American Airlines vs Delta Air Lines: Founders, CEOs and History
American Airlines was founded in 1926 by Cyrus Rowlett Smith and is led by Robert Isom. Delta Air Lines was founded in 1924 by Collett Everman Woolman and is led by Ed Bastian.
Company facts
American Airlines
- Founded
- 1926
- Headquarters
- Fort Worth, Texas
- Current CEO
- Robert Isom
- Employees
- 139,100
Delta Air Lines
- Founded
- 1924
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Current CEO
- Ed Bastian
- Employees
- 103,000
Founders
American Airlines
Cyrus Rowlett Smith
American Airlines does not have a single founder in the traditional sense; rather it was forged through the aggressive consolidation of dozens of small, independent aviation companies in the late 1920s.
Delta Air Lines
Collett Everman Woolman
C.E. Woolman did not start Huff Daland Dusters, but he made it into Delta. Huff Daland Dusters began crop dusting in Macon, Georgia, in 1924 as a unit of aircraft maker Huff Daland, using planes to spread calcium arsenate against the boll weevil.
CEOs and their tenures
American Airlines
- Cyrus Rowlett Smith1934–1974
President and Chief Executive Officer
C.R. Smith was the founding architect of modern American Airlines, transforming a collection of struggling mail carriers into the world's preeminent domestic airline.
Source - Robert Crandall1985–1998
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Robert Crandall is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and controversial executives in U.S. Airline history.
Source - Donald Carty1998–2003
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Donald Carty was chairman and chief executive of AMR Corporation from 1998 to 2003. He bought the assets of bankrupt Trans World Airlines in 2001 for $742 million, adding a St.
Source - Gerard Arpey2003–2011
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Gerard Arpey became president and chief executive of AMR Corporation and American Airlines in April 2003, immediately after Donald Carty resigned, and led the company for eight years.
Source - Tom Horton2011–2013
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Tom Horton became chief executive of AMR Corporation on November 29, 2011, the day the board filed for Chapter 11 protection and Gerard Arpey stepped down.
Source - Doug Parker2013–2022
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Doug Parker orchestrated two of the most significant airline mergers in U.S. History first the America West-US Airways combination in 2005 and then the transformative AMR Corporation-US Airways merger that created American Airlines Group in 2013.
Source - Robert Isom2022–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Robert Isom succeeded Doug Parker as chief executive on March 31, 2022, inheriting record pandemic-era debt.
Source
Delta Air Lines
- Leo Mullin1997–2004
Former Chief Executive Officer
Mullin led Delta through the collapse in air travel after September 11, 2001, with deep cost cuts and layoffs. The alliance model he began became the basis for Delta's later joint ventures.
Source - Gerald Grinstein2004–2007
Former Chief Executive Officer
Grinstein brought Delta out of bankruptcy as an independent airline in April 2007 with a lower cost base, setting up the Northwest merger under his successor.
Source - Richard Anderson2007–2016
Former Chief Executive Officer
Anderson turned post-bankruptcy Delta into a consistently profitable carrier, built joint ventures with Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic, and introduced fare segmentation from Basic Economy to Delta One.
Source - Ed Bastian2016–present
Chief Executive Officer
Bastian led Delta through COVID-19, record FY2025 results ($63.4B GAAP revenue, $4.6B free cash flow), and the July 2024 CrowdStrike meltdown. He has also kept the profit-sharing culture central to Delta's labor model.
Source
Timeline: American Airlines and Delta Air Lines side by side
1924Delta Air Lines
Huff Daland Dusters Established
The crop-dusting enterprise that would eventually become Delta Air Lines is founded in Macon, Georgia, as Huff Daland Dusters, operating modified military surplus biplanes over cotton fields in the Deep South.
1926American Airlines
Robertson Aircraft Corporation Airmail Launch
Robertson Aircraft Corporation, a predecessor of American Airlines, flies its first airmail run on April 15, 1926, with Charles Lindbergh among its pilots on the Chicago to St. Louis route, the date American treats as its founding.
1928Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Service Formed
C.E. Woolman and a group of Monroe, Louisiana investors buy the crop-dusting assets of Huff Daland Dusters and form Delta Air Service, named after the Mississippi Delta. Its first passenger flight, from Dallas to Jackson, Mississippi, follows on June 17, 1929.
