How Delta Became The Most Profitable Airline In The World

In 2019, Delta made $4.7 billion in profits. How did they become the world's most profitable airline?
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[@gerardmoran9560]

Retired Delta Captain here. It's a great place to work. The smart minds that solved all of the detailed challenges you outline are smart enough to know if you keep the employees happy they'll keep the customers happy. The effect of the bonuses is real. You get what you pay for.

[@larrymccaslin9827]

Agree 100%. Spending time on the campus in ATL you can see the employee satisfaction. It makes a world of difference.

[@llluminati0]

how are you gerard

[@gerardmoran9560]

@@llluminati0 Fine, thanks. I do miss flying.

[@samanthamartin292]

@@gerardmoran9560 me too

[@samanthamartin292]

Gerard Moran my mom used to work at frontier as a gate agent and now she’s retired

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

You missed a very key factor in their success. The way they treat their employees. Delta has managed to completely their mergers in the most fair ways possible. They put a ton of work into trying to keep everyone within a couple percentage points of where they were in seniority. They have a very generous profit sharing plan. Their safety culture is fantastic. It is generally a well run business. One of the former American Airlines CEOs used to say that it wasn't a good idea to invest your money in an airline at any time. Delta doesn't treat their operation like an airline. They treat it like a business.

[@thecaynuck4694]

And Delta's CEO Ed Bastian is one of the best CEOs I've seen in recent history.

[@scpatl4now]

Two things that were really important that you missed about Delta 1. Delta is the only legacy carrier that is (other than pilots) completely non-union. Delta has better compensation in spite of that...but there are some protections that unions provide that Delta employees don't receive. 2. Whether you attribute it to skill or luck, Delta avoided purchasing the 737 MAX and the 787. Both of those aircraft have had problems as well as groundings (the MAX is still not certified to fly yet). United and American are heavily invested in both. You can call it lucky, but I think there are some sharp people at Delta that saw something wasn't quite right there.

[@geraldevans2535]

Delta is mostly non union, but not completely non union. Pilots are definitely union.

[@nntflow7058]

Who would have thought that paying non-slave salaries would prevented workers from creating a union? This is revolutionary!

[@nicolestacey4480]

@@geraldevans2535 p

[@cabbage-soup]

@@nntflow7058 they should still join a union tho xD

[@me-it9jn]

@@nntflow7058 all big 3 airlines are very very far from slave wages and pay is about the same between them

[@WTFallusernametaken]

I really just fly Delta for those Biscoff cookies.

[@3John-Bishop]

😆

[@martinasandoval5326]

Lol and the cliff bars

[@plaguedoctor3397]

bomb

[@adamsaldana5462]

Right?!? They have the logo on the flippin cookie

[@martinasandoval5326]

@@notlNSIGHT you can always find them at Walmart if you like them so much :)

[@DiasBenes]

Delta also owns an Oil Refinery as well. It provides about 75% of their fuel needs. It does suffer from the up and downs of the Oil business since it needs to purchase oil to refine so it can be profitable or lose money for Delta. But it does help Delta manage its fuel costs.

[@grahamrothphotography]

The CEO actually cares, and they run a mostly Airbus fleet for new planes! I flew on a delta 332 to Hong Kong from Seattle, great legroom in economy, menus for food, free alcohol, great entertainment. Was a great 14 hours.

[@genesiswan4018]

@Jake Howie i took united and delta before. Delta felt like economy class while united feels like sardine. Even though the only Delta i took was the older 767, it feels way comfy than United 777 and 737.

[@samanthamartin292]

Graham Roth what food did they serve on your flight?

[@samanthamartin292]

@@genesiswan4018 I’ve never flown on United before so I don’t know what the service is like

[@grahamrothphotography]

@@samanthamartin292 hey, late reply sorry, gave us a menu with 2 choices per meal, so a main meal a 3rd of the way in, an ice-cream treat half way though, and another main meal 2/3s of the way in, Asian inspired dish or an American inspired dish for both meals. (I sat economy) I just don't remember the exact food.

[@BobTheBuilderr]

Just celebrated my 10th anniversary at Delta in June. I've loved my job every single day since I started. Great video Dan. 👍😎✈️

[@NicksDynasty]

Delta Proud

[@massimechoub3343]

I thought you were 10 yo No gonna lie you got me on the first part

[@Whimsiio]

@@massimechoub3343 ...

