Note: Nine years ago today, Delta Air Lines formally emerged from bankruptcy protection; and this article is the third of a series of articles which I first wrote nine years ago today.
…a nd I am getting ready to drive down to the airport area to attend the first event: a breakfast on the lower level below the entrance at the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta, directly adjacent to the airport and down the street from the headquarters of Delta Air Lines.
Like Delta Air Lines regarding its emergence from bankruptcy, the sun had not risen yet on this cool morning. There was not a cloud in the clear, dry sky. The winds were calm. In more ways than one, today promised to be a great day…
…until I hit traffic that was worse than usual. Why today of all days?
I was not going to let traffic ruin my day. In fact, it gave me the opportunity to watch the sun rise — just as I would later today have the opportunity to witness Delta Air Lines rise out of bankruptcy. This was the top story on virtually every Atlanta radio station this morning. Those that are reporting the story sound as joyful and hopeful as the employees and customers of Delta Air Lines, and that was confirmed later on today.
I arrived 15 minutes late to the breakfast at the Renaissance, which was for the international media. Is it any wonder that the day of the renaissance of Delta Air Lines would begin at an appropriately-named hotel?
After gulping down a quick breakfast of six blackberries, one strawberry, seven slices of kiwi fruit and three crackers with a small slice of cheese on my way to Concourse ballroom B, I sat down with the approximately 50 international media and press from all over the world to listen to the presentations. Journalists representing countries such as Italy, Japan, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Panama, and the Dominican Republic were in attendance.
It is 0800 hours, and the presentations are about to begin.
The photograph shows only part of the media inside of the hangar where the new livery of Delta Air Lines was about to be unveiled nine years ago today. Photograph ©2007 by Brian Cohen.
