Introduction

Delta Airlines is one of the world’s longest serving airlines. The company began its operations in 1924 as a drop dusting company under the name ‘’Daland Dusters’’.  In 1928, the company changed to Delta Air service and in the following year, the company carried its first passenger over route stretching from Dallas, Texas to Jackson Mississippi.  However, the company’s operations have evolved over the years and by 1941, the company started flight operations in Atlanta at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (Kaufman, 2003). Ever since the company has been a world leader in the provision of efficient and on-time air travels to over 57 destinations all over the world. It is also worth to note that the company operates four hubs in major United States cities, and it qualifies to be second or the third best airline in the world. On the same note, the company is classified as the largest airline in the United States regarding aircraft departures and passengers enplaned. If offers the most major daily flights in the United States and transport the largest number of passengers worldwide as compared to other airlines.  This paper will have an in-depth analysis of the airline, looking at its mission, vision, strategic analysis as well as macro and micro business environment within which the company operates.

Mission and vision statements

As aforementioned, Delta Airlines is one of the leading global airlines that offers flights booth in domestic and international markets.  The company has mission and vision statements that guide the organization’s operations and have resulted in the tremendous growth registered by the company over the years. Mission and vision statements are essential as they offer guidelines to the stakeholders, both the employees and customers, of the organization.  For instance, an organization mission statement is a sentence, or a short statement was written by the company to reflect on its core purpose, identity, values and principle business aims.  Delta Airline mission statement “We—Delta’s employees, customers, and community partners together form a force for positive local and global change, dedicated to bettering standards of living and the environment where our clients and we live and work.” From this mission statement, it is clear that the company intends to be a ‘’Force for Global Good’’. It is also prudent to point out that the company’s vision is to be the world’s greatest airline.

Company history

As aforementioned, the company started as ‘’ Daland Dusters’’ in 1924, where it was involved in pesticide spraying. The idea behind the company can be traced back to a decision by B.R Coad and Collect E. Woolman, who had the idea of spraying pesticides that affected cotton crops. According to them, aerial spraying offered them the best chance to deal with the increasing problem of Boll weevil infestation on crops.  The company has since then been undergoing tremendous operational changes. For instance, in 1928, the company changed from ‘’ Daland Dusters’’ to Delta Air Service and adding passenger traffic service as its core function. This was after the purchase of Huff Dalland in the same year (Kaufman, 2012).  By this time, the company’s headquarters were at Monroe.  Delta Airline later changed its head quarters to Atlanta Georgia, in 194, and has a record of maintaining the oldest offices in the United States.

Throughout its existence, the company has been involved in several mergers and acquisitions in its quest to become a global force in the airline industry. Initially, the company had all its operations in Atlanta. However, in 1943, the company added New Orleans and Chicago to its network, and this had a major impact on the growth of the company. In 1953, Delta Air service purchased Chicago and southern airlines and operated under the name Delta-C&S for two years after the purchase (Pearson, O’Connell, Pitfield, & Ryley, 2015). This acquisition was instrumental to the company growth and brought about expansion to the north with now flights in Chicago, Detroit, and New Orleans now possible. It also enabled the company starts its first international route from New Orleans to Caracas via Havana. The company later expanded to New York and Washington DC in 1956. In 1972, Delta Air service merged with Northeast Airlines a move that enabled the company to initiate direct flights between Northeast and Florida.

The merging and acquisition process were not the only strategic options that Delta airline pursued; also, the company has continuously increased the number of its fleet to match the increasing market and flights resulting from the mergers and acquisitions. For instance in the 1960s, the company added jet airliners to its fleet. In1975, the company, launched its cargo service that was popularly referred to as Delta Air Express.  The move enabled the company to help their clients to move their cargo in different parts of the world. In 1981, Delta introduced its first frequent flyer program which later became SkyMiles program in 1995. It is also imperative to point out that Delta Airlines became the first airline in the US history to operate the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft in 1990. The following year, the company made a significant step forward by purchasing most of Pan Am’s European routes after the latter was declared bankrupt.  This was a significant step that leads to the company’s revenues increasing significantly. The purchase of these routes made the company become the largest US transatlantic carrier both regarding flights operations as well as in the number of passengers carried.

