Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

IATA ICAO Callsign DL DAL Delta
Founded	1928 (as Delta Air Service)
Hubs	Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport
Secondary hubs	Los Angeles International Airport
Focus cities	Logan International Airport Orlando International Airport LaGuardia Airport
Frequent-flyer program	SkyMiles
Alliance	SkyTeam
Fleet size	451 (+78 orders)
Destinations	308
Parent company	Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Key people	John F. Smith, Jr. (Chairman), Gerald Grinstein (CEO), Jim Whitehurst (COO), Edward Bastian (CFO),
Website	http://www.delta.com

Delta Boeing 757-232 at Los Angeles International Airport in August 2003, showing the livery the airline instituted in 2000.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (OTC Pink Sheets: DALRQ) (IATA: DL, ICAO: DAL, call sign: Delta) is a major U.S. airline headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia that operates an expansive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Delta lands in over 308 destinations in 52 countries, across 5 continents. Delta has a larger route network than any airline in the world and is the only major U.S. carrier that flies to Africa.

Delta operates hubs at Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York-JFK, and Salt Lake City; Delta's Atlanta hub is the largest airline hub in the world. Delta also has large domestic operations in many other cities, including Boston, Columbus, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, Orlando, Raleigh, Tampa, and Washington-Reagan. Delta is the leading carrier in Florida, and carries more passengers across the Atlantic than any other carrier worldwide. Its major transatlantic gateways are Atlanta, Cincinnati, and New York-JFK. Its major Latin American gateways are Atlanta and its rapidly developing mini-hub in Los Angeles.

In terms of passengers carried (approximately 119 million in 2005), Delta is the second-largest airline in the world (behind American Airlines). In terms of revenue passenger miles, Delta Air Lines is the third largest airline, after American Airlines and United Airlines. In terms of total operating revenues, Delta is the sixth-largest airline in the world

Services

Delta operates two fleet brands and contracts out operations of flights under a third brand:

• Delta, the "mainline" brand, serves primarily long-haul, high-volume flights and most international services.
• Delta Shuttle operates short-haul, high frequency service in single-class configuration McDonnell Douglas MD-88s between New York LaGuardia and Boston and between New York LaGuardia and Washington National (Reagan National).
• Delta Connection is a name given to flights operated by certain regional airlines on short- to mid-haul, low- to mid-volume routes, "connecting" hubs to airports where the larger "mainline" planes would either have a hard time accessing, go unfilled or prove unprofitable.

Wholly owned subsidiaries of Delta

• Delta Connection and carrier Comair
• Delta AirElite Business Jets.
• Delta Technology
• DAL Global Services
• DAL Moscow, a 50/50 partnership with Aeroflot.

Defunct airlines operated by Delta include:

• Delta Express began service in October, 1996 in an attempt by Delta to compete with low cost airlines on various leisure-oriented routes. Its main base of operations was Orlando International Airport and it used Boeing 737 aircraft. It ceased operations in November, 2003 after Song was established.
• 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. As a result, on May 1, 2006, Song was folded in to the Delta mainline brand, and "Song" class-of-travel service will remain in place on certain long-haul domestic flights, in some ways competing directly with United Airlines' "p.s." service for transcontinental flights. It used Boeing 757 aircraft.

As a historical footnote, Western Airlines was acquired on December 16, 1986 and was operated as a separate airline from Delta for over four months. 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." The changeover date for discontinuation of the Western Airlines brand and the date for merger of the two airlines' workforce was April 1, 1986 but for several months before that Delta had acquired Western and was operating it as a separate airline.

History

Early history

File:Delta timetable.JPG

Delta timetable from 1934

The company has its roots in Huff Daland Dusters, which was founded in 1924 in Macon, Georgia by several partners including Collett E. Woolman becoming the world's first aerial crop dusting company. Huff Daland moved to Monroe, Louisiana the following year. In 1928, Huff Daland Dusters was purchased by C.E. Woolman and renamed Delta Air Service after the Mississippi Delta, where its route connected Dallas, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi, via Shreveport and Monroe. The original directors of Delta Air Service were C.H. McHenry, Travis Oliver, and M.S. Biedenharn. By 1934, Delta began mail service from Charleston to Fort Worth, with stops in Columbia, Augusta, Atlanta, Birmingham, and Meridian along the way.

