Air Delkora
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| Founded | 23 June 1952 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 1 January 1953 | ||||||
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| Frequent-flyer program | Air Delkora Premier | ||||||
| Alliance | CommonSky | ||||||
| Fleet size | 215 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Norenstal | ||||||
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| Employees | 85,200 | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Air Delkora (Delkoran: Luft Delkore A/S) is the flag carrier and largest airline of Delkora. Founded in 1952 as a merger of Royal Sanguine Airways and Valkyrie Air Corporation, it was later nationalized in 1960. It is a member of the CommonSky airline alliance.
History
Air Delkora was founded on 23 June 1952 after the government of Veidnar Albendor approved a merger between Royal Sanguine Airways and Valkyrie Air Corporation, two of the largest private airlines in Delkora at the time. After the Delkoran economy entered a major depression in 1953, the company was faced with steadily declining profits and began laying off tens of thousands of workers over the next several years. Company workers participated in the 1959 Delkoran general strike, virtually bringing air travel in Delkora to a halt for two weeks. During this time, the company filed for bankruptcy.
After the federal election that year, the government of Mette Elvensar announced plans to nationalize Air Delkora. It subsequently underwent a major restructuring under the oversight of newly-appointed CEO Otto Kaspersen, which included a revamping of the company's image, new destinations, and the purchase of eight Boeing 707s.
Elvensar sought to shed the airline's traditional "aristocratic" image by slashing ticket prices, expanding short-range routes, and adopting a new advertising strategy that portrayed the company as a working-class "people's" airline instead of one that catered to wealthy businesspeople. In 1962, in part as an effort to jumpstart the still struggling airline industry and also to promote the cosmopolitan ideals of the New Kingdom program, the company offered every Delkoran family a free round trip that year to any destination in the world.
Corporate affairs
Organization
Air Delkora is a public company in which the government of Delkora owns a 65% share, while the remainder is owned by workers. It is governed by a 12 member Supervisory Board, nine of which are worker representatives, which in turn appoints an eight member Executive Board. Workers are represented by the Transportation Workers United.
Headquarters
The company's registered office is located in downtown Norenstal at the former headquarters of Valkyrie Air Corporation. Constructed in 1925 in an art deco style, the building is a skyscraper consisting of 75 stories that houses most of the company's departments. The building underwent a major renovation in 2003. In addition to its corporate headquarters, the company maintains the Air Delkora Aviation Center in Grafholmen, where new flight technologies are developed and tested.
Fleet
Current
Historical
Services
As part of its business model, Air Delkora has sought to develop an egalitarian approach to in-flight services. Many services, including meals, complementary beverages, and reading material, are the same between different travel classes, with business and first class distinguished only by increased leg room and privacy, as well as an expedited boarding process.
All flights have in-flight entertainment including personal televisions and internet service. Beginning in 2012, the company began introducing video games on certain long-haul flights.
Air Delkora maintains a lounge in each of its Delkoran hubs and certain overseas hubs, which are open to all passengers of the airline. Amenities at these lounges include complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, light snacks, fitness centers, showers, private meeting rooms, and business centers with computer, printing, faxing, and photocopying services. Beginning in 2004, the company's lounges in Delkora began selling cannabis.
The company's frequent flier program, Air Delkora Premier, allows members to accumulate points based on distance flown with the airline. These points can be redeemed for ticket discounts, free flights, priority booking, and upgraded travel class.
Accidents and incidents
- On 3 July 1969, Air Delkora Flight 5477 traveling from Tordenhelm to Debrecen went down over the Sundering Sea after experiencing severe turbulence resulting from a thunderstorm, killing all 187 people on board. In its subsequent investigation, the Transportation Safety Inspectorate determined that the plane had been brought down by a strong downburst that caused the engines to stall.
- On 21 October 1976, three members of the Lebøvian Republican Front hijacked an Air Delkora Boeing 747 traveling from Norenstal to Raikonir with 279 passengers on board. After it landed at Raikonir Airport, police surrounded the plane and began negotiations. The hijackers demanded the immediate release of imprisoned LRF members, a broadcasting of the group's manifesto on national television, and a ransom of ⊻10,000,000. The standoff lasted seven hours before passengers managed to overpower the hijackers. Two passengers sustained minor injuries in the struggle.
- On 28 January 1998, a turbine on an Air Delkora 747 caught fire shortly after taking off from Grafholmen Airport. The pilot attempted to circle back around to the runway, clipping an air traffic control tower in the process and colliding with an earthen embankment during landing. The pilot and co-pilot sustained severe injuries and 14 passengers were treated for concussions. The fire was later attributed to a mechanical failure.