Delta Air Lines traces its roots back to 1924, when Huff Daland Dusters was founded as the world’s first aerial crop dusting organization. In 1928 the company became Delta Air Service. In 1941, the company moved its headquarters from Monroe, Louisiana to Atlanta, Georgia.
Delta Air Logistics, Delta’s cargo division, began during World War II when it operated cargo flights for the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1944, the airline established an air cargo department using a DC-3 passenger aircraft with cargo bins to transport three commodities: newspapers, shrimp and tomato plants. Delta introduced DEPS (Delta Expedited Package Service), a service for small packages, in 1970. The next year, Delta expanded the DEPS shipment options and renamed the service Delta Air Lines Special Handling (DASH). DASH grew rapidly, as five shipments produced nearly as much revenue as three passengers. In 1975, Delta offered a high-priority cargo service termed Delta Air Express for shipments of any size and weight. In December, 1995, Delta formed a separate cargo organization, today known as Delta Air Logistics, which brought cargo marketing, sales, service and administration functions into a single unit.
Delta Air Logistics is well-positioned to provide superior customer service and innovative solutions well into the new millennium with its membership in the SkyTeam Cargo worldwide alliance and the U.S. Sales Joint Venture, its new domestic pricing structure and the incorporation of several technological initiatives including GF-X. Delta Air Logistics carries cargo on 7,800 daily flights to 494 destinations in 86 countries.
