Fun fact, when Delta was going through tough times after the 70's they were barely staying afloat. The employees refused to let Delta fold and raised $30 million dollars to buy Delta it's first Boeing 767 in 1982. Over 7K employees showed up to christen it and give it its new name, The Spirit of Delta. It sits today in the Delta museum in Atlanta GA.
@@soulcage6228 I can also confirm this! Employees used a payroll deductions account to do this and had nearly 100% participation. That says a lot! Over a period of two decades, I worked as a crewmember countless times on The Spirit of Delta before it was eventually retired and entered into our Delta Museum!
And after all that employee loyalty. When they filed bankruptcy in 06 their stock went worthless. Delta would like to keep this quiet and little does anyone know except us employees that were affected. Since the beginning of Delta‘s 401(k) up until the 2006 bankruptcy all company match was in company stock. Much like Enron Delta screwed over there long time loyal employees and we lost all our company match immediately. Now they’re turning billion dollar profits and still no effort has been made to make the employees who were already retired whole again. Delta is not the employee friendly company it tries to put it out to the public. This airline is no longer Delta Airlines it is just north west airlines with a Delta tail.
@@erichays7379 ha! NWA would have never kept the restrictive anti-customer rerouting. There is a lot of legacy DL in DL, it's just easy to point to the NW merger and claim that it was NW from there on out.
I flew Delta from Paris to NYC in 2019 and it was one of the more pleasant long hauls I've ever had. As an Irish person, friendliness and being relaxed with how we talk to strangers is what we're used to and I was shocked to discover the crew were just like, if not better than an Aer Lingus crew. The crew acted like they really wanted to be there. Plane was great, food was great, even the other passengers around me were very nice. Couldn't fault it.
reading the rest of the comments and my own experience. I get the idea that there international crew are the best with in Delta. I personly prefer KLM but I never mind flying with Delta nor with North West back when they were on there own.
@@sirBrouwer I booked a flight to Australia with KLM 3 weeks ago and I vowed never to use them again. The website has been designed terribly. It was offering me lounges in airports where I couldn't use a lounge, offering me buttons to change my meals when I couldn't change my meals, the thing offered me everything bar what I needed, my flight details. And in 2022 in a pandemic, when you're hopping back and forth between 20 tabs trying to sort visas for one of the hardest countries to get into even in normal times, trying to book connecting flights, trying to book accommodation all in a sequence that would make your head explode..... not having your flight details on the website or on the confirmation email after handing over 1,200 EUR nearly made my head explode with the stress. Then I realised I'd been Djokovic'd by Australia. They granted my visa where I specifically selected "tourism" not once but twice, but they weren't yet open to tourist visas. So I had to try to get these flights refunded with no bloody details to enter on their website to get the refund, this was on a Friday with the flight on Monday and I'm sure the clock was ticking on my refund window. Needless to say that was a stressful weekend and experience overall. So yeah, I'll dodge KLM wherever possible.
Wish I would have known before I booked them smh. I'm currently in Paris on a 24hr layover after surgery because they moved my return flight a full day early . Which I wouldn't mind except I just had surgery I just want to go home😩
I've had good experiences with Delta's call center. Sometimes the wait times are longer than they should be, but once I get someone on the phone they're usually very good and friendly
@@markcharron That's true. Any flight you can walk away from is... Wait, it's "any crash you can walk away from" is good. I wouldn't test that though. Your version's better.
I've met an executive of Delta's refinery and its ownership by the airline is a big deal. While it might not appear profitable it really helps level out the cost of fuel which means DL can more accurately budget their operations into the future.
One of Delta's biggest executive/board mistakes was selling it's fuel/barrel futures to Southwest about 2.5-2.75 decades ago. Southwest was still an up-and-comer in the full US airline market at the time, but the barrel cost shot up shortly after the sale allowing Southwest to post record profits quarter after quarter after quarter. It was pivotal in the "Fall" of Delta, and I'm very surprised it wasn't discussed in this video. In fact, I'm very surprised the CEO at the time wasn't discussed at all.
Great video. I've been a Delta employee now for 5 years, and I definitely can testify that your #2 on Recovery is correct. For me, Delta is the best company I've ever worked for. 👍🏿🙂
I've only flown with Delta Airlines once, but I did have a very positive experience. It was the winter of 2001 when I was coming home for the first time from the Navy and I was in full dress uniform, the captain upgraded me to First Class and covered my entire tab for anything I wanted while I was on a plane including calls home. I plugged many times in my life but never first class and will always be an experience I will never forget.
I absolutely LOVE Delta. On my last trip with them, I had to take a connection flight from Austin to SJU that was scheduled to go through Atlanta. One of the flights got a mechanical issue several hours before. They called me about 6 hours before the trip to inform me that they had to send me to JFK to take the other leg there and for my troubles, they upgraded me to First Class without me asking. They went above and beyond and for that, I am a repeat customer for them.
Complete opposite of my most recent experience with American under same circumstances. Delta has always been very good to me, I do my best to give them my business.
I love Delta I’ve had a better experience with them than I did with American Airlines I had a flight canceled that morning they gave me a food voucher for the inconvenience
I agree. The way they treat the everyday customer is leagues ahead of how the others do it. American and united make the typical experience bad to encourage you to go loyalty. This was not that. They upgraded me to first class as well and it was awesome.
I've been flying Delta most of my life. Prior to flying with Delta, I was flying with Northwest which Delta acquired. Delta's customer service is still industry leading. I was stranded at the Memphis airport due to a flight being canceled unexpectedly. Delta provided transportation to a nearby hotel that they comped me for the night and meal vouchers on them. It was completely unexpected but made me feel really valued as a customer. I have flown American for work and never felt valued in the way that Delta does for their customers.
Delta got my dogs home safe and sound from an overseas military tour over a decade ago. Those dogs have all passed now, but I will always remember who got us back on American soil safely. And that's why I fly Delta.
I went on a business trip to San Francisco sometime around 2014 and took Delta. The day of my return flight, a major storm started shutting down flights out of SFO. When my own flight got cancelled, a ticket agent for Delta went above and beyond getting me and my two travel companions on an out-bound flight so we could get home. Ever since then, I have flown Delta exclusively for personal flights and have never regretted it. Their customer service and perks, I feel, more than make up for the small premium in price.
Best customer service I've had experience with, I'm in the military so I fly an average of 6 flights a year and I've never had an issue with refunding my ticket (even with their "non refundable" tickets) due to unforseen issues with military orders. Every other airline wants copies of orders and to contact my chain of command to verify but delta has always just refundedy ticket with little hassle. I now exclusivly fly delta because of this.
And we love having you and your military brothers and sisters onboard! Thank you so much for your service. I have worked onboard countless overseas CRAF (military charters) and have seen firsthand some if the sacrifices you make in keeping your oath to our nation. It's not just you, it's your families, as well. It's both Patriotic and heartbreaking at the same time -- my sincerest thank you to you and all service men and women and their loved ones.
I love flying Delta. Their customer service is awesome. I’m actually dreading having to book an American Airlines flight because Delta stopped flying to my destination after COVID happened.
Delta is definitely my preferred airline when booking a trip. They generally seem to be at least a little better at everything compared to the competition. Better on time performance and better customer service on the ground and onboard are certainly a part of that. While AA and UA are removing seatback screens on domestic flights Delta committed to getting them on all their mainline aircraft because it's a feature customers use and enjoy compared to the device streaming version even if it makes them no direct money. They never got rid of snacks in coach, expanded the snacks before anyone else, and were even brought back included meals in coach on some transcontinental routes before the pandemic hit. All this sums up to a focus on the customer experience that's not limited to first class
Of the big three, I don't know much about them. I usually fly Alaska because I live in Seattle. Whenever I can I will try to fly Alaska. Alaska has never given me a problem ever. Whenever I book with Delta it's always a clusterfuck
I've got a relative who works for Delta, they definitely pay very well compared to other airlines and the profit sharing is an awesome bonus on top of it at the end of the year. They even got profit sharing for 2021 which, while it wasn't substantial, they didn't expect to get.
I prefer Delta because in my experience they tend to have more creature comforts (more USB plugs, more seatback TVs, etc.) than their competitors on the same routes.
I agree--Delta just does everything a little better than their competition. I flew United a few months ago (not my first choice, but Delta didn't offer any nonstop flights). After my United flight, they sent me a survey asking me how I enjoyed the trip--including several questions about their in-flight entertainment, which they didn't have on that flight. I also noticed that their website kept pushing me to check in for my flight, even though I already had. Neither of these is a major life-changing experience, but those are definitely things in this computer era that they should be able to address. Bottom line, the Delta experience is just smoother and more polished from booking, to checking in, to flying.
