This Monday, NBC’s “Today” show ran a short piece detailing the intense five-and-a-half week training flight attendants receive to prepare them to handle virtually any crisis during a flight.

Many people don’t realize the intensive training our flight attendants receive. As Sandy Gordon, our v.p.-In-Flight Service Operations and Training mentioned, they are trained to be, “everything from fire fighters to police officers to nurses and doctors.” And because we do all of our own training here at Delta’s World Headquarters, every Delta flight attendant is trained by veteran flight attendants (like Katherine Lee) to be prepared for anything, including training in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automatic external defibrillator) in case they need to assist passengers who may stop breathing or have a heart attack during flight.

There’s more to this job than meets the eye. Check it out and let us know what you think! You can learn more about our flight attendant training here.

Katie
Delta Blog

In the age of Iron chefs and culinary masters, it’s quite impressive that Michelle Bernstein, Delta’s international BusinessElite celebrity chef, won the Best Chef of the South honor at this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards (The Beards for short) - an event that’s considered the Oscars of the food industry.

Ok so, sure… it’s true that Michelle made quite a name for herself long before turning up the heat on Delta’s premium-class international menus. But, the sheer magnitude of this type of honor is also a nod of approval that we chose the right expert to design meals for our BusinessElite customer’s enjoyment onboard our flights. Bottom line is - Michelle’s “Academy Award” win affords us the opportunity to say “we told you so!” Alright, enough of the gloating…

This is actually a good time to remind everyone of the great things we’ve done in our BusinessElite cabin since February of this year. For those in the know, BusinessElite is our international premium class cabin - see a list of our destinations here. In addition to the meal enhancements we’ve made under Michelle’s direction, improvements include new, premium duvets and oversized pillows that are soft and comfy on all BusinessElite routes. We’ve upgraded our Amenity Kits to a larger, high-quality bag holding brand name products for your refreshment prior to landing.

If that’s not enough, we’ve introduced pre-departure beverages so our premium passengers can enjoy more than just champagne and mimosas while on the ground. Plus, BusinessElite wine selections have been upgraded by our master sommelier, Andrea Robinson. Andrea’s choices of the finest international wines are perfect for pairing with one of Michelle’s fabulous entrees. By the way, meal portions have increased, as well. And, oh, did I mention your five course meal is now served on new sleek, modern serviceware that includes dishware, cutlery, linen and glassware?

Whew… how’s that for trying so hard not to gloat? LOL!

But honestly, we couldn’t be more proud of Michelle’s accomplishment, or more honored to have her creative meals onboard our flights. We hope you feel the same, too.

Safe flying and bon apetit!

Sabrina

Product Manager International and Premium Products

Global Product Development and Delivery

Problem: Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. We all emit CO₂ when we drive, fly, use electricity, generate waste and even when we breathe.

Solution: Now you can actually invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects that reduce carbon dioxide emissions. So on one hand, you produce, and on the other, you reduce.

Climate change has become one of the most talked about environmental and social issue of the century.

To tackle this challenge, people, industry and organizations have modified their normal processes to help reduce their contribution of CO₂ emissions. There are programs available that allow you to pay a calculated price to offset your carbon footprint by investing in greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects. Examples of these projects are carbon sequestration, habitat protection, methane digestion and renewable energy. The price is calculated by assessing either your overall lifestyle or a certain part of your lifestyle (flying, driving, energy consumption, etc.).

Delta was the first domestic airline to offer carbon offsets to our customers. Last June we partnered with The Conservation Fund (TCF) to help protect and restore natural habitat across the world. Today, when you book on delta.com, you can make a contribution to TCF’s Go Zero program to plant trees to offset the carbon emissions from your flight.

Picture: Delta’s own Steve Tochilin and Jaime Jewell assisted in the planting of more than 234,000 trees on 775 acres as part of a joint effort to help enhance wildlife habitats and fight climate change.

On June 10^th, representatives from TCF, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Environmental Synergy Inc (ESI), Delta, U-Haul and others, joined to announce the restoration of 775 acres of forestland in central Kansas. The Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge supports a mix of wetlands, bottomland and upland forest and tallgrass prairie habitats. Across the nation, nearly 80 percent of bottomland hardwood forests have been cleared for farmland and tallgrass prairies have been reduced by 99 percent. The land was planted by ESI and will be managed by the USFWS. ESI will monitor the newly restored forest for carbon accumulation using on-site measurements over time.

To calculate your carbon footprint:

Meghan

Sustainability Intern

Environmental Health