Delta Air Lines, travel to the « city » of the US giant where the Italian heart beats (also)

There is a block of desks that deals exclusively with the weight loaded on planes. Another is dedicated to the punctual delivery of food on board. Some stations, on the other hand, manage the accommodation and transport of the crews involved in the flight disservices. More at the bottom, perhaps one of the « jewels » of the company appears: a real weather center that emits up to 200 bulletins per day on a world scale. Here is the operational heart of Delta Air Lines, a stone’s throw from Atlanta airport, the most crowded in the world. Here, at the « Operations & Customer Center », over 5 thousand decolli and 547 thousand passengers per day between Delta and the regional subsidiaries are managed.

The fall and the ascent

To access it, net of safety procedures, you have to enter a « town » – Delta World Headquarters – made of buildings built in the same way, but of different forms. Each with specific functions. The US vector is the protagonist of a spectacular ascent (also the object of a book, Glory Lost and Found) And today it is among the most profitable in the world. To get an idea: 1% of the US gross internal product (over 250 billion dollars) passes through the joint credit cards that Delta has with American Express.

The primates in 2024

On September 11, 2001, with the attack on the twin towers and the Pentagon, it marks a watershed. From there begins the decline of the US aviolinees. In 2005, Delta and Northwest Airlines – then one of the main world carriers – declare bankruptcy. After eighteen months, they come out of bankruptcy. In October 2006, Us Airways attempted the acquisition of Delta with a 10.2 billion dollar offer (then withdrawn). In 2008, Delta and Northwest announced their fusion. We then arrive at the pandemic and the subsequent gradual recovery. In 2024, Delta emerges as one of the most solid vectors in the world, together with United Airlines.

The rules of the CEO

And Bastian, CEO of Delta and for over twenty years in the company, has been given four management pillars. The first: « It embraces curiosity and question everything. » The second: « establish a strong corporate culture and a mission ». The third: « involve and listen to customers and employees ». The fourth: « Learn how to make decisions in pressure situations. » The office of one of the most powerful CEOs in the world – the company invoices over $ 57 billion a year – is in one of the lowest buildings of « Delta City », the « Jerry Grinstein », only two floors, including that land.

Among the buildings

In front, on the other side of the main road, there is a very popular cafeteria, while at the entrance the communication and commercial offices are located on the one hand and on the other the operating center. A little further on there are the training centers, large brick cubes that host several flight simulators. Next between the buildings, a basketball court also appears. While behind the desks of the top of the company is visible the « Delta Flight Museum ».

« Made in Italy »

About top management. There is also an Italian heart in the American company. And many come from Alitalia, the former tricolor carrier. The president of Delta, Glen Hauenstein, an Italian by adoption and with a house in Tuscany, was deputy general manager of the former state aviolinea and also commercial and operational director. From Alitalia also arrives theItalian Matteo CurcioSenior Vice President of Delta for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. And the same path also made the compatriot Roberto Iooritti who holds the role of Senior Vice President International Pricing & Revenue Management in Delta. A partial list only.

Inside the « Occ »

After a short stop at the cafeteria-where many Koreans, French and English, all of the Delta allies: Korean Air, Air France-Klm and Virgin Atlantic-access to the « Operations & Customer Center » are noted, is preceded by a room of the emergencies: in the center there is a long table that collects the managers to solve critical issues of all kinds, from those to the weather to the geopolitical ones. In the « Occ » there are 36 different departments that work together. There is also a security team that takes care of managing problematic passengers. And he had it in 2020-2021 when the obligation of masks on board was in force and some people did not want to wear them.

The operations

Maxisketer are divided into three blocks. The first, from the left, monitors the punctuality and regularity of flights in real time, with a focus on the Hub of Atlanta. In 2024, according to the specialized company Cirium, Delta has (re) won the prize of best global company for operational excellencegive your size. At the center is the blockage of « problematic » flights with the « Tarmac Monitor » (lists the situation of the planes with the greatest delays) and those diverted elsewhere. Finally, a large map of the USA shows in real time where all the company’s jets and the bad weather areas are.