I just recently flew Delta and I will say that the flights were extremely pleasant! I kept telling my sister how such a great airline it was. 1. The employees were sooo lovely! Not one bad experience with any of them. 2. We didn’t get to pick out seats but both times we were upgraded to Delta+. Which might have been luck, but I was excited! Lol 3. The flights left on time and even arrived earlier than expected. What really stuck with me though were how nice the employees were. I definitely am a firm believer that as long as you keep your employees happy you will have a more profitable company, so it makes sense that Delta is doing well because of it.
One of the best things about this company is how they treat the customers. Especially the folks who are so loyal to them. I’ll give an example I was supposed to come home from Nashville on the 6pm connecting through ATL up to Philly. But Delta called & told me the flight was overbooked. But they could get me on an earlier flight with a first class upgrade & adding 30,000 sky miles to my account. Phenomenal
Delta oversold a flight I was scheduled to take, so in order to move it back, they offered me an $800 gift card and an upgrade to first class. Superb! Never had this kind of service and to take first class has always been a dream for me. That and the fact that I think with pure product, delta has the best in the skies.
My dad retired from DELTA in 2006 because of the bad management and poor outlook from 2001-2005. He had been a pilot employee for 20 years, first as flight engineer, then first officer and finally Captain. Based on recollections of his opinion of management, it goes back MUCH FURTHER to the Ron Allen era of Delta from 1990-1998. During the 1991 buyout of Pan Am, he got bumped in seniority steeply, with Pan Am being heavy on older pilots.
I worked for Delta Air Lines during its greatest years; those under C. E. Woolman. It was a different kind of company then. He ran it like a family, and he treated us all like family. His office did not have a door on it. ANY employee was welcome in his office regardless of who he was meeting with. We came first! If he met you today, in six months he'd remember your name, what was discussed, and if any changes were needed from that conversation, he asked about improvements. He bought tickets to fly on his own airplanes, which were paid for CASH. None of our planes were financed or leased. A P.O. for new Douglas planes (all he bought were Douglas and Convair) was a phone call, followed by a call to finance to cut a check for the entire amount. When other air lines went on strike, we worked through them and were given everything they were striking for as well as a massive thank you party for ALL of the employees by region. Entry to the festival was a mere showing of your I.D. card. Oh, we also received shares of Delta stock, as well. It was AFTER his death building maintenance was called to cut notches in his office door frame to install hinges. And, by the way, the name Delta was suggested by his secretary who was with him until his death. One more little tidbit about Mr. Woolman. The company bought him a Lincoln. Black. Very prestigious. But he never drove it. The tires went flat. He took fellow airline presidents to lunch in his '53 Chevy Bel Air, which he drove all the time. THAT'S why Delta was the best air line in the business, and why employees LOVED working for them.
Ex Delta Employee 👋 probably one of the best companies I've ever worked for. They truly care about Employee and that's shown by all the events the little things they do. It's rare for Employee to meet the CEO but even rarer for an intern to shake their hand, yet I was able to shake Ed Bastians hand a few months into starting. Also benefits are pretty dang nice. Only negative comment I will say is that pay can definitely be better. Specifically for engineers. There is definitely more competitive pay at other Aerospace companies but I guess one can argue you make up the loss with benefits. In one year of flying with Delta I took over 100 free flights around the world 🤩
IMO, another advantage Delta has is Atlanta Airport itself. I know quite a few people who choose Delta just so they can go through Atlanta rather than any of the other hubs (e.g Chicago).
I'm in awe of ATL. It's not sexy like many airports abroad, but it's an absolute machine and amazing to watch. There are also quite a few creature comforts hidden around the place once you learn it. Very easy to navigate as well.
With ATL being my home airport and DL being the main airline I fly, I do think I'm spoiled by how nice and efficient the airport is! Plus Delta's product at ATL is unlike any other I have experienced out of other airline's hub airports.
My stepdad flew 3 Million miles with Delta! On the flight, he hit the milestone, the crew hand-wrote a letter for him and my mom thanking them for traveling. I was on the flight as well and they upgraded my seat free of charge, super nice for the 8-hour flight. They also sent him a custom plaque with 3 million on it! They are always super nice and extremely helpful!! Love delta haha
as a someone who works in the industry. think you hit everything spot on. however think you should have added the "out sourcing " ground work at some airports. and there old subsidiary companies into it
I happened to fly on two Delta flights the day they emerged from bankruptcy (PIT to ATL; ATL to SFO). They made a point of announcing this on both flights and gave out champagne to celebrate. It really struck me that the flight attendant (an older woman) making the announcement on the ATL-SFO flight got a little choked up talking about it. Looking back, they were going for a new image during that time and it seems to have worked.
I can't really speak for other airlines, but one of the primary reasons why I have used Delta for the past ten years as my go to airline is the simple fact that I live in the NYC metro area where two of its airports, JFK and LGA are huge hubs for the airline. When I want to travel to say any of the major cities on the West Coast for in the Midwest, direct flights from JFK or LGA via Delta are readily available. But more importantly, I've rarely encountered any major issues or headaches in travels with Delta. Plus I am also a Platinum Medallion member which affords me some extra benefits and comforts flying with the airline versus that of the others. So strategic location of its hubs, improved customer service and direct flights to major cities around the globe are primary reasons why I have chosen to stick with Delta.
I love to watch your videos every afternoon when I get home. I always eat alone, but your videos are always so full and interesting, that make me feel less lonely. Thank you company man.
My family has flown with Delta forever. My dad always traveled extensively for work and this has been a diamond medallion member with them for as long as I can remember. A very standout experience I’ve had with them among the many instances of unbelievably positive customer service experiences was when a our flight was running quite late and we were approaching the point of missing our connection. Upon landing we were ready to run to our next gate, but as soon as we disembarked, there was a man standing at the door of the plan dressed in a very nice three-piece suit holding a sign with our last name on it. He was dressed as one would expect a dapper gentlemen to look, he told us to follow him and he led us out a door right onto the tarmac into a Delta branded Porsche SUV. Helped us with our baggage etc and proceeded to drive us directly to our next flight. The reasoning behind it was my father’s membership standing within Delta, not like he was a shareholder or anything, but they valued his longtime support of the company and this was just a thank you. It has happened to me on my own as well and it just truly goes to show how dedicated the company is to absolute satisfaction regarding their customers and that is huge.
Used to be huge JetBlue flyer mainly due to the inflight amenities from short to long flights such as free snacks and TVs. Then I had to go someplace and JetBlue didn't have a direct option so I chose Delta as it was the only airline that did. I was blown away by Delta from the in-flight amenities stand point, not only did they have similar one's to JetBlue (which I thought was the gold standard) but they had better ones. From then on, I've mostly flown Delta and also think they have the best customer service. The negative thing about JetBlue is that when you call, you wait on the line for hours. With Delta I never experienced that, typically getting a representative within 20 minutes. Anyway, Delta is by far the best American airline in terms of both amenities and customer service.
I have the luxury of living near DTW, a major hub from their NW merger. I only started being able to afford to fly about 10 years ago so I've only really known Delta lately. I love everything about flying Delta except the price, especially lately. On occasion, the price for Delta is reasonable and I'll gladly choose them when it makes sense, but to answer Mike's question towards the end, as much as I love flying Delta, the price delta vs Spirit is usually not worth it - I often choose Spirit for the price alone and thankfully DTW is a major spot for them as well. I know how to work their system (sharing a checked bag under 40lbs with my girl, or travelling very light with only a personal under seat bag), and I generally fly for leisure and without a strict timeline so I don't have to value On Time Performance as much. I've never had a big issue with Spirit either, I honestly think their reputation is worse than deserved, they are rather good in their market space. I rarely fly any other airlines - a few times on American, once one way on United, and a couple one offs on international carriers - all for location-specific reasons, but 90%+ of my trips are either Spirit or Delta.
Yeah, just don't ask for Dr. Pepper. Coke is also out of Atlanta. Oh and did I mention you're likely to go though Atlanta. Even if your destination is in the other direction.
As far as domestic carriers Delta is my favorite. It is my preferred airline when I travel. It was Continental since United bought that airline it has been highly unlikely for me to fly.
The funny thing about Song was that it didn’t feel like a low-cost airline. If I remember correctly, they were the first (or one of the first) in Delta’s fleet that had video screens for everyone on domestic routes. Many people I’ve talked to state that they even got free meals on Song. I actually really enjoyed flying them! That being said, it doesn’t surprise me that it was a money suck. Good video!