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. On May 1, 1953, Delta merged with Chicago and Southern Air Lines to procure its first international routes from New Orleans to Havana, Cuba and Caracas, Venezuela as well as an increased presence in the Midwest. In 1955 Delta introduced the "hub and spoke system" whereby flights are routed to a central point then sent out to other cities. By the early 1960s, Delta's route network stretched to the West Coast, and Dallas was emerging as its second hub city.

Delta was the launch operator of the DC-8, which began service in 1959, and the Convair CV-880 in 1960. The DC-8's graceful swept-wing design inspired Delta to come up with a new red, white, and blue delta-shaped logo (the "widget"). Just a few years later, Delta became the launch operator of the DC-9. By 1970, Delta was an all jet airline.

1970s and 1980s

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Delta Boeing 747 at London Heathrow Airport in May 1974.

In 1970, Delta entered the "wide-body" jet era with the purchase of five Boeing 747s to service its new long-haul high density routes. The initial route was a Los Angeles-Dallas Love Field-Atlanta routing. Delta also had an interchange with Pan Am using Delta 747 to fly to Heathrow Airport in London. However, 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. Shortly thereafter, Delta leased a small number of DC-10s as a stopgap until its larger order of the new Lockheed L-1011 TriStars could be delivered.

Delta purchased Northeast Airlines in 1972 to strengthen its market share in the northeastern United States. Through the purchase, Delta began its long Boeing 727 operation.

In 1973 the Lockheed TriStar entered service for Delta. Delta placed these aircraft in international service from Atlanta to London in 1978; Frankfurt was added the following year. Delta's fast growth showed in August 1979 when it became the first airline in the world to board one million passengers in one city in one month (Atlanta).

Delta launched its first frequent flyer program in 1981 which became the SkyMiles program in 1995. In 1982, Delta took delivery of their first 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." The airplane remained the flagship of 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.

In 1984 the company established its Delta Connection partnership linking local "feeder" airlines that served mid-size population areas to Delta nodes. The same year, Delta began its first flight 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 their official ride in the Magic Kingdom was Delta Dreamflight.

In 1987, Delta merged with Western Airlines of Los Angeles and absorbed its large hubs at Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Through these acquisitions and expansions Delta became the fourth largest U.S. carrier and fifth largest world carrier. Also in 1987, Ronald W. Allen became chairman and CEO.

1990s

In 1990, Delta became the first U.S. airline to operate the MD-11 aircraft . Delta's most dramatic expansion (at that time) came with its purchase of Pan Am's European routes in 1991 which included all north Atlantic routes and the Frankfurt, Germany hub, shortly before Pan Am declared bankruptcy. The purchase gave Delta the largest transatlantic route network, a small group of A310 aircraft, and the Worldport (Terminal 3) at JFK. 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. Delta also acquired Pan Am's northeastern shuttle, inheriting of a number of Boeing 727s, and forming what is today Delta Shuttle.

In 1993, responding to Qantas and American Airlines innovation of codeshare agreements, Delta established its own code sharing arrangements, most notably with Air France, forming what would eventually become Skyteam.

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. This was also known as Delta's "technological growth period". Airport kiosks were introduced, Delta Technology was developed into an industry leading technology division, gate information display screens (GIDS) were rolled out, and internal software was thoroughly revamped. 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 less than 18 months after he abruptly retired.

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, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo. 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, Los Angeles and New York have ceased, and Delta's only Asia service consists of Atlanta to Tokyo. (The new Atlanta to Seoul service to begin in June 2007)

In 1996, Delta carried the Olympic Torch from Athens, Greece where it was lit, to Los Angeles, CA for its traditional circuit to the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta, GA for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, of which Delta was the official airline.

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.

2000 saw the creation of SkyTeam, a global alliance, initially partnering Delta with AeroMéxico, Air France, and Korean Air. Three years later, Delta implemented the largest domestic codeshare alliance with Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Today SkyTeam now the second largest airline alliance in the world and continues to add members to its ranks.

2000 and beyond

Fleet transformation

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, and the airline is the world's largest operator of 767 aircraft:

• The Lockheed L-1011, for many years the workhorse of the Delta fleet, was replaced in 2001 with the Boeing 767-400.
• The airline's many Boeing 727s were completely replaced with Boeing 737-800's in 2003.
• Delta operated its last MD-11 flight on January 1, 2004, operating as Flight 56 from New Tokyo International Airport (now Narita International Airport) at 4:45pm. The aircraft arrived in Atlanta at 3:20pm. This concluded the MD-11's 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 eight MD-11s to FedEx.