[@KaliYugaSauce]

That's great to hear. I travel a lot and Delta is far and away my favorite airlines largely because the employees are always, always so professional and cordial. Compared to the surly service I receive when I have to fly on American and United, I knew that Delta was doing something right. This prompted me to also become a shareholder in Delta.

[@Cinnamun52]

@@KaliYugaSauce United has a terrible attitude toward customer service. They had the second to last customer service rating on JD Powers. I work for a United regional and the attitude trickles down.

[@jameslangford4198]

Dot for DTW is in the wrong state

[@ericwright77]

I thought I was the only one I noticed that.

[@realShadowKat]

The dot for DTW would be centered on Detroit where Detroit-Wayne county is, just the size of it makes it overlap into Ontario, Ohio and Indiana.

[@295g295]

3:33 This DOT is close to Pittsburgh.

[@realShadowKat]

@@295g295 oh heck yea; that one is a couple hundred miles off.

[@seanpeters3690]

@@295g295 this is kind of random, but I actually flew on a Delta flight from Pittsburgh to Detroit last Tuesday. :)

[@robmcdougalltravels5916]

Coming from a person who works for Delta as a Ramp Manager, I love this Video and Delta, honestly couldn’t work for a better airline. I consider myself lucky every day I walk into work!

[@rebeccaadams419]

Me too ! Team dtw:)

[@johnwellington5754]

Work at DWHQ in ATL, to the worlds best employees THANK YOU!

[@seraiahdaniella3755]

I flew Delta domestically out of LGA and was highly impressed. The terminal is brand new and absolutely gorgeous. My interaction with all the employees from check-in, security and flight attendants was overall a great experience. 100000% better than my experience with American Airlines, which lost my itinerary and the customer service agent AND manager on my return flight were unwilling to help. Delta is officially my new favorite airline.

[@aviationlba747]

Delta are many leagues ahead of United and American in my opinion, they just seem to offer a more welcoming experience.

[@NicksDynasty]

Delta is my favorite

[@WCmexico98]

Agree! Outside of JetBlue and Southwest, Delta is my favorite US airline

[@rohitnautiyal7090]

I agree.

[@stevemc01]

Delta: "Welcome to Delta Airlines, where we feel you deserve the best of the experience. Ticket has an issue? Hang on a second. We'll try to sort it out..." American: "Your ticket has an issue, we'll layover you in the next airport." *THREE YEARS LATER* United: *wordlessly drags the passenger off the plane*

[@largol33t1]

Their routes at certain times of the year make no damn sense. I couldn't find a good price flight from DFW to MCO. Both American and Jetblue undercut Delta on fares to Orlando every single time I checked. I wound up having to book through American because of their ticket prices. When you have little money, pricing always wins.

[@jonathanchester5916]

When I worked at AA we used to grumble every 3 months when all the Delta staff got their profit sharing checks. They were not small checks.

[@NateOlson]

First, you don't work at AA

[@jonathanchester5916]

@@NateOlson read the sentence yo - "when I worked" - as in past tense. Say ommmmm...

[@xScooterAZx]

@@NateOlson He said when he "used" to work there. and how would you know if he did or did not.

[@kitsiewr]

Yes, but after working at AA you get a pension that isn't cut in half to pay for the company's legal obligation to pay social security taxes.

[@mihirdey5168]

You mean a cheque or check😆

[@Blank00]

You should do an episode on what happened during Continental Airlines's final years that transitioned Continental from America's favorite legacy carrier to the infamous airline we know as United.

[@Erik_The_Viking]

I miss Continental. Excellent airline.

[@senabecool7232]

Continental: From America's Favorite to United We Hate It

[@samanthamartin292]

@@Erik_The_Viking my nana used to work at continental as a gate agent

[@p1705]

United is the worse!

[@johnwilliamson467]

@4:18 that is me on the ramp tug . Spent 25+ years with the Big D. 1/2 at CVG and last and best 1/2 at ATL . Very Fine leadership .

