Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major American airline. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

The company operates nine different hubs to manage its massive network. Its largest hub is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This airport handles the highest number of passengers and departures for the airline. Delta is also a founding member of SkyTeam. SkyTeam is an international airline alliance where different carriers work together.

Delta manages a complex system to move people across the globe. The airline operates over 5,400 flights every day. It serves 325 destinations in 52 different countries. These flights span six continents. To reach more locations, Delta uses regional subsidiaries and contractors. These partners fly under the brand name Delta Connection. In the summer of 2024, Delta operated 893 daily flights from its Atlanta hub alone.

The history of Delta began with a very different purpose. It started on March 2, 1925, as Huff Daland Dusters, Inc. This company was based in Macon, Georgia. It operated the world's first aerial crop dusting operation. They used a plane called a Huff-Daland Duster to spray crops. This helped protect cotton from the boll weevil infestation. The first flight took place on March 23, 1925. It flew to a peach orchard in Montezuma, Georgia.

As the company evolved, it moved into passenger service. C.E. Woolman led a group of investors to acquire the company's assets. Delta Air Service was incorporated on December 3, 1928. The name came from the Mississippi Delta region. The first passenger flight departed on June 17, 1929. It traveled from Dallas, Texas, to Jackson, Mississippi. This route included stops in Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana. By 1930, the service reached Atlanta and Fort Worth, Texas.

Delta faced many changes and challenges through the decades. In 1934, the company secured an airmail contract. This allowed it to operate over Mail Route 24. The company moved its headquarters to Atlanta in 1941. It officially became Delta Air Lines in 1945. In 1953, Delta began international routes after acquiring Chicago and Southern Air Lines. The airline has always embraced new technology. In 1964, it used IBM 7070 series computers for the Deltamatic reservation system.

The airline grew much larger through several big acquisitions. In 1972, Delta acquired Northeast Airlines. In 1987, it acquired Western Airlines. This helped Delta begin trans-Pacific service to Tokyo. In 1991, it acquired most of Pan Am's trans-Atlantic routes. This made Delta a leading airline across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2008, Delta announced it would acquire Northwest Airlines. After a period of integration, the Northwest brand was retired in 2010.

Today, Delta is a global leader in the aviation industry. It is the second-oldest operating commercial airline in the United States. The company ranks first in revenue and brand value among the world's largest airlines. It also ranks second for the number of passengers carried. It also ranks second for passenger miles flown. In 1997, Delta was the first airline to carry more than 100 million passengers in one year. The airline continues to serve a massive variety of global destinations.