The merging and acquisition process within the industry continued and in 2000, Delta partnered with AeroMexico, Air France, and Korean Air to form a global alliance popularly known as skyTeam.  This was by the company’s mission and vision of becoming a global force in the airline industry. This was followed up with codeshare alliance with Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. The Alliance (Sky team) is the second largest airline alliance in the world second to Star Alliance. The company has over the years embraced technology. In the 2000s, the company started phasing out the trijets in favor of twinjets in their fleet.

Despite the successful story, Delta Airlines have also had its dark part. The company has been fighting bankruptcy for several years especially in the early 2000s. This fight brought about major restructuring process in the company that included job cuts and expansion of its operations. In 2005, the company was forced to sell Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines for $425 million (at a loss) to get money to avoid bankruptcy (Pearson, O’Connell, Pitfield, & Ryley, 2015). Also in the same year, the company cut its flights at its Cincinnati hub by 26% as a result of the bankruptcy threat. Nevertheless, extensive restructuring together with several layoffs helped the company to survive the bankruptcy threat. In fact, between 7000-9000 of the company’s employees were rendered jobless by these misfortunes.

After the bankruptcy scare, Delta airlines were to merge with the Northwest Airlines in 2008. This merger is said to have resulted in the largest airline in the world with about 786 aircraft of estimated combined value of $17.7 billion. In the following year, Northwest WorldPerks also merged into Delta SkyMiles thus accelerating the company’s global dominance.  In its attempts to deal with the fluctuating jet fuel prices, Delta Airlines recently acquired Trainer oil refinery (Kaufman, 2012). This is a move that help will help the company deal with the escalating fuel prices that have been a great hindrance to the growth of the industry. Today, Delta Air Lines operates international flights which cover North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Australia and the Caribbean. It also recently started flights between Sydney and Los Angeles making it the only airline in America to have flights in every continent except of Antarctica.

Organizational structure

Organizational structure plays an important role in the success of an organization.  It refers to how an organization manages its daily operations and how instructions or information flows from the management to the employees. Delta Air Lines has a strong organizational structure that has been instrumental to the success achieved by the company (Pearson, O’Connell, Pitfield, & Ryley, 2015). As aforementioned, Delta Airlines serves over 170 million customers both domestically and in the international market. Its presence in over 66 countries in the six continents calls for a good organizational structure that will enable smooth coordination and accomplishment of the organizational goals.

The company adopts a vertical organizational structure with the company’s CEO (Richard Anderson) spearheading all the operations of the organization. It is also prudent to point out that under the CEO is the company’s board of director which is headed by its chairman. All the major decisions in the organization are discussed by the board of directors before getting approved by the CEO. The organization structure has other positions such as the executive vice president, CFO, COO, Human resource just to mention a few. All of these people are important to running the daily operations of the company. Nevertheless, the organization has a strong culture that recognizes the firm as a family and even the employees in the firm are greatly valued. The culture has allowed free and open communication at different management levels and consequently has brought about efficiency in the operations. Also, the company has embraced technology which has enabled the free flow of information from the company’s headquarters to all other regions where it operates.

Company ethics

Delta airline is a company that upholds strong ethical culture. Business ethics forms an integral part of the organization and all stakeholders in the company are expected to act with integrity. The policy f the company is that no person should pursue a business opportunity that would violate the law of the company’s standard of conduct. It is prudent to point out that the company always strives to ensure that they fulfill all legal and ethical responsibilities. Delta Company has well spelled out the code of ethics that all stakeholders, including the directors, should uphold during their daily operations. All the members of the board are required not to have a conflict of interest between their personal objectives and the organizational goals. Delta Airlines are committed to ensuring that they deal honestly and in good faith with customers, suppliers, employees, equity owners and any other person who in one way or another may be affected by the actions of the entity.

It is imperative to point out that Delta airline is ever committed to maintaining high ethical standards in all its dealings. All employees, customers, competitors and other stakeholders in the industry should not be in any way be aggrieved by the actions of the airline.  For instance, the company sets flight prices based upon many markets and competitive factors including prices charged by the competitors. This approach helps to ensure that the company does not charge exploitative prices that would otherwise have adverse effects on the customers. Delta airline adopts price matching strategy to ensure that the customers get fair treatment regarding flight charges (Pearson, O’Connell, Pitfield, & Ryley, 2015). The company also engages in several corporate social responsibility activities to give back to the society. Additionally, it is also wise to note that the company has also embraced the use of technology and use of fuel-efficient fleet to reduce emission of green house gases that are responsible for global warming.

