Last week, I had the pleasure of taking Delta’s leadership team at West Palm Beach Airport (PBI) to a special dinner. What was the occasion? To celebrate the great job they’re doing helping Delta customers get through the airport quickly and without hassle. Like our Airport Customer Service teams across the system, West Palm leaders and agents make customer service their number one mission (along with safety, of course).

More than 85% of Delta customers departing from West Palm Beach check in for their flights at delta.com, on a self-service kiosk, or at a curbside counter. Using these convenient check-in channels means that customers rarely, if ever, see a line at this airport, let alone wait in one.

What’s their secret? Delta agents and leaders are always visible and assisting travelers in the lobby, ensuring that self-service technology and Delta people work together for the benefit of our customers. They offer customers time-saving tips, like “Did you know if you check bags while checking-in at delta.com, you don’t have to pay the $3 per bag curbside fee when you drop your bags off at the curb?” or “Have you tried checking in for your international flight at delta.com?” The success of this formula also shows in customer satisfaction surveys: PBI earns consistently high marks for both the courtesy of Delta agents and a very short average wait time at check-in.

So next time you’re speeding through the airport lobby in West Palm Beach, say hi to (left to right) Maria, Michelle, Lisa, Anthony, Audra, Bob, Brian, Lorna, or Nannette…but chances are, they’ll say hi to you first.

Way to go, team “Best” Palm Beach!

Josh Weiss
Managing Director
delta.com & self-service

Jack Welch. Michael Porter. Madeleine Albright. Rudy Giuliani. Colin Powell.  John Chambers. Tony Blair. Names that all of us recognize.

Imagine powerhouse business and global leaders like these - along with many others - all under one roof in a period of two days. Imagine them sharing their insights and taking audience questions on topics like leadership, innovation, the intersection of politics and business, and the challenge of change. Imagine an event that drew 4,500 attendees from 1,400 companies and over 50 countries.

Imagination not required! We were there…and we helped make it happen. Delta Air Lines was once again proud to sponsor the 2008 edition of the World Business Forum, which was held last week in New York City.  Seeing the Delta logo flanking the stage as some of the world’s most respected leaders offered their thoughts truly makes it exciting to be a part of this great company.

“What is it, exactly?” you might be asking. The World Business Forum is a leading international symposium for the business community, hosting one of the largest gatherings of senior executives and featuring 19 of the most important leaders from around the world. The event took place on September 23-24 at Radio City Music Hall® in New York City and presented a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the wisdom and unique perspectives of top global leaders and management icons.

Delta has been the proud sponsor of the World Business Forum for over five years. Through this sponsorship, Delta had the opportunity to host up to 50 top Corporate and Leisure accounts for the 2-day session in NYC.  As a special treat, Delta enjoyed the privilege of introducing former Mayor Rudy Giuliani on stage to almost 5,000 attendees at Radio City.

I can tell you, it’s not every day that we experience something like this. But, the idea and execution of helping to bring together thousands of business executives fits beautifully with Delta’s desire to be the airline of choice among business travelers. Please keep us in mind the next time your business plans call for air travel to one of our 290+ worldwide destinations.

As always, thanks for your support. We sincerely appreciate your business.

Brian T. Rutter

Director - Sales & Marketing

New York

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Forty-two years ago this month, on September 15, 1966, Delta launched the world’s first scheduled service of the all-cargo, turbo-prop Lockheed L-100 Hercules.  It was the commercial version of the military C-130 Hercules, famous its ability to land on unimproved short strips, yet carry bulky loads and vehicles.

This photo of the rear of the boxy L-100 fuselage shows the loading system.  Cargo pallet transporters, pulled in a train by a tug, were wisked from the Delta freight facility to the Hercules.  The palletized freight was then moved over the roller bed surfaces of the transporters and the floor of the plane.  Here, you see a T-shape option for complex loading/unloading where the pallets are moving from side position onto the main line of loading.  According to Delta press releases from 1966, three men could unload and load a full Hercules–45,000 pounds–in less than 30 minutes.

The Hercules was suited to Delta’s relatively short haul, small shipment operation in the 1960s.  With this plane, we offered the first single-carrier cargo service between California and the Southeast, filling a big gap between the aerospace industries in those regions.

When our first widebody passenger jets–the Boeing 747 and Douglas DC-10–arrived with their speed and large underfloor “belly bin” capacity, we did not need a fleet of specialized cargo aircraft any longer.  Delta’s last L-100 flight operated thirty-five years ago this month, on September 1, 1973.

Marie Force

Archives Manager