[@glamslamcam]

A couple of weeks ago, I flew on my first flight since the end of 2019 on Delta and i had such a wonderful experience. The staff was so friendly & professional & we arrived early. I’ve flown on a lot of airlines but Delta is the cream of the crop and my last trip reminded me of that. I can’t wait to fly on them again!

[@videosfromelsewhere926]

0:55 Dan as a Delta frequent flyer since 2000, I can tell you that Delta's culture, competence and respect for their customers keeps bringing people back to them. Retraining the Northwest Airlines team to think like Delta people was a great combination, fusing their Midwestern energy and resilience with Delta's honey-sweet customer service and attention to detail. It's a marriage that works, unlike the UA/Continental and AA/USAir mergers. Who would want to ride on a Cactus anyway? 😁

[@Merrybandoruffians]

I love Delta. Their customer service has always been amazing. I’m from Atlanta and had divorced parents so I’ve flown with them my entire life. I have really fond memories of being an “unaccompanied minor” flyer - the flight attendants were always super friendly and would have special snacks for us. I remember some of the kids being afraid of flying and they would sit in the back with us and tell jokes and stuff to keep us busy. At the end of almost every flight (because we had to get off last) they’d take us up to meet the pilots if we wanted to who’d let us look into the cockpit and give us the little winged lapel pins. I’m almost 30 now and to this day I will ALWAYS pay a little extra for Delta. I am a 100% loyal customer.

[@papoosa]

I suppose there’s also a bit of luck too. For example, Delta is relatively unscathed by the 737 MAX program since they operate none of those and were the only one of the big 3 to neither operate nor order the type. That simple decision saved them a HELL of a lot of money (also applies to the 787). Plus, as you mentioned, they’ve always been on the forefront of innovation. They’re the only US carrier to operate the A220, and the A330neo. They’re also the first American A350 operator as well. I suppose that has more to do with Airbus, but it’s cool to see them go for planes that the other carriers haven’t considered. Although, I think the biggest advantage is their lack of bad press. United has been frequently slaughtered by the media from their infamous on board incidents, and American has, as you mentioned, become infamous for the way it’s pushed the limits of economy. Too bad it isn’t in Star Alliance though, cause their asian network would’ve blended well with the top players in the region like ANA and Singapore Airlines, which outclass their non-Star Alliance counterparts (except maybe Korean and JAL). Another cool documentary Dan!

[@cockyrooster361]

You forgot to mention they buy a lot of used aircraft. When they buy new, they buy smart, like the 220 and 330 neo. why the neo? cuz just in case the new hardware ends up having strange problems, like they almost always do. Plus, their salaries are some of the lowest, compared to the other big boyz.....

[@kylecampbell1444]

@@cockyrooster361 also have to add that some of the new aircraft they bought were unwanted. A321CEO, 737-900er both due to end of production.

[@cockyrooster361]

@@kylecampbell1444 right; cuz they were able to squeeze out great discounts from them. I read somewhere that they got those 220s for pennies since they were a launch customer and nobody else was really buying them.

[@cockyrooster361]

@@dom1333 Ya, thats basically what I said, re-read my post, they got the 220 for real cheap, it was LESS than half price.

[@nloughner2015]

I will say I don't think the 737 max had much to do with luck, delta knows a lot about the interworkings of the airline manufacturers and delta has been very unhappy with the culture at Boeing in recent years. There were words of and an understanding of the issues with the 737 max and the 787 coming from delta staff long before the issues were public.

[@evilhag666]

Had my first flying alone experience with Delta, I was 16. The genuine care they had for me was remarkable. They’ve delivered time and time again, and it really is the best out of the three. I literally trusted them with my life at sixteen, they didn’t let me down.