Dire straits eventually leading to 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. Atlanta is currently the largest hub for any airline in the world, with more daily flights (almost 1,000) to more destinations (246) than any other airline's hub. 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.

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, the SimpliFare is simply a marketing technique to alert the public that there is a maximum ceiling price for Delta's fares. Delta also launched a system of "same-day confirmed" whereby for $25, a passenger is able to confirm a seat on a different flight instead of standing-by.

Also in 2005, in an attempt to increase profitability, Delta applied to serve a daily non-stop flight from Atlanta to Beijing, China starting in March, 2006, but rights were instead awarded to American Airlines operating from Chicago to Shanghai and Continental Airlines operating from Newark to Beijing. As of January 19, 2007, Delta is seeking approval for a daily flight from Atlanta to Shanghai starting March 25, 2008.

On August 15, 2005, in an SEC filing, Delta announced that it had finalized a deal to sell Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines 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.

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. 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.

The moves proved futile. On September 14, 2005, Delta filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the first time in its 76-year history. 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 accumulated since January 2001.

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 will come from debt relief, lease and facility savings, and previously commenced fleet modifications. Non-union workers' salaries will 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. Additionally, the company plans to lay off between 7,000 and 9,000 of its 52,000 employees.

As for its route network, Delta plans to alter its structure by reinforcing hub presence in Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York, 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 capacity up to 25%.

On February 24, 2006, Delta, along with Continental Airlines and FedEx, 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. 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 will not be curtailed in the future.

On March 7, 2006, Delta announced expanded service from its prominent hub at New York-JFK. In addition to the expansion of mainline service at the airport, Delta will 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.

On June 16, 2006, the airline announced that it would seek in bankruptcy court permission to terminate its pilot pension plan, a move similar to that taken by both United Airlines and US Airways as those airlines struggled to reorganize under bankruptcy protection. On September 5, 2006, Adlai Hardin, the judge overseeing Delta's Chapter 11 restructuring granted its motion seeking bankruptcy court approval to terminate its pilot defined benefit pension plan. Because the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), the federal agency charged with insuring the nation's pension plans, has the responsibility for plan termination under ERISA, Delta must secure the pension agency's approval before the pilot plan can be terminated.

Based on all of these new initiatives, Delta projects 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 has recently 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 their main hubs in New York, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta. This will counter entertainment offerings of other airlines like JetBlue Airways. Delta claims to offer the leading in-flight entertainment system in the United States. Live programming and mp3 music are free, and movies will be available on demand for a nominal fee in coach and for free in first class. Delta also intends to install an improved in-flight entertainment system on internationally-configured aircraft, featuring a personal selection of movies. The system will be installed in all classes on Boeing 767-400ER and 777-200ER aircraft, and in the BusinessElite section on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.

On November 9, 2006, the airline announced that it will 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 is now accepting pilot applications for the first time in 5 years. They expect to take on close to 200 first officers through 2007.

On January 4, 2007, the airline announced an order for 30 Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets with an option for 30 additional aircraft, pending approval of the bankruptcy court judge.

On February 9, 2007, the airline received bankruptcy court approval to buy 30 Bombardier CRJ-900 regional jets with an option for 30 additional aircraft.

Failed takeover attempt by US Airways

During the later part of 2006 and early 2007, US Airways Group, holding company for US Airways, proposed acquisition of Delta Air Lines and combining US Airways and Delta to be operated under the Delta name. This attempt eventually was withdrawn after failing to gain support from Delta's major creditors and opposition by Delta management.

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

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 have started wearing "Keep Delta My Delta" buttons and campaigning to raise public awareness of their opposition to the proposed takeover.

On December 19, 2006, Delta announced (as expected) it 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.

On December 20, 2006, Delta and its financial advisor, the Blackstone Group, declared that Delta would be valued at between USD 9.4 billion and 12 billion after emerging from bankruptcy, which would (at the time of this writing) 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. Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein retorted by stating that the Tempe-based airline "the worst of all potential merger partners".