When I was flying a lot in the 90's and early 00's flying Delta was a miserable experience. To be fair their competition was just as awful. The biggest blunder was merging with PanAm. The company cultures were drastically different and it took too long for the workforce to integrate well.
I used to fly Frontier and Spirit... but one day decided to fly Delta. Delta has IFE on most flights and they're on time mostly. Plus I live in Atlanta.
As a Delta Platinum Medallion customer, I can vouch for the fact that flying DL is the most pleasant choice for US air travel. The well paid employees absolutely translate into more friendly and personable interactions as a customer (Southwest might be the only airline that competes in terms of friendliness and personality), which I appreciate. Delta has consistently invested in the customer experience, with in back seat entertainment, even on short domestic hops, while AA and United have just been cutting, and cutting, and cutting, to the point their employees sometimes seem to be embarrassed to be affiliated with those organizations. Further, Delta's investment in seat blocking during the pandemic when vaccines weren't yet available proved to me that they have an interest in my long term wellbeing - that action alone probably bought more good feelings and loyalty than 100 free cocktails in the SkyClub ever could. Lots of people complained about not getting the same level of snacks or whatever, but this move elevated the basic economy experience, fleetwide, to be equal to Intra-European business class (which is just a blocked middle seat, not the larger recliners we have in the US).
As a 28 year employee of Delta i have seen the good, the Bad, and the Ugly in my years working and I will testify that Delta in the last 10 years or so as worked very hard making employees happy. Employee safety has been a huge focus and though we didn't get profit sharing last year during pandemic this year they still wanted to give us a bonus which was a pleasant surprise. I used to get embarrassed about telling ppl where I worked years back because it was usually followed by a travel horror story but now I hear more good things about Delta travel experience that I'm actually proud to say I work for them.
Some companies I would like to see in a video: McIlhenny Company - Makers of Tobasco Sauce Red Bull - The Thai family behind the energy drink empire Huy Fong Foods - Makers of the famous Sriratcha sauce Thanks, keep up the good work, I watch all your videos.
Company man , very timely. I'm a Canadian (and a subscriber!) looking at booking flights home from Japan, and a lot of the cheaper options involve US airlines that I'm not experienced with like delta or American airlines. I literally just googled "is delta airlines a bad airline", then came to RUclips to find something to watch and here you are
I have flown on Delta a few times during its bad period and more recently and I can say its transformation is outstanding. from the cabin staff to the pilots its pure professionalism and courtesy that's why I enjoy flying with them. I hope they continue this positive trend.
This great video on Delta airlines evokes memories of Pan Am, TWA, Eastern, and for those like me that are of the age to remember, the lovely United Airlines commercials: “Fly the friendly skies”, with the soft passages of Rhapsody In Blue playing in the background.
They fought off USAir trying to buy them. If that had succeeded Delta would probably be horrible. Just look at what AA has gone through since their merger.
When I had scheduling issues due to pandemic-related complications, I was shocked at how accommodating their customer support was. Basically I had written off $2000+ as lost (because it wasn’t their fault at all and it was last-minute) and they provided me another date with hardly a penalty! It was incredible and I appreciated that extra effort. My opinion of Delta has only grown in the past 5 years
I haven't taken a whole lot of flights in my life, but out of the ones I have taken delta was the best by a considerable margin. They were the only ones I've ever flown with that had in flight entertainment and offered pillows and blankets in the economy seats. The worst I've flown with is united, that felt like a prison transport
I work for Delta. I have never felt so appreciated and valuable working for a company before. I will do whatever it takes to not leave this job. The profit sharing is awesome, my team is always really happy and we watch the customer surveys and feedback really close even though I do not interact with customers at all, the pay is great. I do work that affects the people who interact with customers so I want to make sure those folks are able to give everything to make people happy. If you are going to spend more money getting to a place then we gotta make the price worth it. We have a lot of team building exercises and customer satisfaction numbers are updated constantly throughout the office. This is honestly a great place to work.
I flew delta to Paris and back in 2019. And it's one of the best flight experiences I've had, and I travel to Europe frequently. I'm a tall person and their economy seats had amazing leg room. For most airliners I try to get emergency exit seats or isle seats. Customer service was amazing and the captain got us back to New York quicker then scheduled
My dad worked as an aircraft engineer at Delta from 1988-2005. He sensed the bankruptcy coming as a result of employee pay cuts and resigned. We flew on Delta all the time growing up in the 90s and the first half of the 2000s. I've flown on Delta a few times since and have not had a bad experience with the airline. Delta has been able to bounce back and grow after many downfalls.
I worked for Delta for 10 years (I left after I finished law school). Great corporate culture. Heavy focus on customer satisfaction. Tremendous esprit de corps. Happy employees=happy customers. Safety was and is paramount. Go Delta. I would work again for it in a heart-beat! Tremendously proud to have been a part of that team.
I have been flying Delta Airlines since 2019 overall the company is one of the best airlines in the world I'm a loyal travel and sky club member their customer service is outstanding what I also like about the airline is that they really care about passengers with disabilities. As a disability activist and a man with Cerebral Palsy (CP) is that they always endure that passengers with disabilities are well looked after so I give them kudos I never had a negative experience so I will continue to travel with them for many years to come!
Definitely not all US airlines look after customers with all disabilities but all US airlines are at least trained to look after people with at least some disabilities. It is because we will do almost anything to save 20 bucks on tickets and they have to cut costs to reduce fares.
As someone who flies 40+ times a year, Delta has had the best customer service, great perks for medallion members, nicest planes, free wifi now, and flies to the most places (I’m also at a hub city, if I wasn’t then I don’t know if I’d continue or switch to the major carrier there)
I agree with all these positive comments here. Pre-Covid, I flew all over North America, Europe, and even Australia multiple times a year. Delta makes air travel as hassle-free as it can be.
I don't mind the Economy airlines for short hops, 2-3 hour flights. But as someone who frequently flies coast to coast, Delta is a godsend. The planes are newer. Charging ports at every seat. And the big one: Friendliness of employees. Their uniforms look great, the Stewards almost always smile. Even in Coach I feel like a king. Face it: Flying sucks. Delta makes the entire process as enjoyable as possible.
My father, who is a veteran, has worked for Delta for over 30 years and they have treated him with the utmost respect and recognition. My family has always used Delta as a means for far travel and I absolutely love them, I have very fond memories and always get a sense of nostalgia when boarding their planes. I trust Delta, and I would like to work for them myself one day. I'll ask him about the changes he's noticed over the years soon.
A better name of the video could have been: "Delta Airlines: Take off, landing, and taking off again" That would be an interesting running idea for Company Man to use on all videos related to airlines. 🤔🤣🤣🤣
One of the smart things Delta did after the merger with North West Airlines was to make the transition super fast and rebrand everything Delta immediately. It helped, for their image and it helped the employees who came from very different company cultures. Within 2 months the entire fleet was painted in the new colors, interiors redone in Delta blue, employee uniforms issued and integration of both workforces. Nothing is 100% but the fact that they moved so quickly helped everyone get onboard and business to continue swiftly. Unlike United who's merger w/ Continental dragged for years. Most Continental employees I know are still not happy. Oh, and those profit sharing bonuses.... are the best. Every employee is invested in the company making a profit because the bonus is so so nice. Comes every year on Feb. 14. So Happy Love day Delta. 💕
My opinion Is also that it was the Merger with NWA that brought about the success of what is now called Delta Air Lines. I worked at NWA during the Merger. Our cultures and the publics perception of the companies were so different. at NWA Process discipline was king, On time Performance, Technical travel accuracy. but at NWA we weren't known as the friendliest airline. Delta on the other hand was known to be super friendly, people loved the staff. But my perception was that the delta people were kind of sloppy. well loved, and would do anything for customers but their processes were lacking, their technology was old. the merger created an opportunity for the less friendly NWA staff to bring their talents, and Delta staff to show them how to have fun and be friendlier. it also removed some very hard core NWA management from the company that created staff / employer tension that was common at NWA. It really was the people of the two companies that through down and went for it to make it work. I miss my NWA/Delta days such great people before and after the merger.
@@rosser95 I agree, I worked through it as well. Delta folks had a better relationship with management as well, but it didn't take as long as it could have for things to iron out. At the end of the day all the big management folks and CEO if I remember correctly were NWA so really it's NWA with Delta branding. It's been 10 years so finally at this point I think things have meshed well.
