| 1924-1928 |
Huff Daland Dusters, world's first crop-dusting company, flies first plane designed specifically for crop-dusting. Huff Daland's 18 Dusters made up the largest privately owned fleet in the world at the time. Operations in the U.S. in summer, shift to Mexico and Peru in winter. |
| 1928 |
Group of Louisiana investors, led by C. E. Woolman, purchase Huff Daland Dusters and form Delta Air Service, based in Monroe, LA. |
| 1929 |
Delta acquires two used Travel Air S-6000-B from Fox Flying Service and one new from the manufacturer. High-wing, single-engine monoplane, 90 mph, 6 seats (including one pilot). |
| 1929 June 17 |
Delta is first airline to operate between Dallas, Texas and Jackson, Mississippi, the "Trans-Southern Route" (with stops in Monroe and Shreveport, Louisiana). |
| 1930 |
Delta extends service to Atlanta from Birmingham, AL. |
| 1930-1934 |
Passenger service discontinued when air mail contract for Delta's route awarded to AVCO, American Airlines' predecessor. Delta continues crop-dusting operations, maintenance services and flying lessons. |
| 1934 |
Delta wins Air Mail contract for A.M. Route 24 (Dallas, TX-Charleston, SC). |
| 1934 June 23 |
Stinson T aircraft delivered to Delta; purchased from American Airways (American Airlines). 100 mph, 7 passenger, high-wing monoplane |
| 1934 July 4 |
Stinson T's carry Delta's first air mail. Passenger service resumes on August 5. |
| 1935 June 22 |
Delivery of Stinson A planes purchased new from manufacturer. 160 mph, 8 passenger, low-wing monoplane |
| 1935 July 2 |
Stinson A begins scheduled service with Delta. First Delta plane to carry a co-pilot and operate night flights. |
| 1935-1937 |
Delta also used a Lockheed 5C Vega and a Lockheed 8A Sirius, leased from Bowen Air Lines, for air mail service only. |
| 1935 Dec 21 |
Lockheed 10 Electra first delivery to Delta. This was Delta's first two-engine and all-metal plane. 190 mph, 10 passengers. |
| 1936 Jan |
Lockheed Electra begins scheduled service. Complimentary meal service onboard of box lunches and coffee served by the co-pilot. |
| 1940 Feb 4 |
Douglas DC-2 first delivery to Delta. 170 mph, 14 passengers |
| 1940 March 15 |
Douglas DC-2 service begins with a new crew member—Delta's first flight attendant, then called "stewardess." |
| 1940 Nov 29 |
Douglas DC-3 first delivery to Delta. 170 mph, 21 passengers. Delta's fleet of 23 DC-3s, includes 3 ex-military C-47s in all-cargo configuration. |
| 1940 Dec 24 |
DC-3 scheduled service begins. |
| 1945 May 9 |
Delta transports world's first shipment of living vegetable plants by air: 160,000 tomato plants from Tifton, Georgia, to Bowling Green, Ohio. |
| 1946 Feb 12 |
Douglas DC-4 first delivery to Delta. 215 mph, 44 passengers |
| 1946 Mar 6 |
DC-4 service begins. |
| 1946 Aug 15 |
Scheduled cargo service begins;341 tons of freight carried that first year. |
| 1946 Nov 1 |
Delta DC-4 flies world's first nonstop, scheduled flight between Chicago and Miami. |
| 1948 June 1 |
Pioneering interchange service: Delta and TWA were the first airlines to operate successful through-plane service (Miami-Cincinnati-Detroit) |
| 1948 Oct 1 |
Douglas DC-6 first delivery to Delta. 328 mph, 56 passenger capacity (Delta initially sold 50 seats + offered a 6-seat Skylounge for in-flight use). |
| 1948 Dec 1 |
DC-6 service beings. DC-6s were pressurized and fast enough to compete with Eastern Airlines' Lockheed Constellations over the non-stop Miami-Chicago route. |
| 1952 Dec 18 |
Convair 340 first delivery to Delta. 270 mph, 44 passengers |
| 1953 Mar 1 |
Convair 340 service begins. The Convairs were faster than the DC-3 and DC-4s and able to serve Delta's smaller cities. |
| 1953 May 1 |
Delta acquires six Lockheed 649A Constellations (one converted to Model 749A) from merger with Chicago and Southern (C&S) Air Lines. All were leased or sold by June 1954. Delta flies first international routes, acquired from C&S, to the Caribbean and Venezuela. |
| 1954 Mar 3 |
Douglas DC-7 first delivery to Delta. 360 mph, 70 passengers |
| 1954 April 1 |
Delta begins DC-7 service. |
| 1956 Nov 21 |
Delta acquired the Convair 440, which was the same size as the Convair 340 but with improvements to reduce cabin noise level and increased operating weights. Delta retroactively modified its Convair 340s to -440 standard. |
| 1958 July 1 |
Lockheed 749 Constellation service begins. 327 mph, 72 passengers. Purchased used from Pan Am to quickly meet demand on New York routes. |
| 1958 Sep 22 |
Delta launches industry-leading, luxury Royal Service on the Douglas DC-7 with 3 (instead of the usual 2) flight attendants, choices of main meal course, free champagne, taped cabin music and special airport services. |
| 1959 August |
Delta's red/white/blue triangle "widget" logo introduced as branding for new Royal Jet Service in advance ads for Delta's DC-8 jets. Gradually adopted as Delta's official corporate logo over the next several years. |
| 1959 July 22 |
Douglas DC-8, Delta's first jet. 590 miles per hour, 119 passengers Delivery flight sets speed record for the Southern Transcontinental Route (Long Beach, CA-Miami) of 4 hour, 43 minutes. After hour on ground in Miami, sets speed record to Atlanta of 78 minutes, 11 seconds. |
| 1959 Sep 18 |
World's first DC-8 scheduled service. Inaugural flight: Atlanta-New York. |
| 1960 Feb 10 |
Convair 880 jet first delivery to Delta sets a commercial speed record: San Diego-Miami. Official time: 3 hours, 31 minutes, 54 seconds. |
| 1960 May 15 |
World's first Convair 880 scheduled service. Inaugural flight: Houston, TX-New York. 586 mph, 84 passengers (all first class) |
| 1962 Mar 8 |
Delta DC-8 is first commercial jet to travel between Los Angeles and Atlanta in less than three hours. Official time: 2 hours, 57 minutes, 11 seconds. |
| 1965 Sep 18 |
Douglas DC-9 first delivery to Delta. 560 mph, 65 passengers |
| 1965 Nov |
World's first Douglas DC-9 scheduled service. Inaugural flight: Atlanta-Memphis-Kansas City. Daily service began December 8. Delta is first airline to fly three different commercial jets (DC-8, Convair 880, DC-9). |
| 1966 Aug 18 |
Lockheed L-100-10 Hercules first delivery to Delta. 361 mph all-cargo turbo-prop |
| 1966 Sep 15 |
Delta begins flying all-cargo Lockheed L-100-10 Hercules planes. Delta was the first airline to use the stretched Model -20 version in 1968. Retired by Delta in 1973. |
| 1966 |
Delta discontinues crop-dusting operations and closes its Agricultural Division, based in Monroe, LA. Since the mid-1940s, Delta had used military surplus Stearman aircraft for dusting. |
| 1970 April 25 |
Delta's fleet of passenger aircraft goes all jet with the retirement of its last Convair 440 prop plane. |
| 1970 Oct 25 |
Delta begins flying the Boeing 747-132, with a special Penthouse luxury lounge in the upstairs section of first class. |
