1940's-1950's

Through the Decades: 1940's

Delta goes to war and officially becomes Delta Air Lines, Inc.

1940

Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 services were introduced. Flight attendants, called "stewardesses," were added to flight crews. The beverage service now features bottles of Coca-Cola. For details about Delta's early flight attendant service, see our Blog.

1941

Delta headquarters move from Monroe to Atlanta. Atlanta is now the center of Delta's new 16-city route system. Learn more in this printable booklet.

1942

Delta contributes to the war effort. Modifies 916 aircraft, overhauls 1,000+ engines and instruments, trains Army pilots and mechanics, and operates cargo supply routes for the military.

1944

Converted DC-3 cargo plane, Delta Ship 43, begins unscheduled freight services.

1945

Official corporate name becomes Delta Air Lines, Inc. Recognized by National Safety Council for more than 300 million passenger miles and 10 years of flight without a passenger or crew fatality. Delta is first airline to fly living vegetable plants (160,000 tomato plants). C. E. Woolman is President and General Manager.

1946

Delta officially enters cargo business. One-millionth passenger boards. Delta is first airline to fly nonstop Chicago-Miami, initially with Douglas DC-4 planes.

1947

Delta's fleet totals 644 available seats. Receives National Safety Award for more than one-half billion passenger miles without a fatality. Scheduled all-cargo flights begin. Delta Vacations program begins as Millionaire Dream Vacations (later Delta Dream Vacations) with packaged summer vacations to Miami.

1948

Begins interchange service with TWA personnel flying Delta planes from Cincinnati to Detroit and Delta crews flying TWA ships south from Cincinnati to Atlanta, Miami and Dallas. The Douglas DC-6 is the first Delta plane with cabin pressurization, air conditioning, seat tray tables for meals and a 6-seat Sky Lounge.

1949

Coach Class service starts; discounted-fare "Owly Bird" night flights between Chicago and Miami.

Through the Decades: 1950's

Delta expands internationally, pioneers the hub and spoke

1950

First official Delta souvenir for children, a paper Junior Pilot Certificate—handed out to both girls and boys.

1952

Delta flies Convair 340 planes; modified to Model-440 standards in 1956

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1953

Chicago and Southern Air Lines merger brings Delta its first international routes to the Caribbean and Caracas. Airline called Delta-C&S for the next two years. Delta inherits from C&S its first customer recognition program—Flying Colonel, one of air transport’s coveted awards. Lockheed Constellations join the fleet.

1954

First class service begins, as Golden Crown Service on Douglas DC-7 flights. Delta introduces reserved seats—Golden Crown customers can select their seat when they check in at the airport. First airline to supplement visual inspection of aircraft parts with a portable x-ray machine to examine interior structures..

1955

Delta pioneers extensive development of the hub-and-spoke system in the 1950s. Using Atlanta as a cross-connecting point, Delta expands service choices and frequencies for medium and smaller southeastern communities to distant, larger cities and each other, beyond what they could support with direct, point-to-point flights.

Arriving and departing flights were scheduled for operational efficiency in Atlanta, where passengers connected to other flights. Eastern Air Lines also began to group flights by connecting times at ATL, and by 1955, between the hours of noon and 2 p.m. — the "noon push" — Atlanta was the busiest air transfer hub in the world.

1956

Weather-avoidance radar installed in noses of all Delta aircraft (except the DC-3s)

1958

Luxurious Douglas DC-7 Royal Service first-class flights offer three—instead of the usual two—flight attendants, boarding music by Muzak, complimentary champagne and steaks cooked to order. Children receive Delta’s first “kiddie wings” souvenir pins.

1959

Delta is first airline to launch Douglas DC-8 jet service. The red, white, and blue triangle "widget" becomes Delta's logo, resembling the swept-wing appearance of a jet. First airline to offer complimentary meals on discounted coach flights.

1959

First baby born on a Delta flight: Suzanne Ector, over Malden, Missouri, at 9,000 feet. Flight attendant wings are used as diaper pins.