Original NC Route Map

When Delta began service on June 15, 1970, people came to the airport in their best Sunday clothes –men wore suits with ties and women donned their best dresses. The RDU operation was a two-bedroom house trailer parked on the ramp, complete with kitchen and laundry room. The station manager was Fred West and his office was the master bedroom.  We used the second bedroom for storage, and the living room for operations and load planning. Back then, load planning was done manually using large volumes of black binders and an adding machine. The trailer was always noisy with teletype machines clacking-out weather and ops information like flight plans – which had to be called-in or “filed” by the load planner – to support our six daily flights to Chicago’s O’Hare airport, Miami and Atlanta routes.

Our ticket counter – banished to the concourse area due to a lack of space in the terminal – was equipped with two high-tech IBM model 1977 “computers” that looked just like electric typewriters.  You typed in an entry and then stood back and waited for the typewriter to respond, always a mystery to passengers waiting for their tickets.  Ticket agents thumbed through thousands of pages in the OAG to look up flight schedules, and manually computed fares using a fares tariff.  There was no baggage conveyor; bags were slid down a short wood & aluminum shoot into the bag room.

There were no security checks, so ticket counter to gate took about 30 seconds. Customers presented their ticket, nicely packaged in a ticket jacket to the gate agent who used a rubber stamp and ink pad to imprint the flight number, date and city pair, and pulled “sticky tabs” from a seating chart, locking-in each customer’s assigned seat.  In 1970, not only was smoking allowed on airplanes there were no designated areas.

After a hard day’s work employees frequently gathered at the terminal’s “Dobbs House” restaurant where a cup of coffee and a slice of their famous strawberry pie was just the ticket.

Flash forward 40 years to today at RDU and Delta has a state-of-the-art operation, brand new ticket counter space with self-service kiosks for customers and an airport experience that rivals some of the best airports in America. Last December we even opened our newest Delta Sky Club with 4,000 square feet of space and provides members and their guests with complimentary Wi-Fi, beverages and snacks, personalized flight assistance, a full-service bar and satellite TV.

Congratulations RDU on a great, first 40 years…

Jim L.

1970 RDU ramp agent

Las Vegas – it has a different meaning to everyone. You can have the casino experience, the entertainment experience, or you can have the vacation experience. Mix it all together with a large splash of elegance, and you have the Wynn experience.

Here are a few must do’s when at the Wynn:

Where to stay

The rooms at the Wynn Las Vegas (and Encore) are known for their elegance. Beautiful, pristine décor, luxurious beds, and my personal favorite: you can control the shades for the windows from your bed. And of course, once you open them, you have a breath-taking view of the strip or their golf course. It’s the little things that make it so personal – one night I came back to my room and they had chocolates on the pillow, slippers and robe out and soft music playing. I saw 3 different types (total of eight) and each one just gets more exquisite.

Things to see

Garth Brooks

I just want to thank Stephen Wynn for convincing Garth to come out of retirement and play in his theatre. Garth sat on stage with his acoustic guitar and just told the story of his life intertwined with his favorite songs by other performers. He never took a break and people were honestly running to go to the bathroom because they did not want to miss a minute. Country fan or not, that man can put on a show! (by the way, tickets can be purchased at wynnlasvegas.com though be patient bc it can take awhile).

Le Rêve

Imagine ballroom dancers, synchronized swimmers and acrobats performing in over 1 million gallons of water. Seems like something you would only dream about, huh? Le Rêve, meaning “The Dream” tells the story of a woman who is deciding whom to marry and how dreams take you on a journey that reflect your life. I was fortunate enough to have an interview with a lead performer, Brent Borbon, ballroom dancer and former Dancing with the Stars performer. Brent is busy living his dream dancing in 2 shows per night. Top it off with the VIP experience where you can enjoy champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and  you watch behind-the-scenes (or in this case, under water scenes…pretty cool).

Dining and Cocktails

SW Steakhouse

I had the chance to chat with a Nina, a server from the SW Steakhouse (1 of 9 restaurants in the Wynn) where you’ll experience a rib-eye that melts in your mouth. She had served Mr. Wynn in a restaurant and he liked her service so much, asked her to work for him when he opened his steakhouse at the Wynn. She kindly declined because she liked the current family-owned establishment. Mr. Wynn made a deal with her: To prove what a personal establishment he would have, he would come back at a later date and remember her name, kid’s name, year she graduated, etc. The next time she served Mr. Wynn, he remembered everything about her and let’s just say that 5 years later, she was serving me at the SW Steakhouse and has no intention to leave. They literally hand picked their servers! PS – you must try the funnel cake dessert- amazing!