[@JuanWayTrips]

This is a great video! My POV was that American and United started chasing ULCCs more with their basic economy/cabin set up. I also think Delta saw that it was starting to get a bit crowded down there and noticed that people were willing to pay more for just a bit more comfort. Pre-pandemic, Delta's main cabin prices were always a bit more than AA and UA's main cabin/non-basic prices, but for many, it's worth it especially on longer domestic flights. I think a big thing with Delta is that the gap between premium cabin experiences and economy class is smaller than what you see with UA and AA. UA's Polaris and AA's Flagship First experiences, especially on the ground, seems to be better than Delta One. However, the economy service on Delta is better than what you often see on UA and AA too. You can see that with United refitting their planes with more premium seats while still squeezing as many economy seats as they can in the back. Meanwhile, when Delta remodeled their 777s (RIP), they did reduce the number of Delta One suites but kept the economy cabin at 9-across rather than 10-across because they knew passengers preferred a bit more comfort (also included 90 Comfort+ seats too). Dennis Bunnik has said in his videos that you can tell how good an airline is based on how well they treat those in economy. While I don't think Delta matches what we see from Singapore or some of the Middle Eastern airlines, they still do a great job compared to the other US airlines, and most of us, including me, are willing to pay just a bit more for that comfort.

[@picky5542]

Juan Way Trips n

[@paulsz6194]

Picky you’re name says it all....😝

[@ericgu9036]

Rip delta’s 777s

[@a.k.6878]

Stay safe Dan.. lots of love from France

[@mkkm945]

Top reason is the profit sharing, imo. I have almost exclusively met friendly and motivated staff at Delta. It's easy to understand why if you have your finger in the pie. You did mention this in the video, but I put that as #1 followed by everything else.

[@trevorjohnson8993]

Dan I think this is seriously one of the best videos you’ve ever made!

[@joykhanfour]

I love your airlines studies they are so interesting and informative . Keep up this amazing job ❤ Love from 🇱🇧

[@imac2209]

I Live in Detroit and as a semi-frequent economy flier DTW and Delta is the easiest airport/airline combo I've ever had.

[@scpatl4now]

I live in Atlanta. You can go just about anywhere in the US nonstop

[@merevial]

Delta is hands down the best flying experience I ever had, especially when I was Premium economy. I got treated like business class. Even in economy, I got 3 full meals. Free drinks and Evian bottled water at request.

[@th8257]

Delta is rated by Skytrax in the official rating as a 3 star airline. A number of the Asian and European airlines are 4 and 5 star. So that puts it in perspective I guess.

[@JeanClaudeCOCO]

@@th8257 it’s actually the best airline in North America and consistently ranks high. Those European and Asian carriers receive higher marks for what they offer but their foot print in on a smaller scale when compare to the likes of Delta. Even the big European carriers are smaller then Delta. Delta loyalty is key to keeping them at the front of the huge US airline market. Hence they’re profitable then anyone else. There is no model of how to run an airline better then Delta. Lots of those highly rated Asian or Middle Eastern carriers are not profitable and are only being prop up to project a certain high class image of their respective countries governments.

[@ecaste0195]

My husband and I have been loyal customers since 2015 and love them. We have flown other airlines but nothing is like Delta ❤️

[@dadcelo]

I consistently spend a little more money to fly Delta. They made an impact on my first flight and matched that high bar every time. They've earned it by investing on the PAX.

[@EOTB_Focus]

So good as always Dan 👍🏾✈️ Love this series. Looking forward to the next one.

[@JC-kb2qg]

Amazing video! I'm really impressed how you've adapted your channel!

[@planeshane9193]

Who else would LOVE to see a Dan/Coby Explanes collab?? I sure would! (Also great video Dan 🙂)

[@pilotpeter8850]

Would be absolute 🔥 the two best aviation youtubers for sure

[@alphamalegold1]

Yus please

[@joykhanfour]

It would be liiitt

[@Sandeee]

No Wendover? 🙄

[@moksh2647]

And DJ’s Aviation

[@deanroberts360]

So glad i've found your channel. Great quality video with excellent content. Can't wait to see more

[@arproductions6541]

Great Video Dan! Have a great time with your family in the Maldives and may all souls above and below sea level respect you for who you are!

[@endefael]

I'm loving these new analytic videos of yours! Congratulations!

[@nycyg]

I love the Delta experience it’s so modern and worth it

[@primoxxl71]

Very well done Dan. I was very impressed with your research. Keep up the good work.