Yes a consolidated branding was a very wise move. But all the NW planes were not repainted in two months. More like a couple of years. Not possible to do for such a large fleet in couple of months. The old DL livery aircraft were not complete until 2011 so it was a long process to get a complete consolidated branding in place.
My family and I back in 2018 planned a trip to LA. My cousin had brought all 6 of our flights together and we were going to be seated in different seats on the plane. When we checked in Delta changed our seats to having all 6 of us sit together ❤. We didn't ask them to do this, they and the system figured if we brought all 6 tickets together, we must all know each other. Also anytime I fly home to Dominican Republic, we arrive 15-20 minutes earlier than what is scheduled. My uncle picking us up always is shocked we get there do early 😂. They really do treat you well on Delta
I am a Delta Diamond Medallion, and proud of it. I fly alot, and Delta has become my airline of choice. Great operation! The company has been trying to sell its refinery for a few years now as it hasn't really generated great profits. But!! With fuel prices rising the way they are, I heard they are pretty happy to still have it in place. Delta has some great workers too. The Delta of the late 90's to 2010's was... Stuffy. Can't find a good word to explain it. It did not seem fresh in a way. Today, they are crisp and clean, and a well run machine.
I have been flying with Delta for the last 27 years, I just love it. It is home away from home, I slept well on Delta seats than on my own bed. I have used other partnered and Code Share airlines, yet I can never think of any other airlines to use as my main flying house. "DELTA ONE", way to go. Thank you for your report.
Great video. I retired after 34 years at Delta. Great Airline. One correction to this story is Delta did not pay a "bonus" . Delta payed out "profit sharing" which meant watching safety, customer satisfaction and other parameters that need to be achieved each and everyday. Which means they're employees were always engaged. I was proud to work for Delta from day one till the day I retired. I treated every flight I managed like my Grand Mother was on that flight. "Keep Climbing"
5:24 they didn’t start making money again they just were spending less because they fired a bunch of employees therefore they had less salaries to pay. A lot of big corporations use this to make it seem like they are making money but it really just means they are not SPENDING money.
Most everyone knows that some extra time is added to flight schedules. What few people understand, is that our aviation system wasn't designed for the volume of traffic in the skies today. You will never remove the weather variable from the equation, so extra time built in makes sense!
I now always fly Delta because it is very responsive to your needs and when they have minor failures of service during flights they respond and at least in my case address them. The experiences have been really good over the years and is well appreciated.
ive only flown delta a couple times as a kid (im 16, so probably around the early to mid 2010s), and i remember they gave me a little pin with their logo and wings on it. it made me feel so special! and i also remember my mother and one of the flight attendants chatting a ton during the whole thing. that flight my family happened to sit at the very back, so we were the last ones off the plane. ill never forget getting to meet the pilots and see a little bit of the cockpit before heading off for our vacation! truly a cool experience. its times like late last year when me and my father flew southwest and ended up getting stranded in philadelphia because of the cancellations that make me miss that one flight with delta haha!
Flew Delta 2019, the fist thing I noticed was that one of the Captains handed out wings to the kids, you don't get that with other airlines. I fly a lot the service is great, crew are friendly and helpful I love Delta very consistent Best Regards Andrew from Down Under
Im an employee with Delta Airlines. Yes I can say they really care a lot on both their Employees and Customer satisfaction. It made the workplace a very positive and the support that is given to us. Their benefits is way beyond what their competitors can offer as well. I was initially skeptical of the positivity but after months here, it is truly a positive experience never have I felt in any employment before this. And yes the leaders do visit our office now and then. Even when we are located 12hrs ahead of the US, they regularly made trips to Singapore to visit their employees here. Going above and beyond is our passion.
I made diamond status last year since I travel for work. Literally my favorite airline. They are super nice! I get upgraded to first and comfort plus all the time. Free wifi if you have T-Mobile. I have the platinum delta card so I get a stupid amount of points. They just gave out a choice benefit where I chose free sky lounge. They are a really good airline.
Yes, Company man, I confirm your recovery points. I just made 8 flights with Sky Team members Delta and KLM. This was the first time, Delta was significantly better than KLM. The Delta A 350-900 is very modern and from a customer view I liked it more than the KLM 787-9. The Delta service always was excellent but outstanding on the international flight. Even the regional flights (KLM: Stuttgart-Amsterdam ,Embraer 175 vs. Delta SFO-LAX A220) have extremely improved on the Delta side. Very comfortable seats, a modern IFE with Delta studio and a good service on a 1 hour flight cannot be taken for granted. I fly with Delta since their slogan in the late 80s: "We'll love to fly and it shows". They still love it. And I'm glad, that they're rising again.
There are a couple of things I can add here. I was part of a team that subcontracted for Delta when they decided to migrate their reservation systems from Datas II to Worldspan. This was in the mid 90's. It was supposed to be a 5 year project that would have gradually changed the system little by little so that it would be an easy transition. Then Delta decided they needed it done in one year...that required every travel agent all over the US to go to training in either ATL or SLC, followed by a trainer the weekend their system was migrated. We stayed for 2 -4 days depending on the size of the agency. This was a drastic change. Worldspan (PARS) was the old TWA reservation system that was totally different. It would be like going to work Friday speaking english only to be told that Monday you would only be allowed to speak Russian. There were some VERY unhappy people and it was a thankless job. Later on Delta was the first airline (and all the rest followed) when they capped travel agency commissions at 5% down from 10% previously. This decimated many corporate travel providers as well as agents. That was in 1995, and if you were in a Delta dominated area like Atlanta, Salt Lake, or any other Delta hub you were screwed. This created a whole lot of negative feelings from the people that had been selling most of Delta's tickets (and was way before the era of buying online). E-Tickets were just becoming a thing. That is all pre bankruptcy, but I am sure it didn't help.
Flew From STL to Seoul South Korea two times in a month. It was during the pandemic and A+. Positive staff, great entertainment, nice cabins and planes. Just a really positive experience!
You should do the book series “For Dummies”. They been around since the 90s and they’re still being used and read today.
Those books are really for dummies because only ppl uninformed enough to not notice all of the flaws in them.
Yep
Nobody reads books anymore sadly even books for dummies
@@nandogee1205 just you
@@nandogee1205 people still read books lol
Fun fact, when Delta was going through tough times after the 70's they were barely staying afloat. The employees refused to let Delta fold and raised $30 million dollars to buy Delta it's first Boeing 767 in 1982. Over 7K employees showed up to christen it and give it its new name, The Spirit of Delta. It sits today in the Delta museum in Atlanta GA.
Can confirm this as a delta employee in Atlanta.
@@soulcage6228 I can also confirm this! Employees used a payroll deductions account to do this and had nearly 100% participation. That says a lot! Over a period of two decades, I worked as a crewmember countless times on The Spirit of Delta before it was eventually retired and entered into our Delta Museum!
And after all that employee loyalty. When they filed bankruptcy in 06 their stock went worthless. Delta would like to keep this quiet and little does anyone know except us employees that were affected. Since the beginning of Delta‘s 401(k) up until the 2006 bankruptcy all company match was in company stock. Much like Enron Delta screwed over there long time loyal employees and we lost all our company match immediately. Now they’re turning billion dollar profits and still no effort has been made to make the employees who were already retired whole again. Delta is not the employee friendly company it tries to put it out to the public. This airline is no longer Delta Airlines it is just north west airlines with a Delta tail.
@@erichays7379 “just northwest airlines with a delta tail” that is sad but so true 💀
@@erichays7379 ha! NWA would have never kept the restrictive anti-customer rerouting. There is a lot of legacy DL in DL, it's just easy to point to the NW merger and claim that it was NW from there on out.
I flew Delta from Paris to NYC in 2019 and it was one of the more pleasant long hauls I've ever had. As an Irish person, friendliness and being relaxed with how we talk to strangers is what we're used to and I was shocked to discover the crew were just like, if not better than an Aer Lingus crew. The crew acted like they really wanted to be there. Plane was great, food was great, even the other passengers around me were very nice. Couldn't fault it.
reading the rest of the comments and my own experience. I get the idea that there international crew are the best with in Delta. I personly prefer KLM but I never mind flying with Delta nor with North West back when they were on there own.
@@sirBrouwer I booked a flight to Australia with KLM 3 weeks ago and I vowed never to use them again. The website has been designed terribly. It was offering me lounges in airports where I couldn't use a lounge, offering me buttons to change my meals when I couldn't change my meals, the thing offered me everything bar what I needed, my flight details. And in 2022 in a pandemic, when you're hopping back and forth between 20 tabs trying to sort visas for one of the hardest countries to get into even in normal times, trying to book connecting flights, trying to book accommodation all in a sequence that would make your head explode..... not having your flight details on the website or on the confirmation email after handing over 1,200 EUR nearly made my head explode with the stress.
