Delta Airplane Trading Cards: Ask Pilots For New Centennial Collection

For a few years, Delta Air Traces pilots have had plane buying and selling playing cards, which they’ve been capable of provide to passengers who request them. The recognition of this has elevated enormously in recent times, and it ought to turn into much more well-liked this 12 months, because of some new Centennial-themed trading cards which have simply been unveiled…

The fundamentals of Delta’s pilot buying and selling playing cards

Delta has had plane buying and selling playing cards in a single type or one other going again so far as 2003. Once they had been first launched, they had been restricted version buying and selling playing cards to rejoice the retirement of the MD-11. Nevertheless, that has been expanded considerably over time, and contains seven completely different sequence of playing cards, with a complete of 68 distinctive playing cards.

Up till a few years in the past, virtually nobody knew about these. Nevertheless, in late 2023, Delta posted about it on social media, after which instantly there was a ton of curiosity. A lot of folks posted to social platforms about their expertise asking for buying and selling playing cards, and it kind of went viral.

The concept is easy — if you happen to see a Delta pilot, you possibly can ask them for a buying and selling playing cards, as they’re those who’ve them. After all not all Delta pilots can have them, however many do. I suppose you possibly can ask within the terminal, or earlier than departure or after touchdown. After all you’ll all the time need to verify with the flight attendant earlier than coming into the flight deck.

It is a cute initiative on Delta’s half. It’s a enjoyable concept for aviation geeks and kids, and it creates a method for pilots to work together with passengers, including a human contact that’s typically lacking within the journey expertise.

Now, in equity, Delta truly isn’t the one airline to have buying and selling playing cards. Frontier Airways’ plane are themed after animals, and passengers can ask the crew for a collectable buying and selling card for that particular plane. For an airline that has a cost for printing boarding passes, I’d say that’s fairly beneficiant.

Delta unveils particular centennial buying and selling playing cards

Delta is at the moment celebrating its one centesimal anniversary, and that entails a wide range of festivities. Amongst these is that as of in the present day (March 25, 2025), the airline has launched a recent buying and selling card assortment, which is particularly centennial-themed. The playing cards have the centennial colours and branding, so aviation geeks ought to recognize these.

Delta is initially producing 5 million of those, and there are playing cards for the Airbus A220-300, Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330-900neo, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 717, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 757-200, and Boeing 767-300. Delta Connection flights even have Bombardier CRJ-900 and Embraer E175 playing cards.

Right here’s how Ryan Gumm, Delta’s SVP of Flight Operations, describes this:

“Delta pilots have handed out thousands and thousands of buying and selling playing cards over the previous 22 years, with over 3 million distributed in 2024 alone. This straightforward, but impactful interplay between our pilots and prospects elevates and enriches the flight expertise – and has created significant connections and memorable moments alongside the best way.” 

For individuals who actually need buying and selling playing cards with out flying Delta, beginning in April 2025, the airline will provide a commemorative present set that includes two restricted version centennial livery buying and selling playing cards when buying a bodily present card at delta.com/giftcards. 

Backside line

For years, Delta pilots have had buying and selling playing cards that they can provide to passengers. They didn’t get a lot consideration till late 2023, when it turned a little bit of a social media pattern. With it now being Delta’s one centesimal anniversary, the airline has launched centennial buying and selling playing cards, so possibly extra folks will need to request these on upcoming flights.

It’s fascinating to be taught that three million of those had been handed out in 2024, and 5 million have been produced to date in 2025. I assume the airline is anticipating these to be well-liked! It’s a cool initiative, so kudos to Delta for providing this!

What do you make of those Delta buying and selling playing cards? Do you ask for them when flying with the airline?