On January 10, 2007, US Airways raised its bid by 20%, to USD 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. 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." That same day Delta Air Lines was speculated to be in talks with Northwest Airlines and United Airlines to fend off the US Airways bid. CEO Gerald Grinstein, however, denied that any serious negotiatons were ongoing with Northwest or any other airline.

On January 28, 2007, US Airways holding company raised its bid by another $1 billion in cash according to the Wall Street Journal, but company spokesmen denied any change. 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.

Advertising

Delta has had several different slogans throughout its history:

• In 1940, Delta adopted the slogan: "Airline of the South".
• In 1961, Delta adopted the slogan: "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.
• In 1968, Delta adopted the slogan: "Delta is ready when you are".
• In the interim period between 1984 and 1986 Delta adopted the slogan: "Delta gets you there".
• In 1986, Delta became: "The Official Airline of Walt Disney World".
• In 1987, Delta adopted the slogan: "The Best Get Better", reflective of the airline's merger with Western Airlines.
• In 1987, Delta adopted the slogan: "We Love To Fly, And It Shows".
• In 1989, Delta became: "The Official Airline of Disneyland and Walt Disney World".
• In 1994, Delta adopted the slogan: "You'll love the way we fly".
• In 1996, Delta adopted the slogan: "On top of the world". This slogan was launched at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for which Delta was the official airline.
• In 2000, Delta adopted the slogan: "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".
• 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 and New York-JFK.
• In 2005, Delta adopted the slogan: "Good Goes Around"

Hub history

Former hubs:

• 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.
• Los Angeles International Airport. LAX is re-emerging as a Delta hub, but it's unclear if LAX is a hub, a focus city, or a "gateway." Delta has referred to LAX as its "Latin gateway" at time and as "another hub" at times.

Former secondary hubs:

• Frankfurt International Airport Delta's Frankfurt hub was acquired from Pan Am. Delta dismantled the hub in 1997.
• Portland International Airport Portland was at one time Delta's premier Asian gateway. It was closed in 2001.

Personnel

Between its mainline operation and subsidiaries, Delta employs approximately 60,000 people.

Delta's approximately 6,500 pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The union has represented Delta pilots since 1940. Pilot domiciles are located in Atlanta, New York, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles.

The company's approximately 100 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.

Destinations

Further information: [[:Delta Air Lines destinations]]

• Delta (including its wholly owned subsidiary Comair, Inc. and regional service carriers), serves 240 domestic cities and is the only airline to host operations in all 50 U.S. states. The airline also serves Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in addition to 57 countries.

• Delta is the only airline in the world to serve over 300 destinations--302 in total.

• Delta operates 1,632 flights per day.

Significant past route eliminations

Airline routes occasionally change as the public's travel patterns change and if a route becomes unprofitable. Some routes that have been eliminated include:

• Service to several cities in Asia, including Hong Kong and Seoul using L1011s, stopping in Anchorage for refueling. The flights mostly flew out of now former hubs in Los Angeles and Portland.
• With Delta's acquisition of Pan Am's Frankfurt hub, a number of new routes started to the city, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas-Fort Worth. The hub at Frankfurt would eventually be closed.
• Tag end services between medium sized cities in the southern United States to the Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth hubs have been superseded by nonstop Delta Connection service to the hub cities. Discontinued services have included Shreveport-Monroe and Birmingham-Jackson, Mississippi.
• Closure of the Dallas-Fort Worth hub, created after Braniff Airlines ceased operations in 1982, in 2005 as noted elsewhere in this article.
• Expansion of Western Airlines' Los Angeles service after acquisition of that airline, including the starting of a Tokyo-Los Angeles route. After 2000 flights were significantly reduced. In 2006/2007, Delta started adding new routes out of LAX, signaling a build up of LAX again.

Future destinations

• Throughout 2006 and 2007, Delta has expanded its focus city at Los Angeles. On February 5, 2007, Delta announced further expansion to Seattle and Los Mochis, Mexico via Delta Connection carriers.

• Delta will begin service from Atlanta to Dubai, Prague, Seoul, and Vienna. Service from New York-JFK will begin to Bucharest and Pisa. These flights will commence throughout the spring and summer of 2007.

• On December 21 2006, Delta Air Lines announced new services from Logan International Airport in Boston to be served by Big Sky Airlines. Big Sky will provide the service using Beechcraft 1900D aircraft. Services are expected to start Spring 2007.