Then I realised I'd been Djokovic'd by Australia. They granted my visa where I specifically selected "tourism" not once but twice, but they weren't yet open to tourist visas. So I had to try to get these flights refunded with no bloody details to enter on their website to get the refund, this was on a Friday with the flight on Monday and I'm sure the clock was ticking on my refund window. Needless to say that was a stressful weekend and experience overall. So yeah, I'll dodge KLM wherever possible.
@@sirBrouwer I like Delta now, but I miss the days of Northwest from MSP...
@@tobyrl2219 the bowling shoe....
Wish I would have known before I booked them smh. I'm currently in Paris on a 24hr layover after surgery because they moved my return flight a full day early . Which I wouldn't mind except I just had surgery I just want to go home😩
"And then I go over to the Delta help desk, which is an oxymoron." - John Mulaney
Your channel is good too.
@@milpool8577 Thank you!
@Lala Wrong demographic for porn bots lmfao
I've had good experiences with Delta's call center. Sometimes the wait times are longer than they should be, but once I get someone on the phone they're usually very good and friendly
“Can I go home… on an airplane please?” -John Mulaney
The Rise and Fall and Rise again... Is not what you'd particularly like to see from an airline, gives a rather bumpy ride.
When you get off the plane still alive... that is a good experience no matter what the airline.
@@markcharron That's true. Any flight you can walk away from is... Wait, it's "any crash you can walk away from" is good. I wouldn't test that though. Your version's better.
Better than just rise and fall
I mean what are take offs and landings other than rising and falling?
try researching the insights of why Thai airways still in business 😏
I've met an executive of Delta's refinery and its ownership by the airline is a big deal. While it might not appear profitable it really helps level out the cost of fuel which means DL can more accurately budget their operations into the future.
@Lala the LORD is appalled
One of Delta's biggest executive/board mistakes was selling it's fuel/barrel futures to Southwest about 2.5-2.75 decades ago. Southwest was still an up-and-comer in the full US airline market at the time, but the barrel cost shot up shortly after the sale allowing Southwest to post record profits quarter after quarter after quarter. It was pivotal in the "Fall" of Delta, and I'm very surprised it wasn't discussed in this video. In fact, I'm very surprised the CEO at the time wasn't discussed at all.
The Trainer refinery actually helps all carriers, since it puts fuel into the market as a whole, not just to DL.
And helps all airlines with fuel pricing, not just Delta
Great video. I've been a Delta employee now for 5 years, and I definitely can testify that your #2 on Recovery is correct. For me, Delta is the best company I've ever worked for. 👍🏿🙂
We love Feb 14th
@@NicksDynasty yeap!! I am 125
Just started at the Delta. I left from AA. I love it and I plan to retire here
I've only flown with Delta Airlines once, but I did have a very positive experience. It was the winter of 2001 when I was coming home for the first time from the Navy and I was in full dress uniform, the captain upgraded me to First Class and covered my entire tab for anything I wanted while I was on a plane including calls home. I plugged many times in my life but never first class and will always be an experience I will never forget.
I absolutely LOVE Delta. On my last trip with them, I had to take a connection flight from Austin to SJU that was scheduled to go through Atlanta. One of the flights got a mechanical issue several hours before. They called me about 6 hours before the trip to inform me that they had to send me to JFK to take the other leg there and for my troubles, they upgraded me to First Class without me asking. They went above and beyond and for that, I am a repeat customer for them.
Thank you for sharing your story!
Complete opposite of my most recent experience with American under same circumstances. Delta has always been very good to me, I do my best to give them my business.
I love Delta I’ve had a better experience with them than I did with American Airlines I had a flight canceled that morning they gave me a food voucher for the inconvenience
I agree. The way they treat the everyday customer is leagues ahead of how the others do it. American and united make the typical experience bad to encourage you to go loyalty. This was not that. They upgraded me to first class as well and it was awesome.
I've been flying Delta most of my life. Prior to flying with Delta, I was flying with Northwest which Delta acquired. Delta's customer service is still industry leading. I was stranded at the Memphis airport due to a flight being canceled unexpectedly. Delta provided transportation to a nearby hotel that they comped me for the night and meal vouchers on them. It was completely unexpected but made me feel really valued as a customer. I have flown American for work and never felt valued in the way that Delta does for their customers.
Delta got my dogs home safe and sound from an overseas military tour over a decade ago. Those dogs have all passed now, but I will always remember who got us back on American soil safely. And that's why I fly Delta.
I went on a business trip to San Francisco sometime around 2014 and took Delta. The day of my return flight, a major storm started shutting down flights out of SFO. When my own flight got cancelled, a ticket agent for Delta went above and beyond getting me and my two travel companions on an out-bound flight so we could get home. Ever since then, I have flown Delta exclusively for personal flights and have never regretted it. Their customer service and perks, I feel, more than make up for the small premium in price.
Best customer service I've had experience with, I'm in the military so I fly an average of 6 flights a year and I've never had an issue with refunding my ticket (even with their "non refundable" tickets) due to unforseen issues with military orders. Every other airline wants copies of orders and to contact my chain of command to verify but delta has always just refundedy ticket with little hassle. I now exclusivly fly delta because of this.
And we love having you and your military brothers and sisters onboard! Thank you so much for your service. I have worked onboard countless overseas CRAF (military charters) and have seen firsthand some if the sacrifices you make in keeping your oath to our nation. It's not just you, it's your families, as well. It's both Patriotic and heartbreaking at the same time -- my sincerest thank you to you and all service men and women and their loved ones.
Thank you so much for your service! Thank you for choosing Delta!
I love flying Delta. Their customer service is awesome. I’m actually dreading having to book an American Airlines flight because Delta stopped flying to my destination after COVID happened.
Delta is definitely my preferred airline when booking a trip. They generally seem to be at least a little better at everything compared to the competition. Better on time performance and better customer service on the ground and onboard are certainly a part of that. While AA and UA are removing seatback screens on domestic flights Delta committed to getting them on all their mainline aircraft because it's a feature customers use and enjoy compared to the device streaming version even if it makes them no direct money. They never got rid of snacks in coach, expanded the snacks before anyone else, and were even brought back included meals in coach on some transcontinental routes before the pandemic hit. All this sums up to a focus on the customer experience that's not limited to first class
How does it compare to JetBlue
Of the big three, I don't know much about them. I usually fly Alaska because I live in Seattle. Whenever I can I will try to fly Alaska. Alaska has never given me a problem ever. Whenever I book with Delta it's always a clusterfuck
@@coolboss999 Haven't flown JetBlue but from what I've seen their biggest weakness is poor on time performance
@@andrewsang4688 Alaska Airlines doesn't have seatback screens correct?
@@dannydaw59 yeah but idc since I'm using my phone anyways
I've got a relative who works for Delta, they definitely pay very well compared to other airlines and the profit sharing is an awesome bonus on top of it at the end of the year. They even got profit sharing for 2021 which, while it wasn't substantial, they didn't expect to get.
I prefer Delta because in my experience they tend to have more creature comforts (more USB plugs, more seatback TVs, etc.) than their competitors on the same routes.
I agree--Delta just does everything a little better than their competition. I flew United a few months ago (not my first choice, but Delta didn't offer any nonstop flights). After my United flight, they sent me a survey asking me how I enjoyed the trip--including several questions about their in-flight entertainment, which they didn't have on that flight. I also noticed that their website kept pushing me to check in for my flight, even though I already had. Neither of these is a major life-changing experience, but those are definitely things in this computer era that they should be able to address. Bottom line, the Delta experience is just smoother and more polished from booking, to checking in, to flying.
I remember flying Song to Orlando, I was a kid and it was the first time I ever used a screen on a flight. It was fun.
I just recently flew Delta and I will say that the flights
were extremely pleasant! I kept telling my sister how such a great airline it was.
1. The employees were sooo lovely! Not one bad experience with any of them.
2. We didn’t get to pick out seats but both times we were upgraded to Delta+. Which might have been luck, but I was excited! Lol
3. The flights left on time and even arrived earlier than expected.
What really stuck with me though were how nice the employees were. I definitely am a firm believer that as long as you keep your employees happy you will have a more profitable company, so it makes sense that Delta is doing well because of it.
One of the best things about this company is how they treat the customers. Especially the folks who are so loyal to them. I’ll give an example I was supposed to come home from Nashville on the 6pm connecting through ATL up to Philly. But Delta called & told me the flight was overbooked. But they could get me on an earlier flight with a first class upgrade & adding 30,000 sky miles to my account. Phenomenal
Love the rise and fall series, but I'd prefer if my flight doesn't do any falling, thanks.
