Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines traces its origins to 1925, when it began as Huff Daland Dusters, a crop-dusting operation based in Macon, Georgia, before being reorganised as Delta Air Service and launching passenger flights in 1929. Headquartered in Atlanta, the airline has grown into one of the world's largest carriers by fleet size, revenue and passengers flown, operating an extensive domestic network across the United States alongside long-haul services to Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Its principal hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is among the busiest airports globally, complemented by additional hubs in Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Salt Lake City, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle. Delta's mainline fleet is built around Airbus A220, A319, A320, A321, A321neo, A330, A330neo and A350 aircraft, along with Boeing 717, 737, 757 and 767 types, while Delta Connection carriers operate regional jets on shorter routes.

Delta is a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance and maintains deep transatlantic and transpacific joint ventures with partners including Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, LATAM and Aeromexico. The SkyMiles loyalty programme rewards frequent travellers with tiered Medallion status, lounge access at the airline's Delta Sky Club network, and redemption options across the wider SkyTeam network. Cabin offerings range from Delta One business class and Premium Select on long-haul routes to First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin on shorter sectors.

The airline is widely recognised for its operational reliability and customer service rankings within the US industry, though like its peers it continues to navigate cost pressures, labour negotiations and the complexities of running one of the world's largest route networks.