[@jkjkjk100]

A diamond medallion and owner of a lot of skypesos and I am proud of it. Yea people say skymiles are junk, but you can still get great partner redemption usually altho no F... Also you should’ve mentioned how delta is furloughing the least number of employees during hard time like covid. I feel like delta crew are one big family and always eager to show the best of the company. They just want to help ya and give you the best service. I had many FA kneeled when they take my order in D1 so that our eyes are on the same level. Even korean and japanese FA don’t do that. They’re very flexible when i got into accident and was able to rebook without needing to involve my travel insurance. Ed Bastian is surely one of the greatest CEO out there.

[@marthijn-7544]

I love this new kind of videos made by you! Amazing job! Hopefully you’ll make much more of these videos in the future! (Also about KLM)😄

[@allyance8846]

Delta's livery is beautiful. Very decent.

[@kmvstudios9072]

Delta also has a lot of non-hub to non-hub flights like PDX-AMS & HND, HNL-KIX, NGO & HND LEX, MSN & OMA-DCA The list goes on

[@ashadedreflection4486]

hey guys, check this out, kingmattvidz REALLY knows his airport designators! how impresssive, must be an fine young specimen of a human, educated, articulate, and shall i say WELL-TRAVELLED!! .....Beatrice, honey, hand me the tobacco, my pipe is getting low.....

[@collinparsons3363]

PDX-AMS & HND are legacy NWA routes. They actually operated hubs in both international destinations.

[@shriyadeshmukh6062]

Great Video Dan!!

[@hlim431]

Great analysis Dan, employee profit share is such a no brainer... an obvious way to motivate staff. The last time I flew American they lost my luggage for 4 days sending it to South America. Delta is the "change I'm looking for" (get it "Delta")... ;-)

[@mybraintalks]

Awesome explaination an video Dan..as always..so informative.

[@arronmeyer-razon2228]

As someone who flies from MSP and used to be an NWA elite, merging with NWA was such a good move. The DTW and MSP hubs provided hardly any competition and they got the largest network to Asia. I have also been a US Airways elite, and after the merger with AA, I flew American a few times. Last time was in 2019. The coach seats are really not comfortable at all.

[@tyler-jamestoledo5284]

Hi there! Long time subscriber first time commenter. First of all, love these versions of your videos, super informative. I am a loyal delta/skyteam flyer and I always wondered why Delta still keeps their 717s around (though they're going to be phased out as soon as more arrivals of the 220 come through.) Because I fly Delta a ton I wanted to also elaborate on two points that you kind of touched on. 1) Delta's only worker's union are pilots, all other ground staff and cabin crew on non unionized as opposed to the other two. TLDR: Delta employees actually have to work. Depending on what Delta flight attendant you ask, unionization is kind of a hot topic. But from a consumers end it's very similar to the level of service you'd get on international carriers, friendly, attentive and for the most part professional, why? Because it's their job, and they are subject to disciplinary action if they don't do their job. Whereas for the other two, overall FAs and ground staff do their minimum to get by because they rely on the protection of their unions. Now I've had some iffy gate agents and cabin crew, but overall the level of service you get from flight to flight is pretty consistent and far elevated from the other two legacies. 2) Flying delta is cool. You mentioned the modernization of their aircraft and their overall image, but I think this topic gets more kudos. Delta's marketing is often studied itself. They are one of the few airlines that know how to market and brand to a millennial market. Every detail is thought of, just an example. At the end of the jet bridge in hubs and focus cities there are computer screens for the ground staff to do any thing they would need to do at the end of the jet bridge. Well they're kind of an eye sore and a few years ago there was info displayed on those screens that the passenger really shouldn't see, so delta comes up with a solution to put a screen saver that's customizable, right now it says something like "your aircraft has been cleaned and sanitized." The uniforms are chic and modern, the boarding music is specially curated, the announcements are unique and friendly, they serve craft beer, their lounges have nitro cold brew and kombucha, the free snacks consist of almonds and KIND bars... they just understand the future of flying and the future customers that are going to become their new "frequent flyers." The other two are still rocking navy blue and black boxy uniforms and still serving pretzles and miller lite, but I digress. That's my two cents. BYEEEEEEEEEEEE.

[@larrymccaslin9827]

Great video. I'm in the aviation business, live in Atlanta, and love Delta. I have many friends that work there and know the company culture is amazing. They've made great choices when it comes to their fleet as well. I am on my way to becoming a million miler and choose Delta whenever I have the choice.