Touché
hahaha
Delta oversold a flight I was scheduled to take, so in order to move it back, they offered me an $800 gift card and an upgrade to first class. Superb! Never had this kind of service and to take first class has always been a dream for me.
That and the fact that I think with pure product, delta has the best in the skies.
My dad retired from DELTA in 2006 because of the bad management and poor outlook from 2001-2005.
He had been a pilot employee for 20 years, first as flight engineer, then first officer and finally Captain.
Based on recollections of his opinion of management, it goes back MUCH FURTHER to the Ron Allen era of Delta from 1990-1998. During the 1991 buyout of Pan Am, he got bumped in seniority steeply, with Pan Am being heavy on older pilots.
I worked for Delta Air Lines during its greatest years; those under C. E. Woolman. It was a different kind of company then. He ran it like a family, and he treated us all like family. His office did not have a door on it. ANY employee was welcome in his office regardless of who he was meeting with. We came first! If he met you today, in six months he'd remember your name, what was discussed, and if any changes were needed from that conversation, he asked about improvements. He bought tickets to fly on his own airplanes, which were paid for CASH. None of our planes were financed or leased. A P.O. for new Douglas planes (all he bought were Douglas and Convair) was a phone call, followed by a call to finance to cut a check for the entire amount. When other air lines went on strike, we worked through them and were given everything they were striking for as well as a massive thank you party for ALL of the employees by region. Entry to the festival was a mere showing of your I.D. card. Oh, we also received shares of Delta stock, as well. It was AFTER his death building maintenance was called to cut notches in his office door frame to install hinges. And, by the way, the name Delta was suggested by his secretary who was with him until his death.
One more little tidbit about Mr. Woolman. The company bought him a Lincoln. Black. Very prestigious. But he never drove it. The tires went flat. He took fellow airline presidents to lunch in his '53 Chevy Bel Air, which he drove all the time. THAT'S why Delta was the best air line in the business, and why employees LOVED working for them.
The history from crop dusting to commercial transport is fascinating! Thanks again for your research work!
Ex Delta Employee 👋 probably one of the best companies I've ever worked for. They truly care about Employee and that's shown by all the events the little things they do. It's rare for Employee to meet the CEO but even rarer for an intern to shake their hand, yet I was able to shake Ed Bastians hand a few months into starting. Also benefits are pretty dang nice. Only negative comment I will say is that pay can definitely be better. Specifically for engineers. There is definitely more competitive pay at other Aerospace companies but I guess one can argue you make up the loss with benefits. In one year of flying with Delta I took over 100 free flights around the world 🤩
IMO, another advantage Delta has is Atlanta Airport itself. I know quite a few people who choose Delta just so they can go through Atlanta rather than any of the other hubs (e.g Chicago).
Facts. I go to Atlanta for the food. Good Southern Fried Deliciousness. Plus it easy to navigate as well.
I'm in awe of ATL. It's not sexy like many airports abroad, but it's an absolute machine and amazing to watch. There are also quite a few creature comforts hidden around the place once you learn it. Very easy to navigate as well.
It is definitely one of the most impressive operations around! So much easier to get from concourse to concourse than most other big airports.
With ATL being my home airport and DL being the main airline I fly, I do think I'm spoiled by how nice and efficient the airport is! Plus Delta's product at ATL is unlike any other I have experienced out of other airline's hub airports.
My stepdad flew 3 Million miles with Delta! On the flight, he hit the milestone, the crew hand-wrote a letter for him and my mom thanking them for traveling. I was on the flight as well and they upgraded my seat free of charge, super nice for the 8-hour flight. They also sent him a custom plaque with 3 million on it! They are always super nice and extremely helpful!! Love delta haha
as a someone who works in the industry. think you hit everything spot on. however think you should have added the "out sourcing " ground work at some airports. and there old subsidiary companies into it
Delta's decline has a lot to do with their former CEO Ron Allen. They're back on solid ground now delivering a 1st class product.
Part of it, yes, but we had another CEO much worse, so bad that I refuse to speak his name! He followed Ron....I've been on this plane 32+ years!
Leo Mullin was worse, he and his raiders drove Delta into the ground, then took all the money!!
Don't forget Leo Mullin
@@scotthaskin1509 whoops. I spoke his name. Yep I've been around just a tad longer
As someone who works for delta i am proud to work for delta i will say they treat us well
Me reading the title: "Yes that's what airplanes do"
I happened to fly on two Delta flights the day they emerged from bankruptcy (PIT to ATL; ATL to SFO). They made a point of announcing this on both flights and gave out champagne to celebrate. It really struck me that the flight attendant (an older woman) making the announcement on the ATL-SFO flight got a little choked up talking about it. Looking back, they were going for a new image during that time and it seems to have worked.
I can't really speak for other airlines, but one of the primary reasons why I have used Delta for the past ten years as my go to airline is the simple fact that I live in the NYC metro area where two of its airports, JFK and LGA are huge hubs for the airline. When I want to travel to say any of the major cities on the West Coast for in the Midwest, direct flights from JFK or LGA via Delta are readily available. But more importantly, I've rarely encountered any major issues or headaches in travels with Delta. Plus I am also a Platinum Medallion member which affords me some extra benefits and comforts flying with the airline versus that of the others. So strategic location of its hubs, improved customer service and direct flights to major cities around the globe are primary reasons why I have chosen to stick with Delta.
I love to watch your videos every afternoon when I get home. I always eat alone, but your videos are always so full and interesting, that make me feel less lonely. Thank you company man.
Flew with Delta in 2019 to and from Japan. Had a great experience honestly, they even upgraded my return flight up a class for free.
I had about a two-hour delay coming from Madrid to Denver. A while later, they sent me a $20 voucher. I wasn't expecting anything from them.
Can do more Rise & Fall series on Airlines I'm really interested into stuff like this of what happened to company's of Past & Future.
I'm one of the customers that were apart of the revised Delta movement from 2010 onward. I love the way Delta currently does things.
I like Delta Airlines...I had no problems with them when I traveled overseas in the past.
My family has flown with Delta forever. My dad always traveled extensively for work and this has been a diamond medallion member with them for as long as I can remember. A very standout experience I’ve had with them among the many instances of unbelievably positive customer service experiences was when a our flight was running quite late and we were approaching the point of missing our connection. Upon landing we were ready to run to our next gate, but as soon as we disembarked, there was a man standing at the door of the plan dressed in a very nice three-piece suit holding a sign with our last name on it. He was dressed as one would expect a dapper gentlemen to look, he told us to follow him and he led us out a door right onto the tarmac into a Delta branded Porsche SUV. Helped us with our baggage etc and proceeded to drive us directly to our next flight. The reasoning behind it was my father’s membership standing within Delta, not like he was a shareholder or anything, but they valued his longtime support of the company and this was just a thank you. It has happened to me on my own as well and it just truly goes to show how dedicated the company is to absolute satisfaction regarding their customers and that is huge.
I forgot about the Porsche fleet.
Used to be huge JetBlue flyer mainly due to the inflight amenities from short to long flights such as free snacks and TVs. Then I had to go someplace and JetBlue didn't have a direct option so I chose Delta as it was the only airline that did. I was blown away by Delta from the in-flight amenities stand point, not only did they have similar one's to JetBlue (which I thought was the gold standard) but they had better ones. From then on, I've mostly flown Delta and also think they have the best customer service. The negative thing about JetBlue is that when you call, you wait on the line for hours. With Delta I never experienced that, typically getting a representative within 20 minutes. Anyway, Delta is by far the best American airline in terms of both amenities and customer service.
There is a lot of content and subscribers you will gain by doing more airline/plane videos. We aviation enthusiasts can’t get enough of it
I have the luxury of living near DTW, a major hub from their NW merger. I only started being able to afford to fly about 10 years ago so I've only really known Delta lately. I love everything about flying Delta except the price, especially lately. On occasion, the price for Delta is reasonable and I'll gladly choose them when it makes sense, but to answer Mike's question towards the end, as much as I love flying Delta, the price delta vs Spirit is usually not worth it - I often choose Spirit for the price alone and thankfully DTW is a major spot for them as well. I know how to work their system (sharing a checked bag under 40lbs with my girl, or travelling very light with only a personal under seat bag), and I generally fly for leisure and without a strict timeline so I don't have to value On Time Performance as much. I've never had a big issue with Spirit either, I honestly think their reputation is worse than deserved, they are rather good in their market space.
