With the Northwest Airlines merger official this week, we add an impressive airline experience to Delta’s heritage.  Northwest’s many contributions range from the first closed-cabin plane for passengers (in 1926) to the first global airline alliance (with KLM).  To find out more Northwest “firsts,” see their timeline.

Here is a colorful timetable cover from April 1, 1930, shared by collector Bill Rosenbloom.  You see Northwest’s first logo, its original name “Northwest Airways” and a list of railroads that coordinated with their flights.

As this flight schedule cover indicates, Northwest is the oldest U.S. airline with a continuous name dating from its founding as Northwest Airways in 1926.  It became ”Northwest Airlines” in 1934.

Looking forward to sharing more Northwest images and stories with you as I continue to learn about the airline.

Marie Force

Archives Manager

At the stroke of midnight on November 20, with great anticipation and celebration, France will honor the uncorking of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau.

And even though we Americans were sampling this year’s Childress Vineyard’s Fine Swine Wine —produced for Lexington, North Carolina’s Barbecue Festival—the barbecue fanatics and wine connoisseurs who gathered recently in The Omnivore’s tasting room were no less excited.

After all, how often do you get to try a wine that an award-winning winemaker, Mark Friszolowski, made especially to go with barbecue? “The semi-sweet, fruity flavor is a perfect match for hickory-smoked barbecue,” Friszolowski says.

And we agreed. “Light and fruity, with notes of pepper and cherry,” one wine enthusiast said. “It spreads nicely over the palate and is good with the spicy ‘cue,” another opined. “Sort of soda-poppie,” a Canadian added. “Neither sweet nor dry,” someone else said.

Consensus? Surprisingly pleasant and goes down good with ‘cue that’s been cooked slow and low over hickory coals, especially if it doesn’t have a gloppy, saccharine sweet sauce all over it. (To see how Fine Swine Wine tasted when paired against three styles of barbecue, check out my ‘Cue Confessions blog.)

Robert Pierson, a former sommelier and chair of food science and management at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, loves the idea. “Ideally, wines made in different parts of the United States should be tailored to fit the foods of the area,” Pierson says. “If you look at France, geographically the wines complement the foods in the area.” Where oysters are abundant, you have sharp, white wines. Where tons of foie gras is devoured, sauterne, a perfect match, is vinted..

“But don’t waste your time or money on really expensive wines,” advises Pierson, once the food and beverage manager of The Latham Hotel in Philadelphia. “There’s no great match up with a really tangy sauce. It doesn’t exist.” Why? “The tanginess of the sauce will dull your taste buds,” he says, “so why drink a $200 Chateau Lafitte?”

Do you know of a wine that goes perfect with pulled pork? And what’s your favorite ‘cue? For a list of hundreds of barbecue restaurants recommended by readers of none other than Delta’s own Sky magazine, check out this link.

David
Delta Sky

Note: Delta Sky magazine will contribute to Under the Wing each Wednesday. Tell us what you think!

At delta.com, we try to anticipate the tools and functionality you’ll need to make your travel as easy and smooth as it can be—barring any long wait lines in security.

When you’re on the go with your mobile or blackberry, we assume you know how to complete mobile check-in, that you know you can buy last minute from your device, and how to check the latest status of your flight. You’re oh so savvy, you.

We know you send your flight itinerary to your phone with one click off your booking confirmation page. And we know you get flight notifications on every flight sent straight to your mobile device. You’re oh so hip, you.

Did you also know you can check our flight schedules from your mobile – to get on an earlier flight after that business meeting. Or maybe your meeting ran late (hope not!) and you need to know if you can grab a bite before that next flight.

Research question from me to you: What travel-related content do you wish you had in the palm of your hand and on your phone from delta.com? What do you need to have at-a-glance from us when you’re traveling?

Jen Miller
Manager, Content & Marketing
Delta.com