• On January 19, 2007 Delta launched its application with the US Department of Transportation, for daily, non-stop service to Shanghai, China from its hub in Atlanta. The service, pending government approval, will start on March 25, 2008.

• Delta is in negotiations with Zagreb Pleso Airport for starting direct service from New York-JFK to Zagreb, Croatia.

• Delta is attempting to continue its increase in service to Africa, with the addition of a third flight (fourth destination) to Lagos, Nigeria starting December 3, 2007 (pending government approval).

By the end of 2007, Delta will be the only U.S. passenger airline to serve Austria, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Hungary, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

Fleet

Delta operates an all-Boeing (including McDonnell Douglas aircraft) fleet. Delta's Boeing customer number is 32, i.e. 757-232, 737-832, 767-432. Delta has eliminated three-class seating for international flights, replacing first and business class with a single premium class called "BusinessElite" beginning in 1999 (with its MD-11 and 767-300ER fleet). Currently, this hybrid class can be found on all 777-232ER and 767-300ER aircraft. At the end of 2006, Delta has also began converting some 767-432ER aircraft to international configuration, featuring BusinessElite seating instead of First Class. First and economy class still exist on all other aircraft types. Also, Delta is in the process of refurbishing all international aircraft. These new changes feature leather seats, and In-Seat In-Flight-Entertainment screens. Transformation should be complete by the end of this year. Delta announced on October 10 2006 that it would be the first U.S. carrier to offer true lie-flat sleeper suites in International Business Class beginning in early 2008 with its new Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. Delta would be the first U.S. airline to operate 777-200LRs. Beginning in late 2008, Delta will add sleeper suites to the rest of its 777 aircraft. Delta also announced that it will also offer a lie-flat option on its 767 aircraft. This is expected to be completed by 2010.

Passenger fleet

Delta Air Lines has an all-Boeing fleet. 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 fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft of any airline. It is the second largest operator of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series and the Boeing 757 (behind American Airlines in both cases). The Delta Air Lines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of November 2006:

Delta Air Lines Fleet

Aircraft	Total	Passengers (First*/Economy)	Routes	Notes
Boeing 737-700	(10 orders)	124	Mexico and Domestic	Short-long haul domestic routes
Boeing 737-800	82 (50 orders)*	150 (16/134)	US and Caribbean routes	Short-long haul domestic routes
Boeing 757-200*	121 (13 used orders)	183 (24/159) 184 (26/158)	Caribbean, Latin America, Puerto Rico, Atlanta to Florida, US transcontinental routes	Medium-long haul domestic routes 13 used aircraft bought from TWA/AA Entry into service: July 2007
Boeing 767-300*	24	250 (24/226)	Latin America, Puerto Rico, Atlanta to Florida, US transcontinental routes	Medium-long haul domestic routes
Boeing 767-300ER	59	214 (36/178)	South American and most transatlantic routes	Medium-long haul international and domestic routes
Boeing 767-400ER	21	285 (36/249) 241 (41/200)	Some transatlantic, Hawaii, Atlanta to Florida, US transcontinental routes	Medium-long haul international and domestic routes
Boeing 777-200ER	8	268 (50/218)	transpacific and transatlantic routes	Long haul international routes Occasional domestic routes
Boeing 777-200LR	(5 orders)			Entry into service: 2008 Long haul international routes Equipped with lie-flat sleeper suites First U.S. airline to operate 777-200LRs
McDonnell Douglas MD-88	120	142 (14/128) 134 (134) Delta Shuttle	US and Delta Shuttle routes	Short-medium haul domestic routes
McDonnell Douglas MD-90	16	150 (12/138)	US routes (mostly from Salt Lake City)	Short-medium haul domestic routes

^{*First class is offered on domestic flights. BusinessElite is offered on transatlantic and transpacific Flights.
*The fleet of a large airline is subject to flux. FAA reports that there are 77 737s (all versions) and 107 767s (all versions)
*Delta plans to sell 48 of its ordered 737-800's immediately upon delievery.}

Delta's fleet age is 13 years as of February 2007.

