In , the company launched its first international routes after the acquisition of Chicago and Southern Air Lines. In , it was the first airline to fly Convair jets. In , it launched the Deltamatic reservation systems using computers in the IBM series. By , Delta had an all-jet fleet, and in it acquired Northeast Airlines.
Trans-Atlantic service began in with the first nonstop flights from Atlanta to London. In , Delta launched a frequent-flyer program. Delta was now the leading airline across the Atlantic. In , Delta was the first airline to board more than million passengers in a calendar year. Also that year, Delta began an expansion of their international routes into Latin America. On September 14, , the company filed for bankruptcy , citing rising fuel costs. The acquisition of Northwest Airlines was announced April 14, It was approved and consummated on October 29, Northwest continued to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta until December 31, , when the Northwest Airlines operating certificate was merged into that of Delta.
Delta and its worldwide alliance partners operate more than 15, flights per day. Delta currently has nine hubs. Delta was a founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance in , [36] and has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: [37] [38]. In addition to the above codeshares, Delta has also entered into joint ventures with the following airlines. Airbus aircraft from Northwest joined the fleet after the merger, and more have since been added. Delta often seeks to acquire and utilize older aircraft, especially narrow-bodies, and it has created an extensive MRO maintenance, repair, and overhaul organization, called TechOps , to support them.
As part of its strategy to operate less-expensive used airplanes, Delta agreed in to lease 88 Boeing s acquired by Southwest Airlines as part of its acquisition of AirTran Airways. The first revenue flight was on October 25, , [63] Delta officially retired its last DC-9 on January 6, ; it was used on an as-needed basis until January 22, , when the last one was removed from service. The airline has not been as keen to acquire or operate aging wide-body aircraft. In August , Delta announced it would begin to retire its aging Boeing fleet, which Delta acquired as part of the Northwest merger. A deliveries began in the second quarter of , while the first Aneo flew in Delta underwent a cabin branding upgrade in Availability and exact details vary by route and aircraft type.
Delta One features lie-flat seating on all aircraft types, and direct aisle access from every seat on all types except the Boeing in which only a special sub-fleet of approximately 20 aircraft feature lie-flats. All seats are also equipped with a personal, on demand in-flight-entertainment IFE system, universal power-ports, a movable reading light, and a folding work table.
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Passengers also receive complimentary chef-curated meals, refreshments, alcoholic beverages, a Tumi Inc. The suites will feature a door to the aisle for enhanced privacy, as well as improved storage space, a larger IFE screen, and updated design. The suites rolled out on the Airbus A fleet, first delivered in July , followed by installation within the Boeing fleet. Since renamed to Premium Select, this cabin will feature extra legroom; adjustable leg rests; extra seat pitch, width, and recline; and a new premium service.
Delta introduced it on its new Airbus A , first delivered in fall , to be followed by the Boeing First Class is offered on mainline domestic flights except those featuring Delta One service , select short- and medium-haul international flights, and Delta Connection aircraft with more than 50 seats. Seats range from Certain aircraft also feature power ports at each seat and free entertainment products from Delta Studio. First Class passengers are also eligible for priority boarding. Complimentary premium entertainment is available via Delta Studio, with free headsets available on most flights.
The main cabin on Boeing , , and selected Boeing and aircraft have an articulating seat bottom where the seat bottom moves forward in addition to the seat back tilting backwards when reclining. Alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase. Complimentary meals and alcoholic drinks are provided on long-haul international flights as well as selected transcontinental domestic flights, such as between New York—JFK and Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Delta operated a different buy on board program between and The airline started the service on a few selected flights in July , and the meal service was initially offered on flights. Beginning in mid-March the airline planned to stop providing pillows on flights within the 48 contiguous U. Basic Economy is a basic version of Main Cabin, offering the same services with fewer flexibility options for a lower price.
On August 5, , Delta announced it would be installing the Aircell mobile broadband network, Gogo Inflight Internet , which enables customers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets, to access the Internet for a fee. Gogo was initially offered on Delta's fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD and MD aircraft but has expanded to the remaining domestic fleet, as well as Delta Connection aircraft with a first-class cabin. Delta has the largest fleet of Wi-Fi equipped aircraft in the world. Delta is currently installing Wi-Fi on the Boeing fleet.
In , the company announced plans to eventually offer free Wi-Fi on all flights. In the s, 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 Lockheed L , Boeing , and Boeing fleet, had movies projected onto the cabin bulkhead. Also during the late s and early s, CRT monitors over the aisles were added to the fleet, making them the first narrowbody aircraft to feature video entertainment.