I rarely fly any other airlines - a few times on American, once one way on United, and a couple one offs on international carriers - all for location-specific reasons, but 90%+ of my trips are either Spirit or Delta.
We in Georgia are proud of our home airline. Great video.
Yeah, just don't ask for Dr. Pepper. Coke is also out of Atlanta. Oh and did I mention you're likely to go though Atlanta. Even if your destination is in the other direction.
@@glynnetolar4423 Yes - that's what the hub and spoke model is.
@@glynnetolar4423 we live in Georgia, we have to go to Atlanta to do just about anything anyways.
As far as domestic carriers Delta is my favorite. It is my preferred airline when I travel. It was Continental since United bought that airline it has been highly unlikely for me to fly.
we love this channel and it helps us so much with our debates!!
A few years ago, my dad used Delta for a work trip to Idaho to his company headquarters from Sacramento to Boise
The funny thing about Song was that it didn’t feel like a low-cost airline. If I remember correctly, they were the first (or one of the first) in Delta’s fleet that had video screens for everyone on domestic routes. Many people I’ve talked to state that they even got free meals on Song. I actually really enjoyed flying them! That being said, it doesn’t surprise me that it was a money suck. Good video!
When I was flying a lot in the 90's and early 00's flying Delta was a miserable experience. To be fair their competition was just as awful. The biggest blunder was merging with PanAm. The company cultures were drastically different and it took too long for the workforce to integrate well.
Yep first time I went was 2006 and it was god-awful
They didn’t merge with PamAm, they bought PA’s assets.
@@erik_griswold ...and they also bought PanAm's liabilities (debt).
I used to fly Frontier and Spirit... but one day decided to fly Delta. Delta has IFE on most flights and they're on time mostly. Plus I live in Atlanta.
Fascinating origin story, I never would have suspected that. :O
As a Delta Platinum Medallion customer, I can vouch for the fact that flying DL is the most pleasant choice for US air travel. The well paid employees absolutely translate into more friendly and personable interactions as a customer (Southwest might be the only airline that competes in terms of friendliness and personality), which I appreciate. Delta has consistently invested in the customer experience, with in back seat entertainment, even on short domestic hops, while AA and United have just been cutting, and cutting, and cutting, to the point their employees sometimes seem to be embarrassed to be affiliated with those organizations.
Further, Delta's investment in seat blocking during the pandemic when vaccines weren't yet available proved to me that they have an interest in my long term wellbeing - that action alone probably bought more good feelings and loyalty than 100 free cocktails in the SkyClub ever could. Lots of people complained about not getting the same level of snacks or whatever, but this move elevated the basic economy experience, fleetwide, to be equal to Intra-European business class (which is just a blocked middle seat, not the larger recliners we have in the US).
You should do a “Why your company man is successful” vid
thanks for making another video on airlines!!
As a 28 year employee of Delta i have seen the good, the Bad, and the Ugly in my years working and I will testify that Delta in the last 10 years or so as worked very hard making employees happy. Employee safety has been a huge focus and though we didn't get profit sharing last year during pandemic this year they still wanted to give us a bonus which was a pleasant surprise. I used to get embarrassed about telling ppl where I worked years back because it was usually followed by a travel horror story but now I hear more good things about Delta travel experience that I'm actually proud to say I work for them.
Some companies I would like to see in a video:
McIlhenny Company - Makers of Tobasco Sauce
Red Bull - The Thai family behind the energy drink empire
Huy Fong Foods - Makers of the famous Sriratcha sauce
Thanks, keep up the good work, I watch all your videos.
i flew delta from the US to Japan back in 2019 round trip, best experience I have ever had on an airline ever.
Company man , very timely.
I'm a Canadian (and a subscriber!) looking at booking flights home from Japan, and a lot of the cheaper options involve US airlines that I'm not experienced with like delta or American airlines. I literally just googled "is delta airlines a bad airline", then came to RUclips to find something to watch and here you are
“The best way to make a million dollars is by starting with a billion and buying an airline.” - Warren Buffett
Yet he’s a Delta investor. 😜
I loved when Delta introduced Song. They were my favorite.
I have flown on Delta a few times during its bad period and more recently and I can say its transformation is outstanding. from the cabin staff to the pilots its pure professionalism and courtesy that's why I enjoy flying with them. I hope they continue this positive trend.
This great video on Delta airlines evokes memories of Pan Am, TWA, Eastern, and for those like me that are of the age to remember, the lovely United Airlines commercials: “Fly the friendly skies”, with the soft passages of Rhapsody In Blue playing in the background.
They fought off USAir trying to buy them. If that had succeeded Delta would probably be horrible. Just look at what AA has gone through since their merger.
When I had scheduling issues due to pandemic-related complications, I was shocked at how accommodating their customer support was. Basically I had written off $2000+ as lost (because it wasn’t their fault at all and it was last-minute) and they provided me another date with hardly a penalty! It was incredible and I appreciated that extra effort. My opinion of Delta has only grown in the past 5 years
I haven't taken a whole lot of flights in my life, but out of the ones I have taken delta was the best by a considerable margin. They were the only ones I've ever flown with that had in flight entertainment and offered pillows and blankets in the economy seats. The worst I've flown with is united, that felt like a prison transport
I work for Delta. I have never felt so appreciated and valuable working for a company before. I will do whatever it takes to not leave this job. The profit sharing is awesome, my team is always really happy and we watch the customer surveys and feedback really close even though I do not interact with customers at all, the pay is great. I do work that affects the people who interact with customers so I want to make sure those folks are able to give everything to make people happy. If you are going to spend more money getting to a place then we gotta make the price worth it. We have a lot of team building exercises and customer satisfaction numbers are updated constantly throughout the office. This is honestly a great place to work.
I flew delta to Paris and back in 2019. And it's one of the best flight experiences I've had, and I travel to Europe frequently. I'm a tall person and their economy seats had amazing leg room. For most airliners I try to get emergency exit seats or isle seats. Customer service was amazing and the captain got us back to New York quicker then scheduled
My dad worked as an aircraft engineer at Delta from 1988-2005. He sensed the bankruptcy coming as a result of employee pay cuts and resigned. We flew on Delta all the time growing up in the 90s and the first half of the 2000s. I've flown on Delta a few times since and have not had a bad experience with the airline. Delta has been able to bounce back and grow after many downfalls.
I worked for Delta for 10 years (I left after I finished law school). Great corporate culture. Heavy focus on customer satisfaction. Tremendous esprit de corps. Happy employees=happy customers. Safety was and is paramount. Go Delta. I would work again for it in a heart-beat! Tremendously proud to have been a part of that team.
I got a yt survey asking what airline I would use. I chose delta because I thought it was fate
I have been flying Delta Airlines since 2019 overall the company is one of the best airlines in the world I'm a loyal travel and sky club member their customer service is outstanding what I also like about the airline is that they really care about passengers with disabilities. As a disability activist and a man with Cerebral Palsy (CP) is that they always endure that passengers with disabilities are well looked after so I give them kudos I never had a negative experience so I will continue to travel with them for many years to come!
Same here.
Definitely not all US airlines look after customers with all disabilities but all US airlines are at least trained to look after people with at least some disabilities. It is because we will do almost anything to save 20 bucks on tickets and they have to cut costs to reduce fares.
They rise and fall and rise again…. Like an airplane!
here before this is like popular or sumthin
As someone who flies 40+ times a year, Delta has had the best customer service, great perks for medallion members, nicest planes, free wifi now, and flies to the most places (I’m also at a hub city, if I wasn’t then I don’t know if I’d continue or switch to the major carrier there)
Oooooooh, make a video on American Airlines. I’d love to hear what you’d have to say on it.
I agree with all these positive comments here. Pre-Covid, I flew all over North America, Europe, and even Australia multiple times a year. Delta makes air travel as hassle-free as it can be.
You should do something about the situation between Frontier and spirit but I'm really excited to see what you have on this
Two of the shittiest airlines merging together to make one huge shitty airline
I don't mind the Economy airlines for short hops, 2-3 hour flights.
But as someone who frequently flies coast to coast, Delta is a godsend. The planes are newer. Charging ports at every seat. And the big one: Friendliness of employees.
Their uniforms look great, the Stewards almost always smile. Even in Coach I feel like a king.
Face it: Flying sucks. Delta makes the entire process as enjoyable as possible.
My father, who is a veteran, has worked for Delta for over 30 years and they have treated him with the utmost respect and recognition. My family has always used Delta as a means for far travel and I absolutely love them, I have very fond memories and always get a sense of nostalgia when boarding their planes. I trust Delta, and I would like to work for them myself one day.
