Company Perspectives:

Since Delta was founded, our company has stood for safe and reliable air transportation, distinctive customer service and hospitality from the heart. Our vision is for Delta to build on its traditions of superior customer service and always to meet our customers' expectations while taking service to even higher levels of excellence. Delta is a great company, and we are a leader in the business we know best&mdashrline transportation and related services. We intend to be an even greater company and will focus our time, attention, and investment on building that leadership. We are dedicated to being the best airline in the eyes of our customers. We will provide value and distinctive products to our customers, a superior return for investors and challenging and rewarding work for Delta people in an environment that respects and values their contributions.

History of Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful air carriers in the United States. Originally founded as a crop dusting service in 1924, Delta was led for 40 years by an agricultural scientist and pilot named Collet Everman Woolman. Until his death in 1966 Woolman dominated the operations of Delta. In this sense he was similar to his three major competitors, Eddie Rickenbacker at Eastern, Juan Trippe at Pan Am, and Howard Hughes at TWA. Expansion through acquisition characterized the era that followed. Then, in the 1990s Delta adopted an aggressive business strategy in order to retain market share in an increasingly competitive airline industry. The new strategy was an enormous success, and in 2000 Delta enjoyed a net income of more than $1 billion and carried a record 117 million passengers. Entering the new century the airline had extended its route network to serve 221 cities in 48 states, and an additional 118 cities in 47 foreign countries.