[@steve3ri]

Thank you again for another great, informative video. I truly enjoyed it.

[@abhiramnalamothu2660]

Excellent Review Dan Loved It Your The Best Love You

[@AaronMcHale]

Great video Dan, really interesting! Delta is usually my first choice, for all the reasons you mentioned, but specifically because of the convenience and scale of their network, but also because of the quality and standard of service I've come to expect. I've flown them enough that when I fly Delta I know exactly what to expect, there's no surprises, which I really appreciate. I also quite enjoy their Comfort+ product if I'm not flying in a upper-class cabin, which is affordable and good value for money. I also like that (pre pandemic) they had multiple daily transatlantic flights from Edinburgh to major US cities, so really convenient for my transatlantic travel.

[@sagniktarafdar6041]

Best youtuber on KZbin..... love the contents which you make.... u will always be my favorite youtuber

[@jayveebs]

Great video! This was amazing!

[@RateMyCharge]

Delta holds my heart of all the airlines.

[@Jiasode]

Delta has had the most crashes in the airline industry

[@franklinclinton6273]

@@Jiasode the lies though

[@lamaripiazza5226]

@@Jiasode It doesn’t

[@vmreagan5313]

Excellently done Dan!

[@MrJeepster129]

A big contributor to Delta’s success is also because the size of there employee base. Compared to American and United, they have less employees but fly a similarly sized fleet. You touched briefly on another factor but flying with older aircraft has saved the airline a lot of $$$. Richard Anderson made a mention to this back when he was CEO saying because delta has amazing mechanics they can fly older aircraft that save the company money. Not to mention Delta has a very large MRO facility that they make $$$ from doing work on other airlines aircraft and engines. Delta recently finished a huge Rolls Royce engine shop that will bring in more $$$. Delta has also put a lot of focus on on-time performance and maintenance delays. All contributing to the product

[@rezabhiwandiwalla5351]

Fantastic video. Informative and to the point

[@visualapproach7155]

Great video and thanks for the shout-outs! 2019 feels like a generation ago, and while many of the underlying factors still exist, a lot has changed since those articles were written in 2017. Most notably, United has decided to up their game and have started defending/taking back their turf in Chicago. American had a significantly higher originating market share as recent as 2018, but United evened the score by 2019. That was, of course, before everything blew up. Great video. Almost nostalgic to remember all the way back to... 2019!

[@NonstopDan]

Thanks for even more insights - really appreciate it! Keep killing it🙏

[@strafrag1]

Great video, Dan.

[@dannyjb363]

Good review Nonstop Dan best Aviator

[@hanj31]

Delta stepped up their game in areas united and AA wouldn’t.

[@Perich29]

United and AA was hijacked and crashed 9/11 but Delta wasn't one of the big 3.

[@hanj31]

@@Perich29 but United Polaris lounge is hands down the best lounge I’ve seen in the US so United has the edge on lounge amongst the big 3.

[@Jabid21]

@@hanj31 I'll give props to most star alliance airlines. They really are top notch when it comes to airport lounges.

[@hanj31]

@@Jabid21 yes lounge wise star alliance is number arguably number 1. united polaris lounges turkish airlines at istanbul and the star alliance lounge at LAX

[@samanthamartin292]

Joshua Han I agree

[@dianeschroeder3980]

This is a great analysis of Delta Air Lines and their profitability over other US carriers. I love your educational videos. And I can’t wait for you and Josh to collaborate!!❤️👍✈️

[@actualbrian]

Wow Dan, this video is excellent! Well done!

[@will-by-the-bay4890]

Excellent, well researched video!

[@PatrickScottPhDLCSW]

Thanks Dan for this video! I have been Global Services on United, Executive Platinum on American and now have been Diamond on Delta for awhile. I'm pleased that in these days of global disruption, Delta is thriving! Love your work!

[@philipnaimmayer5627]

I love these kinds of videos from ur channel

[@28kartavya]

Such a good video! Insightful!!!

[@sahajpatel1553]

I loved this one, would be cool to see a study on Singapore Airlines

[@ericjones7769]

DELTA is my favorite airline period

[@ljacobs357]

Well done. Enjoyed it.

