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.

"Davis explains how Delta has been protected by a structural monopoly in Atlanta and lulled into complacency by the weaknesses of its long-time competitor Eastern Airlines.

BOOK DESCRIPTIONThis is a book about leadership, which goes behind the incessant news stories for unique, never before published facts and insights from a classic success story and tragedy.The book is not the typical trip down 'memory lane', the template of many books about a corporation. Nor is it like the dozens of books today that focus on the airline industry. Instead, there are profound and valuable lessons in this book for any leader, whatever the future brings for Delta. While giving poignant examples from many companies, Delta Air Lines is the book's poster child of a Board of Directors' and a leader's dramatic effects on tens of thousands of people. It gives the reader the no holds barred, inside story of Delta's success, decline and path to bankruptcy...the lessons learned...and what it needs to do to take off again. Fresh answers are given to the often-asked question, "What happened to Delta?" It is based on extensive research, including behind-the-scenes information from 59 members of the "Delta family", the author's in-depth personal knowledge as a member of that family, and his broad experience as a business executive and management consultant.The book examines the leadership decisions by each of Delta's 7 CEO's and its Board of Directors. It then highlights the decisions that built a highly profitable company for decades and those that have brought it to bankruptcy?and draws universal leadership lessons from them.It is also about a remarkable group of people. As the book shows, Delta employees and retirees have been shining examples of commitment to its heritage - Service and Hospitality From The Heart - even when constrained by ineffective leaders. Part of the tragedy is the price they are now paying and will be paying for that ineffective leadership. The book is co-dedicated to the thousands of Delta employees and retirees who love what Delta once was and hope the current leaders have what it takes to restore it.This engaging, highly readable book gives the reader a fascinating inside look at a major U.S. corporation from both a business and a human perspective.

"When the history book is written on the restructuring of this industry, Delta will be the greatest turnaround story in it." --Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein, December 19, 2006 Its reputation was now as tattered as the interiors of its airplanes. Delta Air Lines, on September 14, 2005, was nothing like the world-beating company it had been just five years earlier, let alone decades before that. On this day, Delta found itself surrounded by lawyers, dejectedly filing for bankruptcy. Few believed it could ever reclaim its perch atop the US airline industry. But it did. Glory Lost and Found: How Delta Climbed from Despair to Dominance in the Post-9/11 Era tells the story of Delta's dramatic tumble into bankruptcy and how it climbed its way back to pre-eminence despite hurricane-force headwinds: high fuel prices, a hostile takeover bid, relentless competition, economic meltdowns and geopolitical shocks. This book stems from a decade of research and countless interviews by Airline Weekly's Seth Kaplan and Jay Shabat. It's a profile in leadership: Delta became not only the greatest turnaround story in its own industry but also one of the greatest in the history of corporate America. Delta did the unimaginable by simultaneously resurrecting its finances and the spirits of its employees and customers. And while redefining itself, Delta also redefined an industry.

At the height of the Watergate scandal, Delta Flight 723 crashed into a fog-shrouded seawall at the end of Runway 4R at Logan Airport in Boston. While this incident and Watergate seemed unrelated at first, President Richard Nixon and his subordinates' actions during Watergate interfered with the ability of the National Transportation Safety Board to properly investigate the crash. It wasn't until three court cases, a federal investigation, congressional hearings, as well as a state investigation, when the true cause of the accident was exposed ten years later. This is also the story of Air Force Sergeant Leopold Chouinard and his incredible fight for survival. Chouinard survived the initial impact of the crash, only to suffer third and fourth degree burns on the majority of his body. Doctors fought against incredible odds to try and save Chouinard's life. For 134 days, Leo Chouinard defied all expectations as his doctors and nurses applied the latest advancements in burn treatments to save him from a non-survivable accident. They nearly succeeded. Through interviews with Chouinard's family, his physicians, and the NTSB's investigation, comes a story of corruption, determination, and vindication as well as the answer to what really caused that crash at Logan airport.