Despite the efforts by the company to maintain high ethical standards, it is prudent to point out that the company has also been faced with ethical challenges in the recent years. For instance, the company was recently accused of mistreating their disabled clients. This is against the company’s Advisory Board on Disability that states that it is the goal on Delta Airline ‘’to promote accessibility for all their customers by providing leadership in making Delta the carrier of choice  for customers with disability with all aspects of their business’’. The airline has been involved in several legal battles with disabled clients who claim to have been mistreated in the hands of the company’s employees.  Also the company has of late been accused of discrimination where it is alleged that the company has barred Jewish passengers to board their flights. Nevertheless, the company has maintained its innocence and asserts that it always operates within the ethical and legal provisions.

Organization leadership and culture

Delta Airlines is an organization whose leadership is people oriented. From its early years, under the Directorate of Woolman, the company has been built in a culture where the views of all the stakeholders are paramount. The success of the organization is not purely on the operations efficiency, but it’s due to a strong culture that embraces employees and customer satisfaction. The company maintains strong core values that offer guidance in the organization’s daily operations. It is worth to point out that the company’s values have been woven into a culture through programs that communicate commitment to the satisfaction of both the employees and the customer.  The company has great value for people, and the leadership acknowledges that people are the organization’s most valued asset.  The organization’s culture recognizes that employees are not subordinates but rather they are part of the Delta family. Essential values such as compassion, courtesy, efficiency and cooperation define the strong organization culture upheld by the company.

External environment

Every organization must have the ability to deal with both internal and external business factors that affect the performance of the firm.  External business environment refers to the external forces that affect the performance of the firm, and the firm’s management has no power to control.  It is, therefore, prudent for the organizations to adopt analysis tools and adjust accordingly. Change is inevitable, and firms that fail to embrace adjustment of their business model based on such analysis are doomed to fail (Kaufman, 2003). Organizations will always face both positive and negative environmental factors and will major impact on the performance of the organization. PESTLE analysis is one of the most common used analysis tool used by firms to analyze external factors affecting the performance of the firm.  It involves the analysis of political, economical, social, technological, legal and ethical issue that affects the performance of the organization.

PESTLE ANALYSIS

Political

Delta airlines are to a great extent affected by several political factors. Just like any other player in the airline industry, the firm operates in different countries with different legal and political environment. The airline industry operates in a political environment that is very regulated and restricted. It is prudent to point out that there are several government interventions on economic operations of the airline industry. It is also imperative to note that most federal governments will tend to protect the interest of their citizens especially on matters of passenger safety and to a great extent; this affects the performance of the airline industry.  Also, the airline is faced with numerous pricing regulations and wage legislations that vary across the different countries the company operates. The wage legislations and the ILO labor laws have also affected the company’s operations significantly. Nevertheless, the company has been compliant with these regulations and thus reducing incidences of conflicts.

Economic factors

Just like any other business, the airline industry has also been hit hard by the low economic growth rate especially after the 2008 global economic recession. Also, the airline has also been hit hard by the ever escalating fuel prices that have also affected the profitability in the airline industry. On the same note, the company operates in over 57 countries worldwide and hence is faced with the risk of currency exchange that varies from one destination to another (Pearson, O’Connell, Pitfield, & Ryley, 2015).  The hard economic times currently experienced in most parts of the world have resulted in a decrease in the number of people traveling and consequently reducing the business performance. The middle class forms the largest clientele base for the company and the high unemployment and economic slump has significantly affected the income of the middle class thus inhibiting business development. It is, however, imperative to note that there is an indication of economic recovery, especially in the United States, and this will ultimately lead to increased air travels and consequent increase in revenues.