These seats were also installed on all Boeing , Boeing ER , Airbus A and select Boeing domestic aircraft, and replaced the existing seats and monitors on the international Boeing fleet.
The previous seats on the international fleet have been placed on select domestic aircraft, mainly ones flying between Hawaii and the U. The system featured overhead drop-down LCD monitors similar to Delta's non-Transcon s and s. Audio and video are available on all aircraft except for the Boeing and Delta Connection aircraft.
Boeing ER , LR , along with and A aircraft that have completed cabin modifications, feature the Panasonic eX2 system. Compared to the older eFX system, this offers greater storage capacity, as well as lighter and larger personal video screens.
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Domestic Boeing s , Boeing s , as well as selected transcontinental Boeing s and selected Boeing s using the Panasonic eFX system, also feature live television via Dish Network in both first class and economy. Some Boeing s , as well as all Boeing s feature systems with drop-down LCD displays below the overhead bins.
It is available in every seat on all routes. SkyMiles is the frequent flyer program for Delta Air Lines. Miles do not expire but accounts may be deactivated by Delta in certain cases, such as the death of a program member or fraudulent activity. Delta Sky Club is the branding name of Delta's airport lounges.
Membership is available through an annual membership that can be purchased with either money or miles. International passengers traveling in Delta One class get free access. Membership can also be granted through top-level Delta status or by being an American Express cardholder with certain exceptions. As of January , Delta no longer offers single day passes. Features vary by location but generally include free drinks including alcoholic beverages , snacks, and reading material.
Originally, Delta's membership-based airport clubs were called Crown Room lounges, with Northwest's called WorldClubs. Points are earned on paid travel based on a variety of fare amount paid, booking code, and place origin or destination. Between its mainline operation and subsidiaries, and as of March , Delta employs nearly 80, people.
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She was appointed on October 1, , replacing Mike Campbell. Delta's 14, mainline pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International and are the union's largest pilot group. As part of the sale, Delta dissolved the staffing division of DGS. It was founded in as a provider of temporary staffing for Delta primarily in Atlanta. DGS has since expanded to include customers and businesses outside the airline and aviation industries. DGS now supports customers in major US metropolitan areas. Delta Global Staffing provided contract workers for short and long term assignments, VMS partnering, VOP on-site management, temp-to-hire, direct placements, and payroll services.
Delta's corporate headquarters is located on a corporate campus on the northern boundary of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, within the city limits of Atlanta. In September , the airline sued the city, challenging the annexation on the basis of the constitutionality of the City of Atlanta annexation of the Hartsfield old terminal.
In addition to hosting Delta's corporate headquarters, Hartsfield-Jackson is also the home of Delta TechOps , the airline's primary maintenance, repair, and overhaul arm and the largest full-service airline MRO in North America, specializing in engines, components, airframe, and line maintenance. Delta maintains a large presence in the Twin Cities , with over 12, employees [] in the region as well as significant corporate support functions housed in the Minneapolis area, including the company's information technology divisional offices.
Delta's logo, often called the "widget", was originally unveiled in Its triangle shape is taken from the Greek letter delta , and recalls the airline's origins in the Mississippi Delta. It features a white fuselage with the company's name in blue lettering and a widget on the vertical stabilizer. Delta introduced its current livery in as part of a re-branding after it emerged from bankruptcy. The new livery consists of four colors, while the old one called "colors in motion" used eight. This meant the switch saved the airline money by removing one day from each aircraft's painting cycle.
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The airline took four years to repaint all of its aircraft into the current scheme, including aircraft inherited from Northwest Airlines. In , Delta Air Lines was given an award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency 's Design for the Environment DfE program for their use of PreKote, a more environmentally friendly, non-hexavalent chromium surface pretreatment on its aircraft, replacing hazardous chemicals formerly used to improve paint adhesion and prevent corrosion.
In addition, PreKote reduces water usage by two-thirds and reduces wastewater treatment. PreKote is also saving money by reducing the time needed to paint each airplane. As part of the re-branding project, a safety video featuring a flight attendant showed up on YouTube in early , getting over 1 million views and the attention of news outlets, specifically for the video's tone mixed with the serious safety message. The video was filmed on a former Song Airlines Boeing The following are major accidents and incidents that occurred on Delta mainline aircraft.
For Northwest Airlines incidents, see Northwest Airlines accidents and incidents. For Delta Connection incidents, see Delta Connection incidents and accidents. There have been over a dozen attempted hijackings that 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:.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Major airline of the United States; founding member of SkyTeam.