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Archive for April, 2009


Go Green: Volunteering for Earth Day

Being part of the world’s largest airline offers many opportunities to have a positive impact on the world. Delta employees never cease to amaze me with their dedication and willingness to volunteer. This Earth Day, we continue to have much to be proud about.

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Delta volunteers took on many beautification projects at the park, including repairing fences, improving hiking trails, and pouring over 2000 lbs of concrete to make a pad for recycling containers at the park.

Our colleagues in Minneapolis are doing a similar beautification project at Pilot Knob Hill, national historic site near the Minneapolis airport.

In the last few weeks, Delta was recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle with a “Green Save” award for its efforts in water-conservation and recycling both on aircraft and at its campuses.

Awards are nice, but working for a company where people step up to be an active part of their community is very rewarding. Our customers engage in many programs as well.

Now that we are larger, we have many opportunities in front of us to do even more. Learn more about how you can help from last year’s blog post from Jennifer: Tips for making every day Earth Day.

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Enjoy Earth Day 2009! Think about what you can do to help us make a difference!

Mike Morgan
Environmental Services

Sky Magazine: Top 4 Travel Newsletters

What if you’re a traveler who’s really nuts about Germany? Or Italy? Or France? If that describes you, then you’re a candidate for newsletters that lavish attention on your particular country of interest. As an admirer of newsletters (and former publisher!), I recommend the following four:

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Dream of Italy

In love with Italy? Kathy McCabe, a former USA Today travel editor, publishes this newsletter dedicated to all things Italian. Whether it’s a review of a Michelin-starred restaurant on a Sicilian hillside or a guide to the lightly-touristed region of Valle d’Aosta, McCabe is dedicated to making you want to travel to Italy all the time. You can subscribe to an online edition for $64 annually or receive a print version for $10 more a year.

GEMüTLICHKEIT

Students of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland should consider GEMüTLICHKEIT, which is German for “cozy,” sort of. Publisher Bob Bestor gets very detailed describing Alpine drives and is the tops at locating villages and describing wonderful-sounding, well-priced hotels and restaurants. GEMüTLICHKEIT costs $67 or $8 less if you subscribe online.

La Belle France

La Belle France has been around 25 years, and Francophiles will love it. Published monthly, the newsletter isn’t necessarily for bargain hunters (a year’s subscription costs $119 for either a print or an online edition), but it does separate the very good from the overly hyped when it comes to luxurious hotels, resorts, and restaurants.

Hideaway Report

The granddaddy of high-end travel newsletters is Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report. The name “Andrew Harper” isn’t the author’s real name, which I am not permitted to reveal under threat of being drummed out of the inner circle of travel writers, but this newsletter is devoted to reviewing and keeping readers updated on the best resorts, hotels, and restaurants in the world. The newsletter has spawned a small empire that offers high-end trips as well as upgrades and other perks at cooperating properties. You can view a sample of the newsletter online and check out the subscription levels that begin at $195 a year.

Most of these newsletters offer subscribers the opportunity to search back issues where there’s often a treasure trove of insiders’ advice for trip planners. And don’t forget free online blogs such as National Geographic Traveler’s Intelligent Travel. It, too, can be the source of good information for serious travelers.

What are your favorites?

Rudy Maxa
Sky Magazine

Wi-Fi: Exclusive Online Offer for Our Readers

Here’s where we find out how many people are paying attention to my posts about Delta’s Wi-Fi rollout… if you’re flying with us in the next couple weeks, and happen to be on one of the more than 100 Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft, you can take it for a spin at a discount…

Receive 20% off Gogo® Inflight Internet on your next Delta flight equipped with Gogo. Use code 126SKY2. Expires 04/30/09. For promotion terms visit this link.

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Have a great weekend!

Chris Babb
Sr. Product Manager – IFE

Cranky Flier: Delta Celebrates 80 Year History

Check out my guest post on Cranky Flier’s blog (sneak peek below)!

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Marie Force
Archives Manager

100 Planes and Counting! (The Latest Wings With Wi-Fi Part IX)

A major milestone was reached over the weekend with our 100th Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft joining the fleet… but we didn’t stop there to celebrate too long… an additional 7 aircraft were added.

So… as of Wednesday, April 15 (Happy Tax Day to everyone in the U.S., btw) Delta’s fleet is 107 Wi-Fi planes strong. We’re just days away from completing the entire MD88 fleet, which means it will be much easier to know if your flight features Wi-Fi. We’ll also be adding a “Wi-Fi Available” notation to delta.com and our Gate Information Displays (GIDs) in May.

Since I last posted, aircraft 930, 951, 972, 984, 980, 981, 998 and 6711 completed WiFi installation. That means 33.1% of Delta’s domestic mainline fleet now features Wi-Fi onboard and we’re on track to complete the entire fleet of 320+ aircraft by early fall 2009. We’ve also begun work on scoping the installation timeline for the A319, A320 and B757-200 fleet (former NWA aircraft).

Here’s the detailed breakdown for all the fans following the Wi-Fi rollout:

MD88 – 98 aircraft

MD90 – 1 A/C aircraft

B757-200 – 8 A/C aircraft

MD88 Tail Numbers : 904-921, 923-933, 935-941, 943-948, 950-952, 954-960, 962-963, 965, 968-970, 972, 974-977, 979-987, 989-990, 992-994, 998-999, 9000-9002, 9004, 9006-9020

MD90 Tail Numbers : 9211

B757-200 Tail Numbers : 615, 617, 628, 640, 690-692, 6711

Chris Babb
Sr. Product Manager – IFE