Social and demographic factors

It is imperative to point out that the demand for air travel has increased significantly in the recent years. This is a clear indication that there is a changing travel preference amongst the modern generation. The demographic factors play an important role in forecasting demand and future travel expenses thus forming an important aspect of the airline industry. There is also a bright future in the tourism sector, and this is likely to bring about increased air travel in the future. However, most people, especially the Americans are in great fear of terrorism, especially after the 9/11 attacks. Some people doubt of the safety of air travel which has adversely affected the airline industry. It is imperative to note that the September 11 attack brought about a significant decline in air travel. Also, the latest terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels have just made the matters worse for the airline industry as most people fear to fall prey to these terrorists.  The airline must also be accommodative to the different travel practices and treat the different income classes to their preferred travel arrangements. It is the duty of the company to ensure that they give their customers what they need.

Technological and environmental factors

Just like any other business, the competition in the airline industry is increasing at an alarming rate. To survive the stiff competition, players in the airline industry must adopt the latest technology that to a great extent improved the air travel services. The latest technology in the airline industry has resulted in less fuel consumption (Namukasa, 2013). Besides, the technological advances have also improved efficiency as well as the cost of airline operations. It is also prudent to note that technology is also one of the four pillars of the International Airline Association’s (IATA) strategy to address the issue of climate change. Delta airline just like other carriers has been forced to replace the old aircraft with new fuel-efficient ones to address the issue of global warming. The company has also embraced technology in online booking and reservations which have ultimately lead to a decrease in travel agencies and enhanced efficiency in air travel.

Legal factors

Just like the political factors, there are various legal factors that affect the performance of the players in the airline industry. For instance, Delta airline has been affected by the recent consolidation in the US airline industry. The consolidation process ensured that the number of players in the airline industry is reduced to just a few airlines to dominate the airline industry in the United States (Pearson, O’Connell, Pitfield, & Ryley, 2015). The consolidation process brought about the merging of the Delta airways with Northwest airline.   The consolidation has brought about reduced competition, reduced fares and increased bargaining power on the side of the passengers. Such laws are likely to affect the performance of major airlines in the United States since the increase in bargaining power of the buyer will ultimately lead to low prices and overall profitability of the firm.  The laws are aimed at protecting the consumer interests and will likely to have adverse effects on the overall performance of the players in the airline sector.

Industry analysis- porter’s five forces model

Porters five forces model is another important analytical tool used by organizations in the analysis of the competitive forces affecting the performance of the firm within an industry. It helps to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a given industry, and it’s named after Michael E. Porter who invented the model. The model can also be helpful to the Delta’s airline strategic approach, and it entails;

Competition in the industry

It is imperative to point out that the level of competition in the airline industry is very high. Nevertheless, the competition in the sector increased after the airline deregulation act of 1978. Before then, most of the airlines such as Delta, Northwest, and American Airlines controlled major geographical markets. This made it possible for certain firms to be ineffective and at the same time record good profits (Kaufman, 2012). However, with the introduction of the act, market dynamics changed drastically, and the level of competition in the airline sector became a reality. Ever since, the players in the sector have been working round the clock to design new strategies to help them remain relevant and competitive in the market. The pricing strategy has been widely used by the players in the industry which have resulted in a decrease in revenues by the players.

The increased competition in the US airline sector brought about consolidation process. It was hoped that the consolidation process would help reduce the adverse effects of competition and also help protect the consumers’ interests.  The increased competition forced the major players in the sector to merge reducing the number of major airlines in the United States from nine to four that include; Delta, American, United and Southwest all of which captures over 94% of the total market share.  This has been a major boost for the airlines as they have been able to increase airfares and hence increasing profits.

There are some airline companies in the United States where several big airline companies offer air travel service in the same airports and for almost the same prices. Delta airline has faced competition from traditional rivals that include United and America. Besides these traditional competitors, the company also faces stiff competition from other emerging airlines such as JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit (Namukasa, 2013). It is nevertheless essential to note that customer experience is almost similar across all the service providers, and hence, the company is at the risk of losing its customers to competitors. The company has however engaged itself in intensive marketing to deal with the stiff completion in the industry.

Bargaining power of buyers

It is imperative to note that the bargaining power of buyers in the airline sector is too much since the switching cost from one service provider to another is minimal. The increasing popularity of third-party trip booking websites and Smartphone applications has only increased the bargaining power of the buyers in the airline industry. The clients do not have direct contacts with Delta Airlines while booking a flight, but instead, they do it online after comparing the different rates from different providers (Kaufman, 2003). Delta can, therefore, respond to these challenges by offering more direct flights for lower prices.

