Delta Air Lines, Inc.

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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is Delta’s main hub and the nation’s busiest.

© Darryl Brooks/Dreamstime.com

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) is an American airline incorporated on December 31, 1930, as Delta Air Corporation; it adopted its current name in 1945. It began as a crop-dusting enterprise in the southern U.S. and Mexico before expanding after 1934 to carry passengers and cargo, first within the region, and later nationwide and overseas. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company employed about 103,000 workers in mid-2025.

The Southern crop-dusting service began in 1924 as an operation of a New York airplane manufacturer. In 1928, the operation was sold to a group of Louisiana businessmen and became Delta Air Service, which inaugurated passenger service the following year and in 1930 incorporated as Delta Air Corporation. The person most responsible for guiding the company was Collett Everman “C.E.” Woolman, who was vice president and general manager (1928–45), president (1945–65), and chief stockholder (until his death in 1966).

During the 1930s, two other airline companies arose that would one day merge with Delta: Chicago and Southern Air Lines, Inc. (C&S), and Northeast Airlines, Inc. C&S was founded in 1933 as Pacific Seaboard Air Lines. In 1934, it secured a U.S. mail-carrying route from Chicago to New Orleans and was incorporated on December 3, 1935, as Chicago and Southern Air Lines. Expanding its routes throughout the Mississippi River valley and to the Caribbean, it merged with Delta in 1953.

Northeast Airlines was founded in 1933 as Boston and Maine Airways, and in 1940 the airline was renamed Northeast Airlines. By 1944, it was flying the important New York–Boston route, along with others in the Northeast. It merged with Delta in 1972.

In 1987, Delta acquired Western Air Lines, Inc., which had a strong route system in California and the far western U.S. In 1991, Delta became part owner of bankrupt Pan American World Airways, acquiring Pan Am’s routes to Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia in the process. Delta continued to expand with the purchase of Atlantic Southeast Airlines in 1999 and Comair in 2000.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 and the resulting collapse in air travel placed severe financial pressure on U.S. carriers, including Delta. Confronted with high fuel prices, rising security costs, and competition from low-fare rivals, Delta filed for bankruptcy protection on September 14, 2005, the same day as Northwest Airlines. Both carriers restructured their debts and operations and emerged from Chapter 11 in 2007. The following year, Delta and Northwest agreed to merge. Shareholders approved the $2.8 billion deal in September 2008 and federal regulators soon after, creating the world’s largest airline with an extensive domestic and international network.

After merging with Northwest, Delta spent several years combining the two airlines’ operations and eliminating duplication. The merger created a global network large enough to compete effectively with other major carriers. By the mid-2010s Delta was again consistently profitable and led U.S. legacy airlines in stock market capitalization.

Delta widened its long-haul reach through the SkyTeam global alliance of airlines and joint ventures with Air France–KLM, later adding partners such as Virgin Atlantic and Korean Air. These arrangements expanded Delta’s presence in the North Atlantic and Pacific and improved scheduling and connections with partner airlines.

The company also updated its fleet, retiring older aircraft and adding newer, more efficient models such as the Airbus A321, A330-900neo, and A350, as well as the Boeing 737-900ER. The newer planes lowered operating costs and simplified maintenance.

Delta’s leadership lineage dates to the company’s origins in the 1920s. D.Y. Smith served as president from 1928 to about 1934, overseeing Delta’s formation and the start of scheduled passenger flights. Collett E. Woolman, a cofounder and long-time president, became Delta’s first chief executive officer (CEO) when the position was created in 1965; he led the airline until his death the following year.

Since Woolman, Delta’s CEOs have been:

Delta operates a global hub system centered on Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world’s busiest passenger airports. The airline also has major U.S. hubs at:

Along with American Airlines (AAL) and United Airlines (UAL), Delta is one of the largest U.S. airlines, operating extensive domestic and international routes. It is part of the SkyTeam global alliance, which coordinates routes, ticketing, and frequent flier programs among its 19 member airlines. It also has separate joint-venture agreements with Air France–KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, Aeroméxico, and LATAM Airlines Group, extending Delta’s route network to destinations worldwide. By 2025, Delta operated one of the largest long-haul networks among U.S. carriers, linking its domestic hubs with major cities in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Commercial aviation faces growing scrutiny over carbon emissions, which account for a small but increasing share of global greenhouse gases. Like other large carriers, Delta has pledged to reduce its environmental impact in response to tightening regulations and investor expectations. It has set a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and reports progress through annual sustainability filings.

The company has replaced older aircraft with more fuel-efficient models and begun limited use of sustainable aviation fuel as part of broader efforts throughout the airline industry to lower fuel consumption and comply with evolving environmental standards.