1934American Airlines
American Airlines Name Adopted and C.R. Smith Takes Command
After the Air Mail Scandal and President Roosevelt's temporary cancellation of mail contracts, the reorganized carrier adopts the name American Airlines and C.R. Smith becomes president, beginning a tenure that ran to 1968.
1934Delta Air Lines
Air Mail Route 24 Awarded
After losing a 1930 airmail bid and suspending passenger flights, Delta wins Air Mail Route 24 between Dallas and Charleston, South Carolina, via Atlanta. The contract gives the airline steady income during the Depression and lets it resume passenger service.
1936American Airlines
Douglas DC-3 Launch Customer
American Airlines puts the Douglas DC-3 into service after Smith pressed Donald Douglas to build a larger sleeper transport, producing the first airliner that could carry passengers profitably without mail subsidies.
1941Delta Air Lines
Headquarters Relocated to Atlanta
Delta moves its corporate headquarters from Monroe, Louisiana to Atlanta, Georgia, recognizing Atlanta's growing importance as the transportation hub of the American Southeast.
1959American Airlines
First Transcontinental Jet Service
American Airlines flies the first scheduled transcontinental jet passenger service in the United States with the Boeing 707 on January 25, 1959, cutting coast-to-coast journey times sharply.
1959Delta Air Lines
Jet Age Entry with Douglas DC-8
Delta takes delivery of its first jet aircraft, the Douglas DC-8, marking the airline's entry into the jet age and beginning a fleet modernization program that would transform passenger capacity, speed, and comfort on its route network.
1964American Airlines
Sabre Reservation Network Completed
American Airlines and IBM complete the nationwide Sabre network, the Semi-Automated Business Research Environment, four years after the first installation on IBM 7090 computers.
1972Delta Air Lines
Northeast Airlines Acquisition
Delta acquires Northeast Airlines, a regional carrier operating in the northeastern United States, significantly expanding Delta's geographic footprint beyond its Southeastern stronghold and adding important routes serving New York, Boston, and other major nor…
1981American Airlines
AAdvantage Frequent-Flyer Program Launched
American Airlines launches AAdvantage on May 1, 1981, the first major airline frequent-flyer program, under then-president Robert Crandall. The program produced $7.5 billion of revenue in 2025.
1987American Airlines
AirCal Acquisition Completed
American Airlines completes the purchase of AirCal's parent, ACI Holdings, for $225 million and merges the California carrier's operations into its own on July 1, 1987, giving American a West Coast route network it had lacked.
1990American Airlines
Eastern Air Lines' Latin American Routes Acquired
American agrees in December 1989 to buy Eastern Air Lines' Central and South American routes and related assets for $471 million, a deal completed in 1990 that made Miami its gateway to Latin America.
1991Delta Air Lines
Pan Am Routes Acquisition
As Pan American World Airways collapses into bankruptcy, Delta acquires Pan Am's transatlantic route portfolio, Frankfurt hub operations, and the Pan Am shuttle service for approximately 1.4 billion dollars.
1993American Airlines
Flight Attendants Strike for Five Days
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, representing about 21,000 crew members, strikes from November 18, 1993, grounding much of the airline before both sides agree on November 22 to binding arbitration after President Bill Clinton intervened ahead…
1999American Airlines
Pilots Sickout Halts Flights and Draws Court Order
American's pilots stage a sickout in February 1999 in protest at the integration of Reno Air, which American had bought for $124 million. U.S.
2001American Airlines
September 11 Attacks and the Loss of Two American Aircraft
American Airlines Flight 11 and Flight 77 are among the four aircraft hijacked and crashed on September 11, 2001, killing everyone aboard and many on the ground, and triggering a collapse in air travel demand that pushed American close to bankruptcy.
2005Delta Air Lines
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing
Delta files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 14, 2005, citing high fuel costs, pension obligations, and low-cost competition. The roughly 19-month reorganization restructures labor contracts, debt, and the cost base.
2007Delta Air Lines
Emergence from Bankruptcy
Delta emerges from Chapter 11 on April 30, 2007, as an independent company after rejecting a hostile takeover bid from US Airways. It leaves bankruptcy with a lower cost base and restructured pension obligations.
2008Delta Air Lines
Northwest Airlines Acquisition
Delta completes its all-stock acquisition of Northwest Airlines in October 2008, creating what was then the world's largest airline by passenger traffic. The deal adds Northwest's Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul hubs and its Pacific network.