Threat of new entrants in the industry

It is essential to note that potential entrants in the airline industry represent a minimal threat to Delta Airline. The recent consolidation efforts and the nature of capital requirement for entry into the market put the barriers to entry in the market remarkably high. It is imperative to note that not a single entrant in the airline industry after the 21st century has been able to marshal even a 2% of the market share (Rajasekar & Fouts, 2009). For instance, JetBlue that was founded in 1998 has not been able to acquire even a third of the market share enjoyed by Delta.

Bargaining power of suppliers

The bargaining power of supplier is a contrast to the bargaining power of the buyers. There are several suppliers in the airline industry while the number of airlines is quite low. This asymmetry in the market puts the airline companies in a better position and gives them an edge over the suppliers (Kaufman, 2012). Delta, for instance, has a strong bargaining power compared to other competitors given its leading position in the sector. Nevertheless, other players such as the Southwest are right on its heels. Also, Delta has maintained a good relationship with its suppliers and hence there is a strong relationship with the suppliers. The endless list of suppliers also puts the firm at an advantage just in case a bad relationship emerges since the companies can easily find a replacement.  Nevertheless, labor supply has been a major challenge in the airline industry. The existence of labor unions has adversely affected the operations of Delta airline. It is imperative to note that Delta airline has the largest wage structure compared to other players in the industry, and this is as a result of the labor unions that exist amongst its employees.  For instance, the company suffers immensely as a result of its striking pilots due to labor-related concerns.  Fuel contracts and travel agents have also minimized the company’s revenue significantly.

Threat of substitutes

It is essential to point out that the industry is little worried by the substitute means of transport available. Travelling by bus, train or a car cannot be a real threat to air travel. Unless a trip is very short, there are no other means of transport that can be seen as a viable substitute for air travel. It is, therefore, essential to point out that unless there is an emergence of new technology that surpasses air travel regarding speed; then Delta Airline faces little threat from substitute travel methods.

SWOT ANALYSIS

This is another strong analytical tool used to determine the position of an organization in the industry. It is concerned with the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats affecting the performance of the firm.

Strengths

• The company enjoys strong brand equity and presence
• Delta makes over 5000 flights daily
• Has strong workforce of over 75,000 employees
• Strategic merger with Northwest Airline
• Acquisition of Trainer Refinery
• Classified amongst the largest mega carriers in the world
• Fleet size of over 700 caters to over 250 destinations
• Innovative strategic business moves

Weaknesses

• High debt obligations especially from the mergers
• Overdependence on the North American market
• The company has the highest labor expenses in the industry
• Stock prices have been on a downward trend since Sept. 2001

Opportunities

• Well positioned to capitalize on the growing US airline industry
• The high level of unemployment gives Delta an opportunity to negotiate with employees for favorable wages.

Threats

• Existence of low-cost airlines is a leading threat to the survival of the major airlines
• Increased inconveniences due to security threats are a great threat to the airline industry.
• Hike in jet fuel prices and intense competition in the industry is also a major threat.

Strategic management

The analysis of both internal and external factors help the management of any organization in making critical management decisions that will help organizations realize their objectives. For instance, one of the major threats to the airline sector is the fluctuating and unpredictable jet fuel prices (Mallikarjun, 2015). Delta Airline, like any other player in the sector, has been adversely affected by the ever escalating oil prices.  It is evident that jet fuel prices have been plummeting over the years and hence the revenues in the sector have been done great damage. As a result, the company has decided to take the acquisition of Trainer Oil refinery to mitigate the risks involved in the rising fuel costs. By acquiring the refinery, the company will reduce exposure to the growing long-term risk around jet fuel pricing and availability. In fact, the firm expects that savings earned from the acquisition process will be in billions, and this money will be used to purchase new aircraft and expand the company’s fleet.

