Delta Air Lines Trivia Quiz

Answer: C.E. Woolman

Delta began its life as Huff Daland Dusters, Inc., a crop dusting company based in Macon, Georgia that was founded in 1925. A group of investors, which included Collett Everman (C.E.) Woolman (1889-1966), acquired the company in 1928 and changed the company's name to Delta Air Service.

The name Delta referred to the Mississippi Delta region as the company's headquarters was moved from Macon, Georgia to Monroe, Louisiana. Delta launched passenger service on June 17, 1929, operating its first flight from Dallas, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi stopping at Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana in between. Delta Air Service changed its name to Delta Air Corporation in 1930 and again to Delta Air Lines in 1945.

The aircraft in the photograph is a Curtiss-Wright 6B Sedan

Answer: Atlanta, Georgia

In 1941, Delta Air Lines relocated its headquarters from Monroe, Louisiana to Candler Field in Atlanta, Georgia. Candler Field was renamed Atlanta Municipal Airport in 1948 and is currently known as Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, named for Atlanta mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard H. Jackson. Atlanta became Delta's primary hub and eventually grew into the "World's Busiest Airport", a title it held from 1998 through 2019.

The airport currently houses over 195 gates between seven concourses and two terminal buildings used for domestic and international passengers, which are all connected by an underground rail system.

There are also five parallel runways, which are often set up using three for arrivals and two for departures.

Answer: Convair 880

The Convair 880 was first flown in 1959. Convair was a subsidiary of the American aviation company General Dynamics. The Convair 880 was a quad-engine narrow-bodied airliner that could accommodate between 80 and 110 passengers, depending on its interior design.

The Convair 880 was also considered the fastest airliner at the time, able to achieve speeds in excess of 600 mph (960 km/h). However, while the plane was fast, this speed came at the cost of fuel consumption, which led to the Convair 880's retirement from Delta's fleet in 1973. One of Delta's Convair 880's was purchased by Elvis Presley in 1975, which he named Lisa Marie after his daughter.

It is currently on display at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Answer: Lockheed L-1011

The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar was first introduced in 1970. Delta Air Lines first acquired the L-1011 in 1973 and the type soon became a staple in Delta's fleet for decades. The triple engine jet could accommodate approximately 250 people and could be used for intercontinental travel depending on the specific model. The Lockheed L-1011's were retired by Delta Air Lines in 2001.

Answer: Dallas, Texas

Delta Air Lines 191 originated in Fort Lauderdale, Florida using the Lockheed L-1011. The aircraft crashed as it was making its approach into Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport during a severe thunderstorm. Delta 191 encountered a microburst, which caused the aircraft to crash short of the runway.

It was Delta Air Lines' worst aviation accident as of 2021. There were 136 fatalities out of 163 souls on board. There was also one additional fatality on the ground. As a result of the investigation into Delta 191, regulations were changed and instruments were developed to aid in the operation of aircraft when thunderstorms are present.

There have been numerous documentaries made that focus on the story of Delta 191.

Answer: Salt Lake City, Utah

Western Airlines was founded in 1925. In 1987, they merged with Delta Air Lines, which significantly increased Delta's presence on the west coast of the United States. Before the merger, Western Airlines operated hubs at Los Angeles International Airport in California, Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah. Delta still maintains a major hub at Salt Lake City, which recently underwent terminal renovations. Delta also operates a hub in Los Angeles, though their presence there has fluctuated over the years.

The photograph depicts Delta's maintenance hangar on the north side of Salt Lake City International Airport.

Answer: Pan Am

Pan American Airways (aka Pan Am) was formed in 1927. The airline struggled through the late '70s and throughout the '80s until finally the company declared bankruptcy in 1991. Delta acquired Pan Am's JFK assets, including the Worldport terminal (aka Terminal 3), which allowed Delta to greatly expand into the trans-Atlantic market.

The Worldport was constructed by Pan Am in 1960. The terminal was designed to look like a starship much like the U.S.S. Enterprise from the "Star Trek" television series when seen from above.

The Worldport was closed in 2013 and later demolished as Delta Air Lines moved their JFK operation into a renovated and expanded Terminal 4.

Answer: SkyTeam

SkyTeam was launched in 2000 by Delta Air Lines, AeroMexico, Air France and Korean Air (the latter two's planes can be seen in the photo). The alliance was formed to give customers the ability to seamlessly travel across the globe. The member airlines would often codeshare on each others routes, which would give each one a share of the revenue.

It also gave travelers the ability to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles on each of the participating airlines. Each airline also has at least one of their aircraft painted in a special livery which is mostly silver with dark blue SkyTeam logo painted on the fuselage and tail.

Answer: Boston, Massachusetts

September 11, 2001 had a tremendous effect on the world, especially the aviation industry. Two flights which originated from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175) were hijacked by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center in New York City, which brought down the twin towers. Delta 1989 also departed Boston around the same time. All three planes had been destined to arrive in Los Angeles.

While Delta 1989 was not hijacked, there was a lot of confusion as to whether or not it had been. Later in its flight, Delta 1989 was flying in the same vicinity as United Airlines 93, which had originated in Newark International Airport in New Jersey and crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Delta 1989 was ordered to divert to Cleveland International Airport in Ohio, where the flight was met by federal investigators.

Answer: Northwest Airlines

Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines (which was founded in 1926) both declared bankruptcy in 2005 following the September 11 attacks. Later in 2008, the two airlines decided to merge, which allowed Delta to become the largest airline in the world. This would not last long as the merger with US Airways allowed American Airlines to become the world's largest airline in 2013.

The merger with Northwest allowed Delta to acquire hubs in Detroit Metropolitan Airport as well as Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport.

It also allowed Delta to increase its presence in Asia.