I'll ask him about the changes he's noticed over the years soon.
A new rise fall and rise again video sweet there my favorite in this channel
it has been a while since I travelled. I only use Delta during summer vacations.
1.5k in 15 mins that’s crazy to see man. Good work
I love Delta. My dad is a pilot for them and it’s a great company to work for.
A better name of the video could have been: "Delta Airlines: Take off, landing, and taking off again"
That would be an interesting running idea for Company Man to use on all videos related to airlines.
🤔🤣🤣🤣
Didn't know passenger airlines did 'touch and goes".
One of the smart things Delta did after the merger with North West Airlines was to make the transition super fast and rebrand everything Delta immediately. It helped, for their image and it helped the employees who came from very different company cultures. Within 2 months the entire fleet was painted in the new colors, interiors redone in Delta blue, employee uniforms issued and integration of both workforces. Nothing is 100% but the fact that they moved so quickly helped everyone get onboard and business to continue swiftly. Unlike United who's merger w/ Continental dragged for years. Most Continental employees I know are still not happy.
Oh, and those profit sharing bonuses.... are the best. Every employee is invested in the company making a profit because the bonus is so so nice. Comes every year on Feb. 14. So Happy Love day Delta. 💕
My opinion Is also that it was the Merger with NWA that brought about the success of what is now called Delta Air Lines. I worked at NWA during the Merger. Our cultures and the publics perception of the companies were so different. at NWA Process discipline was king, On time Performance, Technical travel accuracy. but at NWA we weren't known as the friendliest airline. Delta on the other hand was known to be super friendly, people loved the staff. But my perception was that the delta people were kind of sloppy. well loved, and would do anything for customers but their processes were lacking, their technology was old. the merger created an opportunity for the less friendly NWA staff to bring their talents, and Delta staff to show them how to have fun and be friendlier. it also removed some very hard core NWA management from the company that created staff / employer tension that was common at NWA.
It really was the people of the two companies that through down and went for it to make it work. I miss my NWA/Delta days such great people before and after the merger.
@@rosser95 I agree, I worked through it as well. Delta folks had a better relationship with management as well, but it didn't take as long as it could have for things to iron out. At the end of the day all the big management folks and CEO if I remember correctly were NWA so really it's NWA with Delta branding. It's been 10 years so finally at this point I think things have meshed well.
Yes a consolidated branding was a very wise move. But all the NW planes were not repainted in two months. More like a couple of years. Not possible to do for such a large fleet in couple of months. The old DL livery aircraft were not complete until 2011 so it was a long process to get a complete consolidated branding in place.
My family and I back in 2018 planned a trip to LA. My cousin had brought all 6 of our flights together and we were going to be seated in different seats on the plane. When we checked in Delta changed our seats to having all 6 of us sit together ❤. We didn't ask them to do this, they and the system figured if we brought all 6 tickets together, we must all know each other. Also anytime I fly home to Dominican Republic, we arrive 15-20 minutes earlier than what is scheduled. My uncle picking us up always is shocked we get there do early 😂. They really do treat you well on Delta
I am a Delta Diamond Medallion, and proud of it. I fly alot, and Delta has become my airline of choice. Great operation!
The company has been trying to sell its refinery for a few years now as it hasn't really generated great profits. But!! With fuel prices rising the way they are, I heard they are pretty happy to still have it in place.
Delta has some great workers too. The Delta of the late 90's to 2010's was... Stuffy. Can't find a good word to explain it. It did not seem fresh in a way. Today, they are crisp and clean, and a well run machine.
I have been flying with Delta for the last 27 years, I just love it. It is home away from home, I slept well on Delta seats than on my own bed. I have used other partnered and Code Share airlines, yet I can never think of any other airlines to use as my main flying house. "DELTA ONE", way to go. Thank you for your report.
Is there a series for 'Fall, rise, and fall... again'?
Great video. I retired after 34 years at Delta. Great Airline. One correction to this story is Delta did not pay a "bonus" . Delta payed out "profit sharing" which meant watching safety, customer satisfaction and other parameters that need to be achieved each and everyday. Which means they're employees were always engaged. I was proud to work for Delta from day one till the day I retired. I treated every flight I managed like my Grand Mother was on that flight. "Keep Climbing"
5:24 they didn’t start making money again they just were spending less because they fired a bunch of employees therefore they had less salaries to pay. A lot of big corporations use this to make it seem like they are making money but it really just means they are not SPENDING money.
They usually give 30 mins on the back end of the flight so they can always be "on time".
Most everyone knows that some extra time is added to flight schedules. What few people understand, is that our aviation system wasn't designed for the volume of traffic in the skies today. You will never remove the weather variable from the equation, so extra time built in makes sense!
I now always fly Delta because it is very responsive to your needs and when they have minor failures of service during flights they respond and at least in my case address them. The experiences have been really good over the years and is well appreciated.
ive only flown delta a couple times as a kid (im 16, so probably around the early to mid 2010s), and i remember they gave me a little pin with their logo and wings on it. it made me feel so special! and i also remember my mother and one of the flight attendants chatting a ton during the whole thing. that flight my family happened to sit at the very back, so we were the last ones off the plane. ill never forget getting to meet the pilots and see a little bit of the cockpit before heading off for our vacation! truly a cool experience.
its times like late last year when me and my father flew southwest and ended up getting stranded in philadelphia because of the cancellations that make me miss that one flight with delta haha!
Flew Delta 2019, the fist thing I noticed was that one of the Captains handed out wings to the kids, you don't get that with other airlines.
I fly a lot the service is great, crew are friendly and helpful I love Delta very consistent Best Regards Andrew from Down Under
Im an employee with Delta Airlines. Yes I can say they really care a lot on both their Employees and Customer satisfaction. It made the workplace a very positive and the support that is given to us. Their benefits is way beyond what their competitors can offer as well. I was initially skeptical of the positivity but after months here, it is truly a positive experience never have I felt in any employment before this.
And yes the leaders do visit our office now and then. Even when we are located 12hrs ahead of the US, they regularly made trips to Singapore to visit their employees here. Going above and beyond is our passion.
I made diamond status last year since I travel for work. Literally my favorite airline. They are super nice! I get upgraded to first and comfort plus all the time. Free wifi if you have T-Mobile. I have the platinum delta card so I get a stupid amount of points. They just gave out a choice benefit where I chose free sky lounge. They are a really good airline.
Yes, Company man, I confirm your recovery points. I just made 8 flights with Sky Team members Delta and KLM. This was the first time, Delta was significantly better than KLM. The Delta A 350-900 is very modern and from a customer view I liked it more than the KLM 787-9. The Delta service always was excellent but outstanding on the international flight. Even the regional flights (KLM: Stuttgart-Amsterdam ,Embraer 175 vs. Delta SFO-LAX A220) have extremely improved on the Delta side. Very comfortable seats, a modern IFE with Delta studio and a good service on a 1 hour flight cannot be taken for granted. I fly with Delta since their slogan in the late 80s: "We'll love to fly and it shows". They still love it. And I'm glad, that they're rising again.
There are a couple of things I can add here. I was part of a team that subcontracted for Delta when they decided to migrate their reservation systems from Datas II to Worldspan. This was in the mid 90's. It was supposed to be a 5 year project that would have gradually changed the system little by little so that it would be an easy transition. Then Delta decided they needed it done in one year...that required every travel agent all over the US to go to training in either ATL or SLC, followed by a trainer the weekend their system was migrated. We stayed for 2 -4 days depending on the size of the agency. This was a drastic change. Worldspan (PARS) was the old TWA reservation system that was totally different. It would be like going to work Friday speaking english only to be told that Monday you would only be allowed to speak Russian. There were some VERY unhappy people and it was a thankless job. Later on Delta was the first airline (and all the rest followed) when they capped travel agency commissions at 5% down from 10% previously. This decimated many corporate travel providers as well as agents. That was in 1995, and if you were in a Delta dominated area like Atlanta, Salt Lake, or any other Delta hub you were screwed. This created a whole lot of negative feelings from the people that had been selling most of Delta's tickets (and was way before the era of buying online). E-Tickets were just becoming a thing. That is all pre bankruptcy, but I am sure it didn't help.
I bought a couple Delta shares when the covid crisis hit. I'm rolling in handfuls of dollars! (should've bought more)
I did too, but didn't have the patience to hold.
Flew From STL to Seoul South Korea two times in a month. It was during the pandemic and A+. Positive staff, great entertainment, nice cabins and planes. Just a really positive experience!