by As a former Delta frequent flier (I’m still a fan, but my greatly-reduced post-pandemic travel needs no longer qualify as an elite), I have spent a lot of time on Delta flights and have been quite satisfied with the airline. So the Delta Flight Museum at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Ga., has long been on my bucket list, and I was happy to have the chance to visit.
Delta was founded in 1925 in Macon, Ga., as the world’s first aerial crop-dusting company, Huff Daland Dusters. Later that year, the company moved to Monroe, La., and by 1929, was carrying passengers as Delta Air Service, named after the Mississippi Delta. In the early 1940s, the company relocated its headquarters to the Atlanta Municipal Airport, where those buildings remain today as the oldest buildings on what is now Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Those buildings are now home to the Delta Flight Museum.
The museum is a collection of memorabilia from Delta’s history, including complete airplanes, advertising signs, and in-flight dishware.
Inside the museum are displays that cover the company’s 98-year history from its earliest days as a crop-dusting company to its position now as one of the largest airlines in the world.
The collection includes early two-seater planes as well as a complete Boeing 767 purchased by employees in 1982 and christened “The Spirit of Delta.” Delta workers raised $30 million to purchase the modern fuel-efficient plane, helping the company to emerge from a difficult period from the company.
Outside, a retired Boeing 747 is parked and allows visitors to explore the interior of this iconic airplane, including the upstairs First Class cabin, and pilot and crew quarters used on long-haul flights.
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