Commitments and Contingencies - Devaluation and Other Contingencies (Details) employee in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017 employee
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Entity number of employees	85
Percentage of employees represented by unions under collective bargaining agreements	16.00%

Percentage Of Employees Represented By Unions Under Collective Bargaining Agreements

No definition available.

Name:	dal_PercentageOfEmployeesRepresentedByUnionsUnderCollectiveBargainingAgreements
Namespace Prefix:	dal_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant