“The Delta Family,” that phrase is much bandied about when you hear about employees and their relationship with Delta Air Lines. One of my goals here at the Carr – Woolman Flight Appreciation Center is to try and collect some stories that exemplify, “The Delta Family,” or memories of a “Delta Family” experience. I do this to remember the past, but to also encourage the new Delta family members from Northwest and the old Delta family to keep this spirit alive. It is what has made Delta rare amongst corporate cultures in America and rare in how this spirit exemplifies Delta’s customer service.
The first story I found comes from Matt
McCracken, founder of McKinney Avenue Capital in Dallas, Texas, USA. Mr.
McCracken’s father was a pilot for Delta. He wrote his thoughts on growing up
in the Delta family in 2005. Here is an excerpt:
“September 15th, 2005
Delta
Air Lines - A Personal Reflection!
Posted by Matt at 7:00 pm
….My fondest Delta memories are of
attending the summertime Delta picnics. The swimming pool with the extra-high
slide, the “old” guys playing softball, Grandy’s fried chicken and country
dancing. One year, we managed to sneak away a couple of our parents’ beers and
we went out to the car and tried to act like grown-ups by “throwing one back”.
I think I might have been 10 or 11 at the time, so it was a real struggle but
somehow I managed. (I think I poured ¾ of mine out while no one was looking.)
When I grew up, I wanted to marry a
flight attendant because I knew them to be the sweetest people in the world.
(Some of the pilots may disagree with me, but when you’re a cute kid wearing a
suit and tie, the women adore you.) On my first flight alone, I was served 5
ice cream sundaes. That was back when non-revving meant sitting in first class.
The only time my brother and I got along
was when we were non-revving. We fought incessantly when we were at home but
while we were flying our father would constantly remind us that Delta would
pull our passes if we didn’t behave. He would tell us story after story about
kids having their flying privileges revoked so they had to stay home with the
baby sitter while everyone else went to Disney Land. I’m now convinced that
these stories were fictional but they worked.
I remember the tremendous pride I felt
when our college marketing class studied the “Delta Family”. I remember
testimony after testimony of fellow Dallasittes who cherished flying Delta over
AA because of the superior service they received. I remember the Spirit of
Delta poster on the wall in our game room which was ironically sold within
weeks of bankruptcy – the plane not the poster. I remember my dad telling me
about how Delta was considered a nothing airline compared to Braniff and how
his buddies ribbed him when he was hired in ‘72.
Unfortunately, I also remember making a
sales call to Delta and having a member of Delta’s management explaining to me
that Southwest wasn’t a competitor. I remember the first strike vote. I
remember the revolving door at the upper management level.
I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Delta. They offered my father gainful employment which allowed him to send my brother and me to a couple of the finest schools in the country. They offered us the opportunity to be reunited with our extended family every summer and Christmas. The absolute best part about your Dad being a pilot was the flexibility it offered him. My dad coached all my little league teams – even soccer. I cannot remember a HS or college game of mine that he wasn’t able to attend. All though he was gone a lot, he was always there whenever it mattered. Birthdays, Games, School Plays – Anything that mattered, he was there.”
What other stories are out there? If you are
reading this and worked for Delta or had a family member work for Delta and
have a story to tell, let me know. What about you Delta employees today? Tell
me how “The Delta Family” is doing today. I am looking for positive stories
here, not messages of, “Tim, it just ain’t what it used to be.” Yeah, I
know, times are different now, but I bet a lot of you still think of yourselves
as family and have good stories to tell. My email link can be found on the
panel to the right of this post.
I think Mr. McCracken is mistaken in his memories when he makes this statement.....
"I remember the Spirit of Delta poster on the wall in our game room which was ironically sold within weeks of bankruptcy – the plane not the poster."
Ship #102, The Spirit of Delta was not sold but now resides at the Delta Heritage Museum at ATL.
Posted by: mayor | April 29, 2009 at 11:46 AM