100 YEARS OF DELTA AIR LINES
LOCKHEED L-1011 ( 1973-2001 )
Delta flew a total of 70 L-1011s , up to 56 at one time — then the largest L-1011 fleet in the industry . DL was also the only major airline to operate five 1011 variants : the L-1011-1 , -100 , -200 , -250 , and -500 . Delta operated its first revenue L-1011 flight on December 15 , 1973 , flying 39 passengers from Atlanta to Philadelphia . Eventually , the L-1011 became the backbone of Delta ’ s international network , the trijet flying to European and Asian destinations . TriStar 1 N728DA flew Delta ’ s final L-1011 service on July 31 , 2001 : a roundtrip from Atlanta to Orlando , Florida , and back to Atlanta .
DELTA FLIGHT MUSEUM
BOEING 767-200 ( 1982-2006 )
Delta put the Boeing 767 in service on December 15 , 1982 , when over 7,000 employees , associates , and media gathered at Delta ’ s Technical Operations Center to welcome Ship 102 . The new airliner was given the moniker The Spirit of Delta , and soon took off for its first service , a flight to Tampa , Florida . Delta retired its 767- 200 fleet in 2006 .
STEVE FITZGERALD
BOEING 737-200 ( 1983-2006 )
In December 1982 , Delta reached an agreement with Boeing to trade 11 Lockheed L-1011s for 33 Boeing 737-232s over a two-year period . This agreement was then the largest industry deal of its kind . The first Delta Boeing 737-200 , which landed in Atlanta in October 1983 , enabled Delta to better compete with regional carriers and expand its short and mediumhaul service in and out of its major hubs . The airline could also overfly hubs and provide direct , nonstop service in smaller markets . On September 1 , 2006 Delta operated its last 737-200 flight , DL910 — Oklahoma City to Atlanta .
RICHARD SILAGI
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