[@paramchavan9872]

Love these informative videos, sending you good wishes from Ahmedabad, India.

[@thevisitor_ty]

You deserve an honorary degree from this research!

[@reneeanderson9756]

From a United Flight Attendant…… I applaud you Delta! Always the industry leader!!!

[@udeychowdhury2529]

Great,great videos, thanks so much

[@avgeekyvr]

Delta has (had) my business 100%. Easily my favourite airline, and I'm from Canada. I go out of my way to fly DL, and enjoy my Platinum Status with them. Best Airline hands down.

[@baristheperson4255]

Congratulations on uploading regularly

[@mrvwbug4423]

Another big thing Delta avoided was the "race to the bottom" of trying to compete with the low cost carriers. United and AA both nickel and dime you just as bad as the likes of Spirit and Frontier now.

[@awesomeadamfrom2099]

Awesome airplane video Dan.

[@LeviRamsey]

The other benefit to smaller planes is that Delta can offer more flights on a given route. If there's 450 seats worth of demand from A to B in a 12-hour period, that can be 3 flights with 737/A320s (1 every 4 hours) or 4 flights (1 every 3 hours) with a mix of A220/717/737/A320: the frequency increase is like cutting 15-30 minutes off the effective flight time for a traveler who's targeting being in B at a given time (it also increases the value of being able to change the flight). Since most travelers who are that time-sensitive are business travelers who are more willing to pay a premium for tickets (after all, the government is effectively paying a third of the fare...), this allows Delta to charge greater fares. This compounds when the greater frequency reduces the impact of a missed connection. Related to this was the decision to debank the hubs: instead of having surges of arriving planes and scheduling for short connections (watch a timelapse of DFW: there's an ebb and flow where most gates are empty and then they're all occupied and then most are empty again), Delta schedules longer connections on average and tries to keep a consistent rate of arrivals and departures. Doing this reduces the impact a delayed flight has on the whole system and by reducing misconnects, it leads them to not overbook as aggressively. This is about half of the reason it's been multiple years without an oversell resulting in an involuntary bump; the other factor is that AA and UA both maintain a policy of not offering more than the legally required compensation for an involuntary bump to entice a passenger to voluntarily change away from an oversold flight. Delta's voluntary bump compensation is legendary (it's gotten as high as multiple thousands of dollars in Amex gift cards (e.g. ATL-SBN when Georgia Tech is playing Notre Dame) and a free confirmed first class seat on the next flight) and the combination of never bumping someone who really wants a seat and paying someone to be flexible creates two loyal customers. Debanking and frequency contribute a lot to the reliable operations (as does fairly conservative scheduling of flights, which does pad the on-time rate) and there are fliers who have greater confidence in an connection via ATL/DTW/MSP/SLC getting them where they're going on-time than they do with a non-stop on other airlines. The very tight relationship with American Express is also critical to Delta's success and is a great example of a symbiotic business relationship: the Amex Platinum (arguably the most rewarding card for air travel) conferring SkyClub access (and that Delta hasn't done anything like the United Club vs. Polaris or Admirals Club vs. Flagship distinctions) predisposes a lot of frequent fliers to prefer Delta, while no FF program is more enhanced by cobrand cards than SkyMiles (arguably the biggest enhancement is Pay With Miles, which allows cobrand card holders to redeem FF miles while earning elite credit, though generous help with hitting elite status thresholds is also not to be sniffed at). The strategy of buying older planes also led Delta to focus on maintaining them well, to the point that a number of other airlines contract with Delta to do maintenance. That said, a lot of these are focused on the business travel market, and the centrality of that market to the industry in the future is, well, open to question.

[@BeastyBlake903]

I think you right in a way.

[@jocelynharris-fx8ho]

Delta is based in the south; the area known for home and hospitality and that comes through in their service. I have NEVER had a bad experience on Delta. ❤🤗 And I loooove seeing those Boeing triple 7's in Delta colors; I wish they had kept them in the fleet. 😮

[@dansharpe2364]

Superb as always.