2011American Airlines
AMR Corporation Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
AMR Corporation, American Airlines' parent, files for Chapter 11 protection on November 29, 2011, the last large U.S. network carrier to do so after the September 11 attacks, citing labor costs, fuel prices and a weakened balance sheet.
2013American Airlines
Merger with US Airways Creates the World's Largest Airline
American Airlines Group is formed in December 2013 by the merger of AMR Corporation and US Airways Group, in a transaction valued at about $11 billion, combining hubs at Dallas Fort Worth, Miami, Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix…
2016Delta Air Lines
Ed Bastian Named CEO
Ed Bastian, who served as Delta's Chief Financial Officer during both the bankruptcy reorganization and the Northwest merger integration, is named Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Richard Anderson.
2019Delta Air Lines
American Express Partnership Extended to 2029
Delta and American Express extend their co-branded SkyMiles card agreement through 2029. The payments grow to $8.2B in 2025, and Delta targets $10B a year over the long term.
2020American Airlines
COVID-19 Collapses Demand and Government Aid Is Secured
The COVID-19 pandemic cuts air travel demand sharply, and American accepts Payroll Support Program grants and loans under the CARES Act while raising billions in debt markets and retiring older aircraft types including the Boeing 757 and 767 and the Airbus A33…
2022American Airlines
Robert Isom Becomes Chief Executive
Robert Isom succeeds Doug Parker as chief executive of American Airlines Group on March 31, 2022, having been president since 2016, and sets debt reduction, operational reliability and loyalty monetization as priorities.
2025American Airlines
American Eagle Flight 5342 Midair Collision Near Reagan National
On January 29, 2025, a PSA Airlines CRJ700 operating American Eagle flight 5342 from Wichita collided with a U.S. Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
2025American Airlines
Flagship Suite and A321XLR Enter Service
American introduces the Flagship Suite seat in June 2025 on Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A321XLRs, takes delivery of 40 mainline aircraft during the year including five A321XLRs, and announces retrofits for its Boeing 777 and older Airbus narrow-body fleets.
2025Delta Air Lines
Record Revenue and Free Cash Flow in Centennial Year
During its centennial celebrations, Delta reports FY2025 GAAP operating revenue of $63.364B, net income of $5.005B, and record free cash flow of $4.6B.
2026American Airlines
Centennial Year and Exclusive Citi Co-Brand
American marks its centennial in 2026, the year Citibank becomes the exclusive issuer of the AAdvantage co-branded credit card portfolio in the United States under a 10-year agreement announced in December 2024.
2026Delta Air Lines
Court Saves Aeromexico Joint Venture
On August 20, 2026 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacates the Department of Transportation's September 2025 order to end the Delta-Aeromexico joint venture, keeping antitrust immunity for U.S.-Mexico flights in place.
Acquisitions
American Airlines
- US Airways Group2013$11B
- TWA Assets (Selected Routes and Slots)2001$742M
- Reno Air1998$124M
- Eastern Air Lines' Central and South American routes1990$471M
- ACI Holdings (AirCal)1987$225M
Delta Air Lines
- Equity stake in Aeromexico2017Undisclosed
- Endeavor Air (formerly Pinnacle Airlines' operations)2012Undisclosed
- Northwest Airlines2008$2.8B
- Pan Am Transatlantic Routes and Assets1991$1.4B
Questions about American Airlines vs Delta Air Lines
Who is the CEO of American Airlines Group and Delta Air Lines, Inc.?
American Airlines Group is led by Robert Isom and Delta Air Lines, Inc. is led by Ed Bastian. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was American Airlines Group founded vs Delta Air Lines, Inc.?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. was founded in 1924 — 2 years before American Airlines Group, which was founded in 1926. Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger American Airlines Group.
How many employees does American Airlines Group have compared to Delta Air Lines, Inc.?
American Airlines Group employs approximately 139,100 people, while Delta Air Lines, Inc. employs approximately 103,000. American Airlines Group has the larger workforce at 139,100 employees, compared to Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s 103,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are American Airlines Group and Delta Air Lines, Inc. headquartered?
Both American Airlines Group and Delta Air Lines, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded American Airlines Group and Delta Air Lines, Inc.?
American Airlines Group was founded by Cyrus Rowlett Smith. Delta Air Lines, Inc. was founded by Collett Everman Woolman.
Which company has a longer operating history — American Airlines Group or Delta Air Lines, Inc.?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. has been operating for approximately 102 years, making it the more established of the two companies. American Airlines Group has been in operation for around 100 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the American Airlines vs Delta Air Lines overview