Delta Air Lines was originally founded in 1928 as Delta Air Service. Delta services more than 160 million customers per year, offering flights to 64 countries. Delta Airlines has a fleet of approximately 700 aircraft and more than 75,000 employees on staff.
United Airlines was founded in 1931 as United Aircraft and Transport Corp. as a partner of Pratt & Whitney and Boeing Airplane Co. In 1934, United was forced to dissolve this partnership and became United Airlines. United has a total operating fleet of more than 700 aircraft and more than 80,000 employees.
Founded as All-American Airways in 1939, US Airways was originally an air-mail delivery service. US Airways employs more than 31,000 staff and provides flight service for about 80 million passengers per year. The airline offers flights to 181 countries.
Continental Airlines was founded in 1934 under the name Varney Speed Lines. The business changed its name to Continental in 1937. Continental shares an alliance with United Airlines under the company United Continental Holdings, Inc.; however, as of October 2009, the two companies operate separately from one another.
Southwest Airlines began as a small Texas-based airline in 1971. Today, Southwest offers flights to 66 U.S. cities for more than 100 million passengers a year. The company has more than 35,000 employees and a fleet of more than 500 aircraft.
Alaska Airlines started out as a small company in 1932, offering flight service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay, Alaska. As of October of 2010, Alaska Airlines offers flights to 60 cities in three countries to more than 17 million customers per year.
Compared to other major U.S. airlines, Frontier is a relatively new airline service, founded in 1993. Frontier has a fleet of less than 100 aircraft, providing flights to more than 70 destinations in the U.S., Costa Rica and Mexico. Frontier has three central hubs for arrivals and departures at airports in Kansas City, Denver and Milwaukee.
Founded in 1998, JetBlue is another young company in the airline industry. JetBlue has more than 10,000 full-time employees. As of October 2010, it offers flights to 20 states in the U.S., 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and Puerto Rico.
American Airlines was formed in 1929, when a number of different airline companies consolidated under the control of The Aviation Corp. One of these companies was American Airways, Inc., which officially became American Airlines in 1934. American Airlines has a fleet of more than 600 aircraft and offers flights to 40 countries.