The weather section

29 meteorologists take care of bad weather in the same operating center, as explained by the head of the Warren Weston section. «They cover the entire world that we have divided into five macro-ares. Every day we process about 50 bulletins that go up to 200 if there are areas with bad weather, « he says. And what happens if the official route crosses a disturbance? « Through special maps we draw the optimal journey, making sure to avoid clouds, to erase the departure and to accumulate delays ».

The complexities

« We don’t realize it but there are 5-10 active volcanoes every day in the world », calculate Weston. That adds: « If the weather becomes problematic we can close that portion to our aircraft ». The forecasts, continues the expert, « have never been so advanced, perhaps sometimes we have too many data to take into account ». But this in the United States. Because « elsewhere the data are not so historically in -depth, for example Africa ». The most difficult situations? « Nevischio, frozen rain and thunderstorms – he replies -. In general, everything close to water – be it sea or lake – has more complications in the forecasts ». Where? « In Detroit, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle ».

Maintenance

In 2024 out of 1.7 million scheduled flights, two thirds were operated by Delta, the remaining part of « Connection », the brand that brings together the Skywest regional companies, Endeavor Air and Republic Airlines: these, on behalf of Delta, make the short and medium -range connections to « feed » the hubs. About 1,300 aircraft move every day. And these, a little by programming, a little for unexpected events, they need repairs and controls every now and then. In Atlanta, this deals with an entire shed, Techops, which is located between the airport take -off and landing slopes and in which the technicians adjust engines and also parts of customer companies.

« Continuous updating »

The journey through the « islands » shows dozens of engines – new and old -, millions of bolts, cables, pieces of wings and trolleys. A robot-factorino moves between the shelves, about twenty meters high, to recover the material you need. Further on, some planes are subjected, among other things, to the update of the cabin, including the replacement of seats, from the business class to the economy. « We must make sure that there is a refresh during the life cycle of the jets that is around 30 years old, » says Mauricio Parise, Vice President Brand Experience of Delta. At that point it becomes difficult to understand if you are aboard a 5, 10 or 15 years aircraft « because the interiors are always updated ».

Over 170 thousand screens

An approach that « requires many investments ». Also for the decision to « install screens everywhere », continues Parise. «At the moment almost 90% of our fleet has monitors, we have put over 170 thousand – which are also the subject of replacement and modernization -, as well as the seats, the floor, the panels, everything inside. We never stop to update ». What do passengers want on board? «They want to sleep, they want privacy, they want to be entertained, they want comfort. And we are giving all this », he continues.

The types of customers

If Parise has the responsibility of the product on board, Paul Hassenstab must worry about filling the planes. And as director of the sales of Delta for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India has its own to do between geopolitical tensions on the transatlantic axis, in Israel and also the frictions between India and Pakistan. «There are at least three types of customers where we concentrate in particular – explains Hassenstab -: the corporate ones (who move for work, editor’s note), those of luxury that go on vacation and specific traffic: groups, universities, sports teams. If you think of the NFL (American football, editor’s note) or at the Super Bowl (the final of the football championship, editor’s note), we have a special internal unit ».

The change of habits

Customers who do not always behave in the same way. « Let’s take those who travel for work: first they moved between Monday and Thursday and then the weekend were at home, » Hassenstab thinks. « Now among them there are those who fly between Tuesday and Sunday, because someone also inserts a holiday weekend. » The corporate segment is so important – because it often flies to business and book under the date, paying the highest prices – that Delta tells the manager, when it is less punctual than the direct rival reimburses the customer. «It doesn’t happen, because we are always the most punctual. But we know that their time is money for this there is so much emphasis on operations ».

« More and more travels far from peaks »

The attitude of corporate customers does not change only. « We note that the flights of the » shoulder « periods of the summer season are also filled: March, September, October and even November are becoming really good months, » adds Jeff Armder, Vice President International Network Planning. How come? « Many people try to avoid the summer crowd – he says – and, net of those who have children to send to school, to others I don’t mind making a trip in October, as I did: few tourists around, available restaurants, even the good ones, and hotels at more affordable prices ».