While the celebrations started earlier this year, today marks the 100th Anniversary of what is now Delta Air Lines’ first flight. Growing up in North Louisiana almost everyone I knew flew Delta, my dad is a 2 Million Miler with the airline and most of my childhood was spent on Delta flights so the airline has a special place in my heart (I dressed up as a Delta pilot on multiple Halloweens).
Delta Air Lines was founded as Huff Daland Dusters on March 2, 1925 in Macon, Georgia. Soon after the company moved to Monroe, Louisiana where it was the world’s first aerial crop dusting operation, using a fleet of 18 aircraft helping to eliminate boll weevils on southern plantations.
After a few years of operation, C.E. Woolman, a manager at the company, joined with local investors in Monroe to purchase the assets of the company and Delta Air Service was incorporated on December 3, 1928. The Delta name was bestowed upon the airline by Catherine FitzGerald, the company’s assistant treasurer and the rest is history.
In 1941 the company moved from Monroe to Atlanta, Georgia where it is still headquartered to this day. The name was officially changed to Delta Air Lines in 1945. In 1965 Delta became the first airline to fly the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, a variant of which it is still operating today (the Boeing 717).
As it celebrates its 100th anniversary, Delta has grown far beyond its crop dusting origins and currently operates a fleet of 990 mainline aircraft. The carrier serves more than 300 destinations from its nine primary hubs and two focus cities and recently announced its plans for the future during a takeover of the sphere in Las Vegas.
While I doubt I’ll be around for the next 100 years, I look forward to see what the airline does next. Hopefully it involves getting more meaningful redemption opportunities out of the Sky Miles program but, at the very least, we’re getting a new special livery out of it.
Summary
Delta Air Lines is celebrating its 100th anniversary today! The airline was formed on March 2, 1925 as Huff Daland Dusters in Macon, Georgia and has grown to one of the largest airlines in the world over the past 100 years.
What are some of your favorite memories with the airline over the years?
Delta Airlines has a special place in my heart as I will be forever grateful to the agent I spoke with on the phone in September 2005 after I received a phone call from a hospital in England on my son’s 18th birthday to tell me my mother was actively dying – a few more days at most. I had enough miles saved up for international round-trip economy-class tickets for my son and myself, but it was short notice and I didn’t know when we would be able to fly back. We not only wanted to be there for her final days, but also as her only close living relatives we would have to handle the funeral arrangements.
When I explained the reason for the uncertain return date, the agent was wonderfully understanding and compassionate. She set it up so we could change the return date as needed with no penalty. She also asked if we would like to fly first class. I answered that it would be wonderful but I didn’t have the miles or the money at that time. She booked us first class anyway! This was such a blessing. We flew through the night, and the day we arrived was the last day that my mother was awake for any length of time. We were more awake and much better able to share those hours with her because of the better rest we got on the flight. Thank you Delta! I will never forget this.
Stories like this are a great reminder that, while we may have our frustrations with airline customer service at times, they are humans on the other end of the line. Glad to hear that Delta went above and beyond to help you and your family.