Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence of 2007: Ten Years Ago

L ast year, I posted a series of 17 articles which I wrote on the day — and day after — Delta Air Lines official emerged from bankruptcy protection. Many people considered that day the end of one of the darkest eras in the history of the airline.

Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence of 2007: Ten Years Ago

For easy reference, I compiled a list of links in which you can access whichever articles you would like to read at any time.

Monday, April 30, 2007

1. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 1: The Evening Before…
2. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 2: Today’s the Day!
3. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 3: The Big Day Emerges…
4. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 4: Presentations to the International Media
5. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 5: Time for the Big Moment!
6. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 6: The Lottery
7. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 7: The Ultimate Stand-By
8. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 8: Aboard Flight 9998: The Inaugural Flight Around Atlanta
9. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 9: Technical Operations Center Tour
10. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 10: At the End of the Day…

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

1. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 11: I Will Miss Delta Air Lines Flight 9998!?!
2. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 12: I Made It!!! I Made It!!! Flight 9998, Here I Am!!!
3. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 13: Jerry Grinstein and Me
4. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 14: We Are Landing in Salt Lake City — Aren’t We?!?
5. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 15: Salt Lake City: The Emergence Event
6. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 16: On to Los Angeles
7. Delta Air Lines Bankruptcy Emergence, Part 17: The Conclusion: My Thoughts, Observations and Ideas

Summary

Not many people back then would have believed that Delta Air Lines would be profitable fewer than ten years later — setting records to the tune of earning billions of dollars per quarter — but the consolidation of the commercial airline industry was already in motion, as the Department of Justice of the United States officially approved the merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines on Wednesday, October 29, 2008…

…and that consolidation — combined with the advent and implementation of ancillary fees — are two main reasons why airlines based in the United States went from bleeding money to setting record profits per quarter.

Despite major setbacks during the past few years — such as the most recent system meltdown which required several days from which to fully recover — Delta Air Lines has led the way in the United States in terms of setting an example of how well an airline can be operated…

…although many people would argue that its SkyMiles frequent flier loyalty program could be improved significantly — especially as it has not won a Freddie Award again this year for the fifth consecutive year; but that is most likely purposely by design…

Photograph ©2007 by Brian Cohen.