In the early 1970s, Frank Borman, the CEO of Eastern Airlines and former Apollo 8 commander, attended a court hearing with the Civil Aeronautics Board. The purpose of the hearing was to determine whether or not Delta Air Lines should be granted nonstop authority from Boston to Atlanta. Eastern Airlines argued that Delta was taking customers away from their established nonstop route.
To support their argument, Borman’s legal team claimed that Delta’s reservation system did not offer customers the option of Eastern’s direct flight. To test this claim, the judge called Delta’s reservation number and was offered Eastern’s nonstop flight as the first option, followed by Delta’s connecting flight. Borman was proven wrong and Eastern was not granted nonstop authority.
The experienced reservations sales agent who testified during the hearing was Rob Moser. Moser’s career with the airline began in an unconventional way. In 1972, at the age of 25, he joined Eastern Airlines despite being discouraged by management in his dream of becoming a pilot for the company.
Moser’s introduction to aviation happened at the age of 17 when he was given a ride in a single-engine Comanche by his professor at Rutgers University. This experience sparked his passion for flying, and he began his flight training at the now-defunct Hadley Airport in New Jersey.
After completing his training, Moser worked as a flight instructor in New Jersey before moving to Florida to gain more experience. He also joined the Army Reserve during this time, using his fluency in German to avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War.
In 1972, Delta announced openings for part-time reservation sales agents, and Moser saw this as an opportunity to get his foot in the door. He quickly advanced to a supervisory role and received recognition from company leaders and customers for his excellent work. This worked in his favor when he applied for a pilot position in 1977, as less than 2% of Delta’s pilots at the time came from nonmilitary backgrounds.
Moser flew various aircraft during his career at Delta, including the B-727, B-737, B-767, B-757, B-777, DC-9, MD-80, MD-11, and L-1011. He also served as a check airman, responsible for training and evaluating other pilots.
In 2005, at the age of 58, Moser retired from Delta after being warned by a company attorney that the airline was on the brink of declaring bankruptcy. He returned briefly as a contract captain, but ultimately retired due to the financial strain caused by the bankruptcy.
After retirement, Moser continued to work in the aviation industry as a simulator instructor and DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner). He also flew for various airlines, including Jet Airways in India, Turkish Airlines in Turkey, and Gulf Air in Bahrain. He also worked as an instructor and examiner for Boeing, preparing pilots for Korean Air.
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