[@allysoobratty7565]

One thing you forgot,Delta is a Member of Skyteam so it can code share with other Skyteam Members life AF,KLM and so on

[@pammoore4326]

#NonstopDan enjoyed your content and your voice keep me engaged. Thanks, I enjoyed this video

[@muscleandimports]

11:55 it's crazy how that clip of people walking about without masks on looks so out of the ordinary in 2020

[@HekateMGO]

Tbh. I can’t wait to see people’s faces again. 😭

[@joelmills4613]

As a multimillion miler lifetime medallion I’ve enjoyed Delta for decades. Also my home airport, BQK, only has DL service. Jacksonville and Savannah offer some DL nonstop options other than ATL and only an hour away. I’ve been known to fly southwest from JAX to DEN as it just makes getting to smaller west coast and mountain destinations so much easier.

[@shaunpierce4174]

They provide a fantastic service. In May 2018 I flew from London to Santiago, Chile with them via Atlanta and they were excellent.

[@theseeker5094]

I have flown delta 2-3 times from Seattle to Kona, Hawaii and it was a great flight on there 757s. Friendly staff and clean planes.

[@shriyashdeshmukh9638]

Sir you are awesome thank you so much for all educational videos you bring for us

[@queenpenelope_]

Great video, Dan! Really enjoying these until we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming!😊

[@noahdeschepper9733]

I love these aviation documentaries! Don't stop making them 😊😊😊

[@tehblizz]

Amazing job!!!!

[@martinasandoval5326]

My first experience with them was terrible back in 2010 and I did not fly with them for years, but my husband asked me to give them a try a few years ago and we have been flying exclusively with them since last year to point that I am chasing status.

[@AdamAuxier64]

A couple points to add: Delta has historically operated two strategies domestically, you touched on one, but sort of missed the other. Point 1: Atlanta to everywhere, wherein Delta flies to every runway in America (which you covered) but the second is the "not-Chicago" strategy wherein Delta controls the Detroit & MSP markets which have (close) to the amount of business travel combined that Chicago has. In any event, better to own DTW & MSP than duke it out in Chicago. Lastly, Delta is a bit like Porsche in that they frequently do things under the radar for its competitors. Delta up until recently managed United Airlines vacation brand, and for a period, Southwest Airlines as well!

[@andream.brandimarte3961]

Great analysis

[@ryankhja2646]

i cant wait to travel Delta again, good experience with them in 2019 and hopefully i can fly again soon

[@heroknaderi]

I enjoyed it. and speaking of fleet i love that they still fly older aircraft escpacailly the 757

[@NikhilRasmalla]

Great video as always , lots of love from Hyderabad! Also if possible can you make a video on kingfisher airlines anytime in the future?

[@rickvoit7310]

Super thoughtful and well-produced piece. I’d offer two additional points for the analysis. First is to add to your Culture category. Ed Bastian is one of two airline CEOs (the other is Gary Kelly) who I have seen publicly state that their customers are not you and me, but in fact their employee staff! The idea is that by treating employees well, that treatment is extended to we passengers. The second interesting thing would be to compare pay/labor arrangements among the 3 carriers. My guess is that Delta has fewer unionized workers (is this true?) yet pays at least as well as American and United. This would achieve cost savings if only through a more flexible workforce. Again, thank you

[@nicholasbenge2596]

Yes, the only unionized employees at Delta are our pilots. We generally are paid close to our friends at AA and UA.

[@ericgu9036]

My family missed a flight and rebooked in a delta a350 flight. After that flight, we have been flying with them since

[@Flyboyed]

Awesome narration.

[@ronaldfranke9225]

Growing up in South Carolina in the 1970s and 80s, Delta and their hub at ATL was always there. Piedmont and Republic Airlines came and went while Delta seemed always to have the best price, timing and connections for GSP, Tampa, LaGuardia (ugh), Memphis, Myrtle Beach, or JAX. Once ATL was rebuilt, changing planes was almost fun. Living nowadays in Atlanta suburbs, Delta feels like part of the woodwork, up there with Coca-Cola. Like the Atlanta Braves, Delta is part of what makes my city and region special. When Delta prospers, many people here are happy.

[@allankamen9875]

I'm nearly a million miler with Delta. Hope we can all fly again soon. This was a great video, very informative. I prefer this video to a 'trip report'.

[@wellgeo223]

They’re definitely a nice change of pace. The trip report industry appears to be quite saturated at this point.