. This change caught many consumers unprepared as they expected the miles would expire at the end of the year and they actually expired mid year.

Sky Clubs

File:DeltaSkyClublogo.jpg

Delta Air Lines' airport lounges are called Sky Clubs. Membership options include one-day, 30-day, annual, and three-year memberships and can be purchased with either money or SkyMiles.

Membership benefits vary by location, but generally include free drinks (including alcoholic beverages), snacks and reading material. Wi-Fi is free for members and is mostly provided by T-Mobile. Other benefits for Sky Club members include reciprocal lounge access with other SkyTeam members and Delta's other partners. As the official airline of the PGA Tour, Delta Air Lines installed putting greens at select Sky Clubs.

Originally, Delta's membership-based airport clubs were called Crown Room lounges, with Northwest's equivalent being WorldClubs.

Advertising

Slogans

Delta has had many slogans:

  • 1940: Airline of the South
  • 1961: The Air Line with the Big Jets
  • In 1966, with the introduction of the first Series 61 DC-8, Delta adopted the slogan "Fly big to Florida... Fly Delta!". Bob Hope, known in ads as Bob "Super DC-8" Hope, was Delta's spokesperson at the time.
  • 1968: Delta is ready when you are
  • 1972: Fly the best with Delta
  • 1976: Celebrate the Bicentennial with Delta
  • 1980: Delta is the Best.
  • 1984: Delta gets you there with care.
  • 1986: The Official Airline of Walt Disney World
  • 1987: The Best Get Better, reflective of the airline's merger with Western Airlines
  • 1987: We Love To Fly, And It Shows
  • 1989: The Official Airline of Disneyland and Walt Disney World
  • 1991: Delta is your choice for flying
  • 1994: You'll love the way we fly
  • 1996: On top of the world. This slogan was launched at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for which Delta was the official airline.
  • 2000: "Fly___", in which the blank was filled in according to the context of the slogan's usage. For example, on the airline's cocktail napkins, the slogan was "Fly 'refreshed'". For luggage tags, the slogan read "Fly 'for business'" or "Fly 'me home'".
  • Immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Delta adopted the slogan, "Delta remembers America".
  • In 2004, Delta adopted a marketing scheme using "Secret Places – ___", in which the blank was filled in according to the picture being used in the advertisement (and coinciding with a major Delta destination). Several examples of this marketing remain in place on jetways and in gate waiting areas in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and New York-JFK.
  • 2005: Good Goes Around"[63]
  • 2007: Delta Air Lines exited bankruptcy. To highlight changes, the airline chose "Change Is:__________" (in which the blank was filled according to the context of the slogan's usage) as its slogan. Other advertisements used the tagline "Change Is: Delta" in a play on the use of the Greek letter delta to denote the difference operator in mathematics.
  • In and around Atlanta there are advertisements promoting Delta as the "Official Airline of the Braves Unofficial Airline of the World". Also "Make Every Game a Home Game" is used.
  • 2008: As part of the rebranding project a safety video featuring a flight attendant premiered on YouTube in early 2008 garnering over 1 million views and the attention of news outlets, specifically for the video's camp and cheeky tone mixed with the serious safety message. The flight attendant, Katherine Lee, has been dubbed "Deltalina" by the media for her resemblance of movie star Angelina Jolie.[64][65][66] Delta had considered several styles for its current safety video, including animation, before opting for a video presenting a flight attendant speaking to the audience. The video was filmed on a Boeing 757.[67]
  • After the merger with Northwest, both airlines adopted "One Great Airline" and "Together In Style".

Sponsorships and awards

  • Delta is the winner of the 2009 Gay.com Travel Awards in the Favorite Airline category.[72] Competitors include: American Airlines, Virgin America, JetBlue, and Southwest Airlines.
  • EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, home of the NBA's Utah Jazz, was originally known as the Delta Center. Delta held the naming rights to the arena from 1991 to 2006. Delta continues to be an official sponsor of the team, however.[73]

Web interactions

There are several news sources:

Incidents and accidents

The following are major incidents and accidents that occurred on Delta Air Lines mainline aircraft. For Northwest Airlines incidents, see Northwest Airlines Incidents and Accidents. For Delta Connection incidents, see Delta Connection incidents and accidents.