The Country Club

Jazz brunch, overlooking the Wynn’s 7,024 yard (par 70) golf course; Delicious salmon, eggs made to order, crab legs, the cutest little mini-hamburgers you’ve ever seen and the fries are to die for. Fun servers, hand-picked chefs, and a mighty tasty bloody mary….all of this is what you will get at The Country Club.

Parasol Down

Sitting outside by the Lake of the Dreams at an elegant cocktail bar with signature Wynn cocktails was a perfect way to start an evening. They have witty 3 minute shows every half hour in the evening- a little frog singing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” is a crowd favorite.

Ready to Relax?

This is where I really felt like I was on vacation. I enter the pool, immediately greeted by 2 pool attendants, the first showed me the hot spots to sit for the most sun, shade, quiet, etc and set me up. The other attendant took my order and brought a drink and the paper. I proceeded to listen to the peaceful music and felt like I was sitting at my personal pool. They also have private cabanas and a fabulous spa menu to choose from.

I didn’t even mention all the shopping boutiques to choose from (Chanel, Louis Vitton to name a few) or the fun night-life (Blush and Tryst). I simply can not wait to go back. When it comes to Las Vegas vacations, the Wynn Las Vegas has it all and they have a lot of great deals out there to make it affordable.

So, why the Wynn Las Vegas?  It’s all in the experience.

What has been your Wynn experience?

Libby H., Delta Vacations

When you think of a magical destination, where is the first place you think?  Well, if you have kids or are a kid at heart, it’s Walt Disney World®.  I am really excited to say that Delta Vacations added Walt Disney World® Resorts to its lineup on April 6.  During the process of adding this destination, I was able to travel down to Florida and receive some training on Walt Disney World® and its products.  I thought – Why do I need Disney training? I have been there a million times and I know everything there is to know.  Boy was I wrong! Here are a few tips that I learned from the Disney Experts themselves.

Micky and Minnie at Disney Parade

1)       There really is a big difference when you stay on-property at a Walt Disney World® Resort Hotel.  There are a ton of extras that you and your family will receive, but a couple of my favorites are:

• Extra Magic Hours – Each day, Disney Resort hotel guests are offered exclusive time in a Walt Disney World theme park one hour prior to scheduled park opening or for up to three hours after park closing; the park varies from day to day. In addition, Disney water parks sometimes open one hour early for guests of Disney Resort hotels.

• Free airport transfers – this is called Disney’s Magical Express.  They take care of everything, you don’t even need to pick your luggage up from baggage claim, they take care of it all!

• Convenient transportation (via monorail, ferry boat or motorcoach) between the parks and your hotel.  Now this is a great benefit.  Just think, when you get tired and hot in the middle of the day, you can go back to your hotel, take a nap or cool off with a swim and then go back to the park later in the day.

• Free package delivery to your hotel.  Now this may sound like a small thing, but just think how nice it will be not to lug around packages all day long.  I used it when I was down there and it was so nice.

2)       If you are a person that feels like you are running all over the park looking for the shortest lines, well there are a couple of things I can help you with there.

• Disney’s FASTPASS Service – I think you can look at it as a feature that holds your place in line.  You go to the ride and use your ticket to get a FASTPASS, you then come back at the time it says and you can go right to the front of the line.  It really is a great way to maximize the fun in your day.

• Speaking of planning your time well, there is an App that helps you do just that. The Mobile Magic Application:  Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Verizon have teamed up to enhance the guest experience at Walt Disney World Resort. Guests are able to access an array of features on their Verizon Wireless phones including the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the Disney characters anywhere inside the parks; get real-time attraction availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters, and more.

3)       There are so many fun things to do at Walt Disney World® than just going on rides.  There are a ton of great events that are designed for everyone to share in the fun and magic of Disney.  Some of my favorites include:

• Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival in the Spring

• Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood StudiosÔ (Late Spring/Early Summer)

• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (Select Nights Sept/Oct at the Magic Kingdom)

• Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival (Fall)

• Holidays Around the World

• Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend (January)

Now I could go on and on about how magical Disney truly is, how it really is a place where dreams come true and there is a story to be told at every corner, but I think that is something that you need to discover on your own.

With Delta Vacations, we offer everything you need to plan and book your perfect Walt Disney World® Resort vacation.  Our vacations include airfare, on-site hotels, theme park tickets, optional dining programs, 1,000 bonus miles with the SkyMiles® program and so much more.  Visit Delta Vacations online or give us a call to learn more.  You can also contact your travel agent.

Missy W.

Delta Vacations