Delta Air Lines Essay

The Delta Airlines boasts of an affluent history that tells the story of how it came to be the successful airline company that it is at present. It all started when the Huff Daland Dusters got involved with crop-dusting in Macon, state of Georgia. In 1925, Huff Daland Dusters relocated to Monroe in the state of Louisiana where it was known for being a successful private company, owning eighteen planes. Due to the growing success of Huff Daland Dusters, C. E. Woolman who established Delta Air Lines purchased the private dusting company. The company was then named Delta Air Service. (Delta, 2008a) In 1930, Delta Air Service begins to operate in Atlanta, Georgia where it discontinued services for passengers, and became Delta Air Corporation. When the company was approved to provide mail services again, which was unsuccessful in 1930, it continued to provide services for passengers. In 1942, Delta became involved with the war, with its active involvement in transforming and refurbishing over one thousand aircrafts to be utilized during the war, and in providing instruction for pilots belonging to the army and aircraft technicians. After three years, the company was renamed as Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta, 2008a) In 1961, Delta launched the first direct flight from its base to Los Angeles. In 1972, Delta became a much bigger company through the Northeast Airlines merger, the Western Airlines merger in 1987, and the company’s purchase of Pan Am. The Pan Am purchase allowed Delta to become a global carrier. (Delta 2008a) The current CEO of Delta Air Lines is Richard H. Anderson in September last year, although being just a new member five months prior to that. Anderson acquired a wide ranged of airline experiences during his twenty years in the business. Prior to his membership to the Delta Air Line Board of Directors, he served for Continental Airlines, and jumped from one post to another higher position in the Northwest Airlines. Moreover, he worked for UnitedHealth Group where he was a president of the Markets group. After his three-year service with the company, he joined Delta Air Lines. (Delta, 2008b) At present, the Delta Air Lines is based still in Atlanta Georgia where it provides their customers 310 flight destinations for all over 54 countries in the world. In 2007, Delta just announced the addition of 50 routes all over the world. (Delta, 2008c)This just proves how successful they are in what they do that they are able to cater to thousands of people who have the luxury of choosing where to go from numerous destinations locally or abroad. Delta Air Lines became successful because of its innovativeness and openness to mergers that made it one of the largest company airlines in the history of the United States. Moreover, Delta Air Lines is linked to several other airline companies and are allied with other foreign airlines. In the past, Delta was able to do mergers with several airlines and from then on continued to expand by targeting international destinations and partnership. Its success may also be attributed to the wide range of services that they can provide to their customers. Perhaps, the company fosters good relationships with its employees, primarily because of the concern that Delta exhibits to them. In September 2005, Delta was awarded as one of America’s Safest Companies as it implemented strict rules and policies on health and safety for employees in the workplace. (Delta, 2008d) Currently, Delta has expanded its target market to include even the lower classes of society with its launching of Song ®. The air service offers low prices on flights and lessens the time for aircrafts to continue services. This means that Song ® is able to provide as many flights as possible to the people in order to make up for their time. (List, 2003) Moreover, Delta is in partnership with SkyMiles, which enables their customers to earn free tree miles, which is gained by the number of flights one purchases. They also support several foundations and organizations, such as The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, etc. that helps to build their image and reputation, and gain more followers for the expansion of the airline. These changes have References Delta Air Lines â€Å"Delta Through the Decades.† Delta Air Lines, Inc. 2008a: http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/delta_stats_facts/delta_through_decades/index.jsp 15 April 2008. Delta Air Lines â€Å"Richard H. Anderson.† Delta Air Lines, Inc. 2008b: http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/corporate_biographies/anderson/ 15 April 15, 2008. Delta Air Lines. â€Å"New Routes Mean More Sources.† Delta Air Lines, Inc. 2008c: http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/plan_flight/destinations/new_routes/index.jsp April 15, 2008. Delta Air Lines. â€Å"Awards & Recognition.† Delta Air Lines, Inc. 2008d: http://www.delta.com/about_delta/corporate_information/awards_recognition/index.jsp April 15, 2008. List. B. â€Å"Operations researchers say Delta Air Lines’ Song has cut turnaround time of aircraft by 25%.† Innovations Report 2003: http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/verkehr_logistik/bericht-22601.html April 15, 2008.