Delta Air Lines Reported Incidents
Flight Date Aircraft Location Description Casualties
Fatal Serious Minor Uninjured Ground
N/A[74] April 22, 1947 DC-3 Columbus, Georgia A Vultee BT-13, owned by the Tuskegee Aviation Institute landed on top of the DC-3, which was flying from Macon to Columbus. 8 1
705[75] March 10, 1948 DC-4 Chicago Midway Airport Crashed near Chicago Municipal (Midway) Airport shortly after takeoff while en route to Miami. Officials determined that longitudinal control of the airplane was lost resulting in the crash. The cause for the loss of control remains undetermined. 12 1
318[76] May 17, 1953 DC-3 Marshall, Texas Crashed 13 miles (21 km) east of Marshall, Texas. The flight which originated from Dallas Love Field was on approach to Shreveport, Louisiana. The crash was attributed to adverse weather conditions with a thunderstorm in the area. 19 1 1
1903 May 23, 1960 Convair 880 Atlanta Crashed during a training exercise in Atlanta. The aircraft stalled and crashed killing all four crew members. 4
9877[77] March 30, 1967 DC-8 New Orleans Crashed during a training exercise near New Orleans International Airport. The improper use of flight and power controls by both instructor and the Captain-trainee during a simulated two-engine out landing approach, resulted in the loss of control. The aircraft crashed into a residential area, destroying several homes and a motel complex, killing 13 civilians. 6 13
9570[78] May 30, 1972 DC-9 Greater Southwest International Airport Crashed during landing procedures in Fort Worth, Texas. The probable cause of the accident was wake turbulence resulting from a touch-and-go landing moments before of American Airlines Flight 1114, operated using a DC-10. The right wing hit the ground causing a fire resulting in the aircraft being written off. 4
954[79] December 20, 1972 Convair 880 Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport The Delta CV-880 taxied across runway 27L in bad weather. At the same time, a North Central Airlines DC-9 took off from the same runway. Both aircraft collided. 94 10
723 July 31, 1973 DC-9 Boston Logan International Airport Crashed in seawall. Contributing to the accident was a defective flight deck instrument giving the crew misleading guidance during the instrument approach in visibility less than a half mile with 500-foot (150 m) cloud ceilings. 89 occupants died including Leopold Chouinard ,[80] died from burns months after the accident, leaving no survivors .[81] 89
516[82] November 27, 1973 DC-9 Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Crashed into approach lights during a thunderstorm. 4 75
191 August 2, 1985 Lockheed L-1011 Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport On a Fort Lauderdale-Dallas/Fort Worth- Los Angeles route, the plane crashed due to severe microburst-induced wind shear. One civilian was killed as the plane crossed a highway. The crash would later become the subject of a television movie. Numerous changes to pilot wind shear training, weather forecasting, and wind shear detection were made as a result of this crash.[83] 134 15 12 2 1
1141 August 31, 1988 Boeing 727 Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Crashed after takeoff bound for Salt Lake City, Utah. Officials believe the crash was contributed to by improper configuration of the flaps and leading edge slats. 14 26 50 18
1288[84] July 6, 1996 MD-88 Pensacola Regional Airport An uncontained engine failure of the port (left) engine on the aircraft which resulted in a fan hub piercing the cabin. The flight was scheduled to fly to Atlanta 2 2 3 135 0
1989[85] September 11, 2001 Boeing 767-300 Enroute from Logan International Airport Flight 1989, bound for Los Angeles International Airport was caught in the path of United Airlines Flight 93. The two aircraft were so close that ATC were initially confused as to which plane had been hijacked. The Delta pilot managed to avoid United 93 and the flight was later diverted to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.[86] 0 0 0 All 0

Hijackings

There have been over a dozen attempted hijackings which resulted in no injuries and the surrender of the often lone hijacker. These incidents are not included. The following are notable hijackings because of fatalities or success in forcing the aircraft to fly to another country:

  • In 1968, a Delta DC-8 was hijacked to Havana, Cuba. This was the first successful hijacking to Cuba from the U.S. since 1961,[87] and was the start of multiple hijacking attempts to Cuba in the late 1960s. This coincided with the introduction of passenger screening using metal detectors in U.S. airports starting in the late 1960s.
  • Additional hijackings which resulted in no injuries and the flight landing in Cuba include March 28, 1984 (Delta 357 New Orleans-Dallas 727),[88] August 18, 1983 (Delta 784 Miami-Tampa 727),[89] July 17, 1983 (Delta 722 Miami-Tampa 727),[90] June 11, 1979 (Delta 1061 New York LaGuardia-Fort Lauderdale L1011)[91]
  • July 31, 1972, a Delta Flight 841, a Detroit to Miami DC-8 flight, was hijacked to Algiers, Algeria by 8 hijackers. The aircraft stopped in Boston to pick up an international navigator, who was wearing only swimming trunks and a shirt. The flight was allowed to return with passengers to the U.S., stopping in Barcelona for refueling.[92][93]
  • On February 22, 1974, Samuel Byck, an unemployed tire salesman from Pennsylvania, stormed aboard a Delta Air Lines Flight 523, DC-9 flight at Baltimore Friendship Airport (now Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport) scheduled to fly to Atlanta and shot both pilots, killing the First Officer, Fred Jones. He intended to crash the plane into the White House.[94] After shooting the pilots, the hijacker grabbed a passenger and demanded that she fly the aircraft.[95]
  • On August 23, 1980, a Delta Air Lines L-1011 on a San Juan to Los Angeles flight was hijacked to Cuba.[96] The hijacker was jailed by Cuban authorities, and all passengers were released unharmed.
  • On September 13, 1980, a Delta Air Lines New Orleans to Atlanta flight was taken over by two hijackers and forced to fly to Cuba. The flight continued to Atlanta after stopping in Havana.[97] The hijackers were imprisoned by Cuban authorities. One hijacker was released and later sought US residency. The suspect was later arrested by US authorities in 2002[98] and sentenced to prison the following year.

See also

Template:Wikipedia-Books

References

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