Delta Air Lines was one of three carriers (American Airlines and Continental Airlines being the other two) to sign an exclusivity agreement with Boeing in the late 1990s. When Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas, the European Union forced Boeing to void the contracts. However, both parties have been adhering to and intend to adhere to the terms under a gentlemen's agreement.

Delta Air Lines is the only MD-90 operator in the Western Hemisphere, although Reno Air operated the type for several years before being acquired by American Airlines and the type disposed. Intially, Delta had a large order for MD-90s to replace the Boeing 727 fleet. After McDonnell-Douglas was acquired by Boeing, Delta cancelled their remaining MD-90s on order and ordered the longer-range Boeing 737-800 instead. Plane spotters are particularly interested in seeing unusual aircraft.

Retired fleet

Delta Air Lines Retired Fleet

Aircraft	Year Retired	Replacement	Notes
Convair CV-880	1973	Boeing 727-200	Short-medium haul domestic routes
Boeing 747-100	1976	Lockheed L-1011	Medium-long haul international routes
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10	1977/1989*	Lockheed L-1011 McDonnell Douglas MD-11	Medium-long haul international routes
Douglas DC-8	1988	Boeing 757-200	Medium-long haul international and domestic routes
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30	1992	McDonnell Douglas MD-88	Short haul domestic routes
Airbus A310-200/300	1994-96**	Boeing 767-300ER	Medium-long haul international routes
Lockheed L-1011	2001	Boeing 767-400ER	Medium-long haul international and domestic routes
Boeing 727-200	2003	Boeing 737-800 Boeing 757-200	Short-medium haul domestic routes
McDonnell Douglas MD-11	2004	Boeing 777-200ER Boeing 767-400ER	Medium-long haul international and domestic routes
Boeing 767-200	2006	Boeing 757-200 Boeing 767-300	Medium-long haul domestic routes
Boeing 737-200	2006	McDonnell Douglas MD-88	Short haul domestic routes
Boeing 737-300	2006	McDonnell Douglas MD-88	Short-medium haul domestic routes

Information on the Convair CV-880, Douglas DC-9-10, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 were found in archives at the Delta Heritage Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.

*Delta operated the DC-10 twice, once on lease from United before the L-1011s could be delivered, and again when Delta acquired Western Airlines in 1987.

**Delta experimented with Airbus A310 aircraft for two years after acquiring the planes from Pan Am. Initially Delta was impressed enough with the aircraft to order more of the same model, but these too were eventually withdrawn from service by the mid 1990s.

Delta Air Lines Fleet prior to the jet era Up until the late 1960s, Delta Air Lines operated a fleet of propeller operated aircraft, including among others, the Convair 340, Convair 440, Curtiss C-46 Commando, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-4, Douglas DC-6, Douglas DC-7, Fairchild Hiller FH-227, Lockheed Constellation, and Lockheed L-100 Hercules. The Curtiss C-46 Commando and Lockheed L-100 Hercules aircraft were operated as cargo aircraft.

Cabin

A Delta MD-88 at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, USA

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

In-flight entertainment

In the beginning of the jet age when aircraft such as the deHavilland Comet IV and Boeing 707 were introduced, in-flight entertainment as we know it was non-existent, other than lounges and magazines. Later in the 1960s, audio programming was introduced where passenger 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 were replaced by CRT-based projectors in the early 1990s.

Currently, audio and video are available on all aircraft except for the MD-88s and Delta Connection aircraft. BusinessElite (and the first class section of the domestic 767-400ER aircraft) feature the Total Entertainment System made by Rockwell Collins, featuring personal video screens with a selection of movies. The audio/video system in BusinessElite is currently in the process of being upgraded to the eFX audio/video on demand (AVOD) system made by Panasonic Avionics Corporation. Some Boeing 757s, 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. The live-TV AVOD system will soon be expanded to most long-haul domestic aircraft (which includes the 737-800, 757, domestic 767-300, and domestic 767-400 fleets) by 2007/2008. For international aircraft, currently, three newly-reconfigured international 767-400 and one 777 aircraft feature a the Panasonic eFX system in economy class, while the remainder of the 777 fleet features the non-AVOD Rockwell Collins TES system. The eFX system will eventually be installed on all 777-200ER and internationally-configured 767-400 aircraft. The domestic 767-400 fleet also features the Rockwell Collins TES system, but with only overhead-mounted LCD displays and not in-seat video. Delta's 767-300 fleet (both domestic and international) currently feature CRT projectors in economy class, with the international 767-300ERs also featuring ceiling-mounted CRT displays. The 737-800 and MD-90 fleet currently feature drop-down LCD displays. Delta's upcoming 777-200LR aircraft will feature the Panasonic eX2 system, which has a greater storage capacity over the eFX.

