Jim Thorpe profiled Delta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Theresa Wise in yesterday’s AJC. Learn the latest about the progress of our IT system integration at the AJC article. Good stuff!
Do you have any additional questions for Theresa and our IT team?
So it’s said that New York City is the “city that never sleeps” – well, I’ve slept in New York City and didn’t in Las Vegas, so to me Las Vegas is now “the city that never sleeps”! This past Friday I flew out to Las Vegas with my wife and flew home at 7am on Saturday with no hotel!
Neither of us had been to Vegas before, so we thought we would experience it “Vegas Style” and stay up all night. I was amazed at how much there was to do in Las Vegas that didn’t involve gambling or clubbing – don’t get me wrong – that was fun and you need to experience that, but there is something going on at all hours of the day for everyone.
Shows
We didn’t get the chance to catch any shows but we wrote down a list of shows that we want to see next time we are out there and here they are:
I could spend a whole blog talking about all the other shows I want to see like Disney’s The Lion King, Stomp Out Loud, and The Phantom of the Opera but you can see a full list. There are also free shows that happen at a lot of the hotels like the Bellagio Fountains, Pirate show at Treasure Island or the Lake of Dreams show at Wynn Las Vegas that you will want to see.
Hotels
We had so much fun just walking up and down the Strip and checking out different hotels and casinos. We didn’t make it in all of the hotels but here are our favorite 3 hotels:
Golf
Over time you’ll learn that I am a golf nut and it killed me not to golf while I was in Las Vegas. So I asked around to find out what some of the top courses were in Las Vegas and here is what I found:
I had a great little Las Vegas vacation and can’t wait to knock some of these shows, golf courses, and many other to-dos off my list. If you go to Vegas and don’t do anything I have said above please do yourself a favor and bring VERY comfortable shoes otherwise you’ll end up with what we like to call “Vegas Feet”…just ask my wife.
What is on your Las Vegas to-do list?
Sean
Delta Vacations
Our 50 Years of Delta Jets anniversary (Sept 18) is coming up soon. It’s also National Aviation Week starting this Monday. To celebrate, here’s the first of a series of eye-witness stories from Delta people who took part in that that amazing transition from piston-powered to jet transportation.
Jim Diffley joined Delta in 1959 as a methods analyst in Methods Department just before the jets. Before he retired as Manager of Technical Operations Employment in 1999, he also saw our first Boeing 777 arrive. He recalled:
“We were the first to introduce the DC-8 into service. I never will forget when Capt. “Pre” Ball flew the DC-8 across the back ramp. He was down around 500 feet. He got special permission to fly across the ramp. And, of course, you were probably standing out there along with me and several hundred, or a thousand, people back there, and that was a tremendous thrill. That was something I truly remembered. It’s just — it all came back when the 777 was delivered. I stood out on the ramp behind the Jet Base and watched it fly over, and it was a very similar feeling. ”
Nelson “Nip” Hill, Delta’s first 50-year employee, shown here with that first DC-8 just after it landed, also remembered: 
“One of my happiest days at Delta is when they got the first big jet. And that airplane flew across the field with all the employees out there yelling and hollering. . . I was so thrilled to know that we were going to be in a position to compete with the competition. ” The Delta magazine published this photo of Hill and the DC-8 with his quote: “All the pride and glory of Delta Air Lines is right there. She’s the queen of the skies.”
Happy jetting!
Marie Force
Archives Manager
During the peak summer season, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) averages 102,976 passengers per day. For baseball fans, that’s enough to fill up Turner Field twice or the Los Angeles Coliseum once. There are approximately 1,054 flights daily from Atlanta, and the airport boards more passengers and baggage daily than MSP, MEM and DTW, three of our largest hubs, combined.
These are just a few of the interesting tidbits we learned after we toured Delta’s operation at the Atlanta Airport a few weeks ago. As two Delta newbies, we jumped at the chance to learn about our new company by spending an afternoon at ATL, Delta’s largest hub.
Our tour began with a visit to the International and Domestic check-in area, where we learned that 22,000 to 26,000 passengers use 123 ticket counters and 92 self-service kiosks to begin their journey every day.
After our tour of check-in, we hopped into an airport vehicle on our way to explore the intricate baggage system below the airport terminals. On our way over, we had the rare opportunity to view a Boeing 757 through the front windshield of the car (we were secretly hoping the plane would slow down for our viewing pleasure). About 87 pictures later, we arrived at the sprawling baggage operation, where we explored the belts and carts that transfer about 90,000 bags each day.
Then we wandered into the tarmac, where we got an inside look at an MD-88 that was preparing for departure to Washington, DC. After sticking our heads into the baggage compartment and exploring the different parts of the wing and wheel, we realized that we actually had a large audience for this part of our tour- a fully loaded MD-80 with plenty of curious faces.
We finished up our day with a visit to the Delta ground control tower and instantly became jealous of the people who get to call that tower- and the view from it- their office. To cope, we resorted to posting pictures of the view to our cubicle walls, though it’s not quite the same.
We learned a lot about the world’s largest airport during the few hours we spent at ATL. But most of all, we learned about the many moving parts that work in-sync each and every day to make Delta the world’s greatest airline. And that’s something every passenger- and every Delta newbie- should know.
Rachel Welford and Trebor Banstetter
Corporate Communications
Quick update on our progression of planes in Delta livery – great movement in the legacy Northwest fleet since our last post.
Delta (NWA Mainline)
New Delta Livery: 101
Remaining NWA: 139 (in work: 7)
Completion Date: YE2010 (On Schedule)
Delta (NWA Regionals)
New Delta Livery: 41
Remaining NWA: 221 (in work: 2)
Delta (Delta Mainline)
New Livery: 175
Remaining: 258 (in work: 1)
Completion Date: YE2012 (On Schedule)
Have you been noticing more Delta-branded planes flying lately?
Greta
Marketing Communication, Brand Identity
