Delta: The History of An Airline

by W. David Lewis, Wesley P Newton

Beginning in the 1920s as a lowly crop-dusting operation in Louisiana, Delta Air Lines had, by its fiftieth anniversary, down to become one of the largest companies in the industry and one of the most consistently profitable. First published in 1979, this is a comprehensive account of the growth and development of Delta’s strategy and style, the steady expansion of its routes, its relationship with federal regulatory agencies, and the everchanging composition of its fleet. Because the underlying spirit of the Delta enterprise owed so much to its founder, C.E. Woolman, this is also an engaging portrait of the man who came to be classed alongside Eastern’s Eddie Rickenbacker and Pan American’s Juan Trippe as a pioneer of commercial aviation.

Genres: Aviation

608 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1979

Reviews

[Erica Eckert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yowza, this book is a LOT. If you're the person that cherishes having Every. Last. Detail. that can ever be known as a single topic, this book is your book. It was a bit too much for me, but I can't argue that it was an absolutely momentous undertaken by the authors and very well written. It was just amazing how much work the authors did to illustrate the complete and total history of Delta Airlines from their start in 1929 through 1978. However, at times, it was easy to get lost in the vast array of people, places, and things throughout the book. But that's how it goes when you have a lot of details :-)