Delta Airlines is one of the major US airline which, together with its Delta Connection partners, serves a worldwide network of over 325 destinations in the US and more than 60 countries in the Americas, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific.
Adding in services in conjunction with its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta serves around 500 worldwide destinations in 105 countries, operating from six US hubs. Connection is an extensive feeder network, while Delta Shuttle provides non-stop, high frequency working day services linking New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.
History
Delta Airlines was founded in Macon, Georgia, as Huff Daland Dusters, the world's first crop-dusting company, with a fleet of 18 biplanes.
The company moved to Monroe, Louisiana, in 1925. Inspired by the Mississippi Delta region which it served, the carrier adopted the Delta Air Service name in 1928, after being acquired by three partners led by field manager C.E. Woolman.
In June 1929 Delta operated its first passenger service, between Dallas and Jackson via Shreveport and Monroe with a Travel Air S-6000B monoplane. In 1930 the Company was renamed Delta Air Corporation, with passenger services to Atlanta introduced, although all passenger services were suspended later that year due to the lack of mail contracts. In 1934 Delta resumed passenger services after being awarded Air Mail Route 24 by the US Post Office.
Operations as “Delta Air Lines” had begun before the end of the year and in 1941 the airline's headquarters were moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
The company name officially became Delta Air Lines, Inc. in 1945, with scheduled Cargo services launched in 1946.
In May 1953 acquired its first international services, to the Caribbean and Caracas through the merger with Chicago and Southern Airlines.The airline operated under the “Delta-C&S” brand for the next two years.
In 1955, Delta pioneered the use of the hub and spoke system and in 1972, Delta absorbed Northeast Airlines. In 1975 Delta became the first airline to offer its own air express service, a new high priority, guaranteed cargo service called Delta Air Express.
Following de-regulation of the US Airline industry, Delta launched transatlantic services between Atlanta and London Heathrow in 1978. After Delta suffered financial losses in 1982, employees raised US $30 million in payroll deductions to purchase the company’s first Boeing 767, which was named "The Spirit of Delta."
Delta Connection was established in 1984 to give Delta closer links with its regional carriers. Delta Connection airlines include Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Chautauqua, Comair, Expressjet, Freedom, Pinnacle, SkyWest and Shuttle America. With the acquisition of Western Airlines in April 1987, Delta became the fourth-largest US carrier.
Services to Asian destination were launched in 1988 and Delta became a truly global carrier in 1999 through the purchase of substantially all of Pan Am's transatlantic routes and Pan Am Shuttle.
In 1998 Delta and SwissCargo forged the first international cargo alliance. Delta acquired Delta Connection carriers Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Comair in 1999. In 2000 Delta was a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance, with partners AeroMexico, Air France and Korean Air.
In 2003 Song was launched as a low-cost subsidiary airline and Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) was sold to fellow Delta Connection carrier SkyWest, Inc on 8 September 2005.
On 14 September 2005 Delta filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, emerging one year ahead of schedule on 30 April 2007.
On 15 April 2008 the airline agreed to merge with Northwest Airlines, through which the Delta identity would be retained by the merged carrier. The merger tool place on 29 October 2008, after receiving Department of Justice approval.
Plans call for the launch of a fully consolidated schedule by mid-2009, and for a Single Operating Certificate within fourteen to sixteen months.
Fleet