In mid-2007, Delta will feature docking capability for Apple Computer's iPod portable music and video player. This will allow the device's battery to be charged, but will also allow integration with Delta's In-flight Entertainment (IFE) system. This will also enable the IFE system to play music, television shows, or movies stored on the iPod, as well as function as a control system.

BusinessElite

BusinessElite is currently available on the Boeing 767-300ER, 777-200ER, and select 767-400ER aircraft. All seats have 60 inches of pitch, 160 degrees of recline, and between 18.5-21 inches of width. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals, refreshments, and alcohol. All seats are equipped with a personal In-Flight-Entertainment (IFE) system, power-ports, a moveable reading light, and a folding work table. IFE Systems will be On-Demand in 2007.

By 2008, Delta plans to have a lie-flat sleeper option in its 777-200LR fleet upon delievery, and by 2010, in all of its international fleet.

First Class

First Class is offered on domestic flights. It is available on Boeing 737-800, 757-200, 767-300, 767-400, MD-88 & MD-90 aircraft. Seats range from 18.5-20.75 inches wide, and have between 37-40 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals, drinks, and alcohol. . All Boeing 737-800, domestically-configured 767-400, and select 757-200 aircraft have power-ports at each seat.

International Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all international flights. Seats range from 17 to 18 inches wide, and have between 31 and 33 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals with one alcoholic beverage, refreshments, as well as a mid-flight snack. Additional alcohol can be purchased for $5.00.

Domestic Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all domestic flights. Seats range from 17 to 17.5 inches wide, and have between 30 and 33 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary drinks, snacks, and alcohol may also be purchased for $5.00. Boeing 737-800 and domestically-configured 767-400 aircraft feature in-seat power.

SkyMiles

SkyMiles is Delta's frequent flyer program. Created in 1981 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:

Air Jamaica Alaska Airlines Avianca China Airlines China Southern (joining SkyTeam in 2007)

EL AL Israel Airlines Malaysia Airlines Singapore Airlines Virgin Atlantic Airways

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 only 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.

Crown Room Club

File:Crown Room Club.gif

Delta's airport lounge is the Crown Room Club. Currently, Delta Crown Room Clubs are located in 34 airports. Membership can be obtained via an annual pass, earning enough qualifying miles, or purchasing a single-visit pass.

Membership benefits vary by location, but generally include complimentary drinks (including alcoholic beverages), reading material, and wireless Internet access. Other benefits for Crown Room Club members include reciprocal lounge access with other SkyTeam members and Delta's other partners,

A list of locations can be obtained from Delta's website. Crown Room Club website.

Codeshare agreements

Delta Air Lines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of September 2006:
(This list does not include SkyTeam members).

• Air Jamaica
• Alaska Airlines
• Avianca
• China Airlines
• China Southern (joining SkyTeam in 2007)
• EL AL Israel Airlines
• Royal Air Maroc

Incidents and accidents

The following accidents occurred on Delta Air Lines. For Delta Connection incidents, see Delta Connection incidents and accidents.

Delta Air Lines Reported Incidents

Flight	Date	Aircraft	Location	Description	Injuries
					Fatal	Serious	Minor	Uninjured
[2]	April 22, 1947	DC-3	Columbus, Georgia	A Vultee BT-13, owned by the Tuskegee Aviation Institute landed on top of the DC-3.	8
705 [3]	March 10, 1948	DC-4	Chicago Midway Airport	Crashed near Chicago Municipal (Midway) Airport shortly after takeoff. 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 [4]	May 17, 1953	DC-3	Marshall, Texas	A Douglas DC-3 crashed 21 miles east of Marshall, Texas. The flight departed from Dallas Love Field and was on approach to Shreveport, Louisiana. The crash is was attributed to adverse weather conditions with a thunderstorm in the area at the time of the crash.	19			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 [5]	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
9570 [6]	May 30, 1972	DC-9	Greater Southwest International Airport	Crashed during landing procedures in Fort Worth, TX. The probable cause of the flight 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
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 cloud ceilings.	89	1
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. The crash would later become the subject of a television movie.	133			34
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 by improper configuration of the flaps and leading edge slats.	14			94
1288 [7]	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		138

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 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), August 18, 1983 (Delta 784 Miami-Tampa 727), July 17, 1983 (Delta 722 Miami-Tampa 727), Jun 11, 1979 (Delta 1061 New York LaGuardia-Fort Lauderdale L1011)

• 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.

