Delta Air Lines became a social media and news sensation in recent years for their long-standing program offering aircraft trading cards that pilots can carry to give away to passengers. The program flew under the radar for decades – it launched in 2003 – but has become far more well known over the past few years as passengers go viral asking for them on TikTok and Instagram. Very few people realize that United has them, too.
Pilot yesterday was excited when I asked about the trading cards
byu/RyanLoco indelta
For their 100th anniversary this year, Delta has come out with a new set of trading cards that you can get free from a pilot.
Delta’s is proud to launch a new Centennial-themed trading card collection for customers to enjoy. This collection honors Delta’s milestone as the first U.S. airline to turn 100 with a fresh, eye-catching design – featuring the new Centennial colors and branding – that is sure to captivate customers and collectors alike.
Credit: Delta
The airline will produce more than 5 million cards and the new set is available to pilots starting today. Last year they distributed 3 million cards.
Different cards in the new set include Airbus A220-300, A321NEO, A339 and A359 aircraft and Boeing 717, 737-800, 757-200, and 767-300 aircraft. Delta wholly-owned regional carriers will carry CRJ-900 and E175 cards. There are now 68 different Delta trading cards that have been produced over the last 22 years.
In addition, Delta is including two limited-edition Centennial livery trading cards with the purchase of a physical Delta gift card starting next month.
Here’s how to ask for a trading card. Your best bet is to ask the flight attendants when boarding the aircraft. They can check if you’re able to pop your head into the cockpit and ask a pilot for a card. Of course you can ask a pilot directly whenever you see them, but having a flight attendant inquire on your behalf lets you avoid interrupting them or making yourself unwelcome (they may be busy or in a hurry).
To impress your loved ones, consider gifting them a thoughtful Delta trading card.
@Matt — You still got it! Keep Climbing!
Limited edition cards with a purchase of a gift card? Cool, might just do it for fun.
I eagerly anticipate receiving my Delta Air Lines aircraft trading card to commemorate the remarkable safety record of the Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. On February 17, 2025, this aircraft landed hard while hitting the ground with a greater vertical speed and force than usual. This hard landing or crash fractured a landing gear component. The pilot of Endeavor Air, operating as Delta Connection, then successfully flipped Delta Flight 4819 belly-up at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport (CYYZ), Ontario, Canada. A Delta Air Lines trading card showing a smoking belly-up aircraft would undoubtedly serve as a collector’s item and a reminder that “Safety First” is paramount at Delta. It emphasizes the importance of passengers fastening their seat belts, as airline incidents can be survivable. Despite the injuries sustained by dozens of passengers, all 80 individuals on board survived, even after Delta Flight 4819 skidded upside-down along the runway before catching on fire at Canada’s largest airport.
@Ken A — I felt a little sarcasm, which is always welcome. Yet, the CRJ, as an aircraft, overall, has actually had a really good safety record. No fatalities to-date on CRJ900. The fact that everyone survived DL4819 is a miracle. Other than AA5342, there had been no fatalities on a CRJ700 either–and arguably, it wasn’t the aircraft type to blame in that incident (it was the helicopter that collided with it!). Other CRJ varieties aren’t as widely used these days, and for fatalities, you’d have to go all the way back nearly 20 years to 2006 for Comair 5191 (Delta Connection), LEX-ATL, sadly just 1 survivor (first officer) out of 50–pilot error; they chose the wrong runway (too short). Ideally, we learn from such things and make sure it never happens again. Rest assured, CRJ is safe, though it is annoying how small it is–gate check! Bah.