Deliver Everyone’s Luggage To Atlanta (Delta backronymic nickname)

Delta Air Lines was founded in 1924 and became one of the world’s largest airlines. A Delta backronymic (back acronym) nickname that’s popularly used is “Deliver Everyone’s Luggage to Atlanta.” (Atlanta is Delta’s headquarters.) “Directed Everybody’s Luggage To Atlanta” was cited in print in February 1994 and “Deliver Everyone’s Luggage To Atlanta” in July 1994.
 
Delta has also been nicknamed “Doesn’t Even/Ever Leave The Airport.”
   
 
Wikipedia: Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL), operating as Delta Air Lines, is a major United States airline headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta Air Lines and its subsidiaries operate over 5,000 flights every day and have approximately 80,000 employees. The airline’s hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic (over 91 million passengers per year) and number of landings and takeoffs. Delta is the sixth-oldest operating airline by foundation date, and the oldest airline still operating in the United States. Delta Air Lines is one of the four founding members of the SkyTeam airline alliance, the other three being Korean Air, Air France, and Aeroméxico. The loyalty program for Delta Air Lines is SkyMiles. Delta Air Lines is, as of 2012, the world’s largest airline in terms of fleet size, revenue passenger-kilometers flown, and scheduled passenger traffic.
     
Google Groups: rec.travel.air
Newsgroups: rec.travel.air, rec.humor
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Steven M. Wilson)
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 1994 08:03:21 GMT
Local: Wed, Feb 9 1994 2:03 am
Subject: Re: Airline acronyms
(...)
DELTA       Directed Everybody’s Luggage To Atlanta
   
Google Groups: rec.humor
Newsgroups: rec.humor
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (PH)
Date: 23 Jun 1994 13:36:47 +0100
Local: Thurs, Jun 23 1994 6:36 am
Subject: Canalonical Acronym List (Last Posting from me)
(...)
Delta      
Damaged Engines Limit Take-off Ability
Departures Extra-Late, Tardy Arrivals
Directed Everybody’s Luggage To Atlanta
Doesn’t Even Leave The Airport
Doesn’t Ever Let Terrorists Aboard
Doesn’t Experience Like This Andrenalize?
Don’t Even Let Them Aboard
Drunken Engineers Land Too Abruptly
 
Google Groups: bit.listserv.travel-l
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.travel-l
From: Judy Frost

Date: Fri, 15 Jul 1994 13:15:30 -0500
Local: Fri, Jul 15 1994 12:15 pm
Subject: DELTA/SABENA ACRONYMS
 
DELTA/SABENA ACRONYMS
>>DELTA - Deliver Everyone’s Luggage To Atlanta?
   
Airliners.net
Funny Airline Acronyms
NWAirlines
Reply 22, posted Wed Dec 12 2001 01:06:42
Delta = Delivers Everyones Luggage To Atlanta
     
JetPhotos.Net Forums
CanVoodoo
06-10-2009, 02:41 PM
Airline nickname list
This will not be new to most people here—it is an expansion of a list that has been around for years.
(...)
Delta
Damaged Engines Limit Takeoff Ability
Darn, Everything Leads To Atlanta
Dazed Executives Leading This Airline
Deliver Everyone’s Luggage To Atlanta
Delayed Even Later Then AirTran
Delta Gets You Close (Parody on advertising campaign slogan “Delta Gets You There”, after landing at the wrong airport a few times)
Deltoid (The Chicken Flight) Air Lines
Departing Even Later Than Anticipated
Departures Extra-Late, Tardy Arrivals
Didn’t Expect to Land There Anyway
Dirty Exteriors Lack Travellers’ Approval
Do Every Little Thing Awkwardly
Do Everything Late To Annoy
Does Eventually Limp To an Airport
Doesn’t Ever Leave The Airport
Doesn’t Ever Let Terrorists Aboard
Doesn’t Experience Like This Andrenalize?
Doing Everything Less Than Average
Don’t Even Leave The Airport
Don’t Even Let Them Aboard
Don’t Ever Land There Again
Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive
Don’t Expect to Leave Terminal Alive
Don’t Expect Luxury Treatment Aboard
Drunken Engineers Land Too Abruptly
Hell-ta
Melt ya
 
Google Books
Frequent Flyer Humor and One-Upmanship
By George W. Stewart
Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing
2011
Pg. 64:
DELTA — Directs Everyone’s Luggage to Atlanta