The Power of Travel - Member Story with Delta Air Lines

This piece includes a concise overview of Delta's sustainability initiatives, digital solutions, and other efforts to make the world a more connected place.
AmCham Germany Member Story, AmCham Germany membership

This month's Member Story features Delta Air Lines. In this piece, they describe the challenges of Covid-19 for the aviation industry. Now more than ever, Delta Air Lines has set travel safety and sustainability as its highest priorities. 

The COVID-19 crisis had proven to be the worst in aviation history and Delta was determined to persist the changing landscape by making its mission: to keep travelers safe and set a standard for safer travel. To ensure the airline would emerge stronger, it stayed focused on protecting its people, harnessing innovation and listening to its customers

Having launched a Global Cleanliness Division and the Delta CareStandard – 100+ measures to deliver a safer, more sanitized experience – Delta went further. Delta was the only U.S. airline to keep middle seats blocked on every aircraft, offering more space between April 2020 and April 30, 2021.

In June 2020, Delta launched a partnership with Mayo Clinic, a global leader in serious and complex medical care. The collaboration marked a significant step in Delta’s efforts to further mitigate the risk of transmitting COVID-19 during travel.

As travel begins to recover, Delta’s focus is on innovation and importantly, sustainability.

Delta created new digital solutions, such as the Travel Planning Center to help customers prepare for travel. The tool allows for the review the COVID-19 testing protocols, entry requirements and the necessary documentation. Delta also launched a new digital health credential solution, Delta FlyReadySM, to help take the guesswork out of meeting health requirements. The tool helps customers manage their tests, verifies results and will be further enhanced to include vaccine credentials later this summer.

Delta is also actively pursuing a new sustainable path forward, with a vision of zero-impact aviation: air travel that does not damage the environment directly or indirectly. To achieve that goal, the airline has committed to invest $1B over the next ten years in various initiatives. Customers can fly knowing that their travel will be made carbon neutral, from March 2020 forward with the airline spending US$30 million to offset around 13 million metric tons of total CO2 emissions produced from March 1 - December 31, last year.

The airline is also focused on longer-term initiatives by working across the industry to rapidly scale-up the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) globally and implementing SAF agreements with business partners. These efforts are forecasted to drastically reduce dependency on conventional jet fuel and support Delta’s goal of using 10% sustainable aviation fuel by the end of 2030.

There is no substitute for the power that travel has to connect people and make the world a smaller place. Delta is delivering on their promise to bring people together again safely, while taking care of the planet they connect.

For more detailed information please contact:

Heather Liermann

Head of Department

Membership Engagement & Development