On June 22, 1959–the Jet Age arrived at Delta. Our first jet, a Douglas DC-8-11, landed in Atlanta.
We had secured early DC-8 delivery positions from Douglas Aircraft after Eastern Airlines, our major competitor at the time, decided to wait for a more powerful engine. On September 18, we launched the world’s first DC-8 jet service.
In a race down to the wire with that first DC-8 delivery flight, Delta engineers designed Atlanta’s first airport boarding bridge (shown at right), a “jetway” and installed it just in time. Looking for more about the DC-8? Check out this virtual cockpit tour and other great DC-8 links.
Marie Force
Archives Manager
July 17th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
While the engineers were working to complete the “jetway,” Delta’s first DC-8 was racing against the clock. Departing Long Beach for Miami, the ship crossed the continent in four hours and forty-three minutes, setting a new speed record for the route. After a brief stop in the Sunshine State, the DC-8 departed for Atlanta, arriving just over seventy-eight minutes later, for the second new speed record of the day.
Delta jets would break many more speed records, in the years to come!
July 19th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Oh, how I remember flying on DL DC-8s. Along with Braniff and American 707s, Delta’s DC-8s were among my first jet flights. They were great in both First Class and “Tourist,” too. The enormous windows, and the built in-reading lights on the DC-8 seats, were terrific. Congrats on this great milestone (I just wish they didn’t make me feel so old!).
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
Marie,
Question for you that has been going around.
The Flying Orchids was an honorary designation for women who helped Delta. Was the FO term for skymile status from that or “Flys often”
thanks
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Heard back from a long-time Delta Reservations employee who said, “Yes, we reused the code for Flying Orchid.”
For those wondering, the Flying Orchid program, launched in 1960, was designed to recognize women for their support of Delta and the air transportation industry.