Delta’s Struggle To Keep Up Staff Morale

July 19, 2010

MG 729

By: Group 4

Misty Savage

Melanie Scanlin

Sheldon Shuman

Chamyne Thompson

Janet White

Sakura Yuasa

Delta Airline’s long history and wide spread reach influences the daily lives of people all over the world including 160 million customers each year and 70,000 employees. Delta was founded in the 1920’s as the first commercial agricultural fleet; present day the company services commercial flights in over 350 destinations on 6 continents. The company’s merger with Northwest in 2008 created an international airline with locations in every region of the world. In 2009, Delta celebrated 80 years of passenger service and became the only airline to offer nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. Since 2001, Delta has had many financial difficulties. The negative effects of the September 11th terrorist attacks and recent recession are among the most notable. Despite their financial woes, which ultimately resulted in bankruptcy in 2007, Delta has continued to stay innovative by introducing new technologies, internal restructuring, and expanded service (www.delta.org). Due to the monumental presence of Delta in the global market, the moral of its employees in response to the organization’s behavior is constantly under scrutiny. Delta employee’s behavior, attitude, and work ethic have the ability to positively or negatively impact the customer and ultimately the success of the company; because of this, the employee’s morale should be a high priority for the organization.

With the recent recession, the average American appreciates the value of money more these days than ever and investigates companies who instill a sense of satisfaction knowing their money was well spent. American customers, however liberal with their money in the past, have not been so