Delta’s Annual WING Flight Returns to the Skies

In honor of International Girls in Aviation Day, 130 girls ages 12-18 took flight on a Delta aircraft piloted, staffed and crewed entirely by women as they learned about careers in aviation and aerospace. The flight is part of Delta’s broader efforts to close opportunity gaps for women in aviation and generate a more diverse talent pipeline.

From the pilots in the cockpit to the crew on the tarmac, an all-female Delta flight is making history – and inspiring young girls in the process. Reporting for TODAY, NBC’s Blayne Alexander goes along for the journey from Atlanta to the Kennedy Space Center.

In honor of International Girls in Aviation Day, 130 girls ages 12-18 took flight on a Delta aircraft piloted, staffed and crewed entirely by women as they learned about careers in aviation and aerospace. 

Delta’s sixth annual WING Flight – “Women Inspiring our Next Generation” – soared again after a two-year pause during the pandemic. The flight is part of Delta’s broader efforts to close opportunity gaps for women in aviation and generate a more diverse talent pipeline. 

The girls flew on a Boeing 737 from Atlanta to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Orlando. From above and below the wing, the WING Flight is exclusively operated by women, including the pilots, flight attendant crew, dispatcher, TSA, gate and ramp agents.  

 “I look forward to seeing, and hearing from, women that have led and succeeded in fields of aviation,” said Sophia C., a high-school junior, before the flight. “Honestly, I’m really looking forward to connecting with other girls that come from different backgrounds than me. There are so many opportunities out there, and I am excited that Delta is encouraging women in flight.”  

Founded in 2015, WING Flight is spearheaded by Delta’s Flight Operations, drawing inspiration from a longstanding partnership with Women in Aviation International. Since inception, Delta has cultivated partnerships with schools and community organizations across the country that facilitate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and aviation education programs.  

“Getting the best talent for Delta -- especially from underrepresented groups -- starts early,” said Beth Poole, Delta’s General Manager of Pilot Development and WING Flight co-founder. “This is an opportunity to introduce young women to career opportunities from dispatch to flight deck and everything in between.”

On the ground at Kennedy Space Center, students engaged with NASA leaders through the ‘Women in STEM’ panel discussion and tours of the Apollo/Saturn V Center which featured interactive space exhibits and a live look at the largest rocket ever flown, the Saturn V.

Delta is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and continuously works to level the skies by advocating for gender equity in all aviation fields. Currently, 40% of Delta’s total workforce is made up of women.

In fact, as of Q2 2022 more than 6% of pilots, 17% of ramp agents, and 9% of Tech Ops employees are women, all an increase from 2020 numbers. The WING Flight is one way we’re continuously working to drive those numbers upward.

Delta began a more intentional focus on closing representation gaps in 2020, pioneering its Close the Gap strategy. In the airline’s most recent progress report, Delta saw the most acceleration in the category of vice president and levels above for women talent, increasing from 29% to 34% in Q1 to Q2 of 2022.

Learn more about Delta’s to work to accelerate the closure of diversity representation gaps among women in our annual ‘Close the Gap’ progress report.