• 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. After shooting the pilots, the hijacker grabbed a passenger and demanded that she fly the aircraft.

• On August 23, 1980, a Delta Air Lines L-1011 on a San Juan to Los Angeles flight was hijacked to Cuba. The hijacker was jailed by Cuba 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. 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 and sentenced to prison the following year.

Trivia

• Delta operates its largest hub at the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. (The world's busiest airport occasionally changes with Chicago O'Hare ranking first as it was in the 4th quarter of 2006 but Atlanta ranking first for the entire 2006 year)
• Karl Jenkins' Adiemus project began in 1994 as a music project for Delta Air Lines' European advertising campaign. The song was later released on the albums Pure Moods and Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary, and was also used in Delta's commercials in the United States from 1996 until 1999.
• The logo for Monroe Regional Airport is the Delta logo, in honor of it being the airlines birthplace and the original headquarters for Delta.
• Delta awards the annual Delta Prize for Global Understanding in conjunction with the University of Georgia.
• Delta's Boeing 737-800 have an empty area in the rear cabin where seats are normally located. Not placing seats in this area results in a reduction of capacity to 150 seats, reducing the number of FAA mandated flight attendants to 3 (50 seats per flight attendant is required).
• Delta sold several DC-9-30s to Valujet, forming Valujet's intial fleet. Valujet would eventually become Delta's main Atlanta-based rival, AirTran.
• Delta is the only surviving U.S. airline that operated the Convair 880/990, still the fastest family of subsonic passenger aircraft ever, and only behind supersonic carriers such as the Concorde and the Tu-144 in speed.
• In 1992, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport opened Concourse C, a 50 gate terminal for Delta Connection carrier, Comair. This is the largest commuter airline terminal in the world.
• A Boeing 767-300 delivered to Delta in 2001 was sold to the People's Republic of China (PRC) for use as a presidential aircraft before it could be used for Delta passenger service. According to unofficial reports, this aircraft contained numerous listening devices for espionage against the PRC government. The aircraft was never used as a government transport and was later transferred for use as a commercial airliner.
• In 2005, Delta Air Lines provided charter service to 13 of the 32 NFL pro teams, they also served 11 Major League Baseball and several NCAA teams.
• The rights to serve London has always been difficult to obtain due to the Bermuda II treaty restrictions. In 2006, Delta purchased rights to fly between New York and London from United Airlines. Except for several London routes that Pan Am had sold earlier to United Airlines, Delta obtained all of Pan Am's transatlantic rights in 1992, including the route from Detroit to London, despite Northwest Airlines' objections. It was an unusual route for Delta given its small presence in Detroit, and Northwest's correspondingly larger operations. Northwest later attempted to buy US Air's (now US Airways) Baltimore-London route for $5 million and transfer the route to Detroit but ended up buying the route from Delta in 1995 for a rumored $32 million.
• In 1991, as one of the conditions for Delta's financial support of Pan Am, Delta had the rights to use the Pan Am name on flights across the Atlantic. This right was never exercised even though the Pan Am name was a much widely recognized name in Europe compared to Delta. On December 4, 1991, Delta ended this support leading to Pan Am stopping all flights permanently.

External links

• Official site
• Delta's official SkyMiles website
• Delta Air Lines Fleet Age
• Reviews, Photos, and Information on Delta Air Lines Seats, Meals, Lounges
• Delta Air Lines Fleet Detail
• Delta Air Lines Route Maps
• Delta Air Lines Seat Maps and Seat Reviews
• Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum
• Sky, Delta's inflight magazine
• Delta Air Lines Passenger Opinions
• Delta Air Lines History
• Delta SkyMiles Bonus Miles Promotions
• New Georgia Encyclopedia
• Keep Delta My Delta
• Building a Better Airline, US Airways merger site
• Unofficial Anti-Union Site for Delta Flight Attendants