Airline Profile: Delta Air Lines

Atlanta, Georgia: With over 4,000 flights a day to six of the seven continents in the world, Delta Air Lines is the second largest airline in the world. Their fleet of 716 aircraft deliver passengers to 247 destinations worldwide.

Delta got its start in 1924 as Huff Daland Duster, a crop dusting service in Macon, Georgia. In 1925, they became the largest privately owned airline fleet and relocated their headquarters to Monroe, Louisiana. The in the late 1920’s Huff Daland expanded operations into the passenger market and was renamed Delta Air Service. Delta Air Service continued to grow through the 1930’s, expanding both passenger and mail delivery services.

The 1940’s saw major changes for Delta. They relocated their headquarters to their current location in Atlanta. They began to offer cargo service and they welcomed their one millionth passenger onboard. They also helped U.S. war efforts by training pilots and assisting in maintenance of aircraft for the allied forces. 

Delta continued to grow with the times. They merged with Chicago and Southern Air Lines in 1953 and began their first international routes. They were the first air line to introduce the hub system, opening a hub in Atlanta. They merged with Northeast Airlines in 1972, Western Airlines in 1987, Pan Am in 1991 an Northwest in 2008. The acquisition of Northwest made Delta the largest airline in the world for a short time.

Today, Delta has grown to one of the largest airlines in the world. Touching 247 destinations with their airline, they add even more versitality through their network of regional carriers known as the Delta Connection. The regional carriers that comprise the Delta Connection include Chautauqua Airlines, Comair, Compass Airlines, Express Jet Airlines, GoJet Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, Shuttle America and SkyWest Airlines. Delta also offers a business shuttle service between major Northeast cities. The Delta Shuttle connects travelers with New York, Boston, Washington DC and Chicago.

Delta is a founding member of Sky Team which is now is the second largest alliance in the world. The fifteen member airline alliance reaches 926 destinations in 173 countries. The Sky Team is responsible for transporting over 474 passengers a year.

Delta operates a very diverse fleet of aircraft. The mainline fleet is comprised of various models of Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft. They are the largest operator of the Boeing 757, 767-300ER, 767-400ER and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90.

To help support the over 4,000 daily flights, Delta relies on seven domestic hubs and three international hubs. These hubs are located at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, John F Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Memphis International Airport, Minneaplos-St Paul International Airport, Narita International Airport, Paris-Charles de Gualle Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the headquarters and primary hub for Delta and is the busiest hub in the world.

Delta has opened a museum to showcase the rich history of Delta Air Lines. The Delta Heritage Museum is located just outside the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport. It features many displays of Delta history as well as static displays of some of the historic aircraft.

In a little over eighty years, Delta Air Lines has grown from an early start as an agricultural air service to the second largest airline in the world with service to every continent except Antarctica. The sky is the limit as Delta continues to “Keep Climbing”.

Click on the photo above to view my Delta Air Lines photo gallery.

Updated January 22, 2012

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