The company has also made tremendous steps towards making the company a leading carrier not only in the United States but also all over the world. Delta’s profits and revenues have been increasing every year as a result of a strategic management approach adopted by the company. For instance, the company has introduced a point to point carrier ’’Delta Express’’ that offers customers low fare, high-value service between Northeast and Midwest cities in Florida. The management of the firm is determined to ensure that the customer using their services gets the utmost satisfaction. It is also worth noting that the company ensures on-time arrival with a rating of over 86%. Also, Delta airlines have been proactive in taking advantage of any opportunity that arises to ensure improved business performance. There has also been intensive marketing within the organization to ensure that they deal with any threat such as competition and bad reputation likely to hamper the business growth.

Business strategy

Analysis of both internal and external business environment helps the organization identify its strengths and weaknesses. After identifying the challenges, the organization should be proactive and take a business strategy that will be in agreement with the goals and objectives of the firm.  For instance, the main challenge facing Delta Airlines is the increased cost of doing business that is adversely affecting the overall profitability of the firm. Increased fuel costs and the ever increasing wage burden have been detrimental to the overall growth of the company. Increased competition and the terrorism threat are also other challenges that the company should deal with.

As a result, the company should engage in a cost saving strategy. If the cost of doing business is reduced to manageable levels, then the revenues will increase, and overall profitability of the firm will be evident.  For instance, a fuel hedging program is inevitable in the cost saving strategy. The rising fuel costs have been a threat to the airline sector, and it is prudent to be proactive in addressing the issue. The acquisition of the Trainer refinery, phasing out less fuel-efficient fleet and replacing them with efficient ones are some of the major steps towards achieving a less costly environment. These together with other fuel hedging programs will be instrumental in saving the cost of doing business.

Besides saving on fuels, the company should also ensure there are operational improvements that will ensure utmost utilization of the company’s resources. For instance, the company should ensure effective flight scheduling, maximize crew resources and also improve maintenance processes. Also, the company should also deal with the wage burden that is classified as the heaviest in the US airline industry. The wages in the company has also contributed to the slow growth registered by the company in the recent years. As a result, the company should be proactive in coming with a strategy that will reduce the wage burden. For instance, a 20% wage cut for all the company’s employees can save the company a substantial amount. The firm should replace this with incentives that will motivate employees to increase their productivity and overall profitability of the firm.

Although much of the problem experienced at Delta is related to increased cost of doing business, the industry has also suffered immensely from the increasing terrorism acts all over the world. For instance, the September 11 attack did great harm to the industry and since then the industry has not fully recovered.  This calls for the players in the sector to ensure that they are proactive in attracting more customers and encourage air travel.  With increased competition and a limited number of customers, Delta must be proactive in enhancing customer satisfaction and increasing their loyalty (Kaufman, 2012). The company should ensure that their clients’ get the utmost satisfaction and that they are sensitive to people with special needs. Such things will help improve customer loyalty substantially and hence providing Delta with a competitive edge.

Also, the employees in the company form an integral part of the company’s success.  It is through the employees that the organizations agenda thrives since they are involved in the daily operations of the company. It is a tradition in the Delta airline that the company is a family where all employees are appreciated and greatly valued. The culture of employee ownership should be maintained to ensure that the employees are productive and meet the expectations of the firm. It also ensures that employees are motivated hence reducing the rate of staff turnover.  To sustain this culture, the company’s should re-institute profit sharing program where the employees get an opportunity to enjoy fruits of their success. For instance, Delta Company should set aside only 2% of the profits to the employees to motivate them. It is imperative to note that people tend to take good care of things that they own. This special care to the employees will consequently turn to the customers and hence increase customer satisfaction. In essence, Delta Airlines have been a success over the years abuts stringent business strategy, and innovation is inevitable for a sustainable business.

Conclusion

Delta airline has made tremendous growth over the years. The success of the organization has been as a result of a strong organizational culture and good leadership style (Kaufman, 2012). Nevertheless, the challenges facing the airline industry are real and should be addressed immediately. Although the performance of the organization has been improving over the years, the terrorist threat is seen as a major threat that is likely to hinder further development in the industry.  Only a strategic approach such as the acquisition of the Trainer will save players in the airline sector to deal with the economic crisis experienced in most parts of the world. It is also essential that the company capitalizes on its strengths and take advantage of the opportunities arising in the market. In essence, a strategic management approach has been critical to the success of Delta airline.

 

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