The event in Atlanta was the biggest of its kind for an Olympic sponsor - whether a national tier or worldwide partner - since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Protocols followed since the virus took hold have put the kibosh on splashy public relations events until Friday.
More than 500 mask-wearing employees of Delta cheered as the curtain was raised at a hangar to unveil the Airbus 330 painted in a red, white and blue color scheme, “Team USA” emblazoned on the fuselage.
The crowd was part of a made for TV scene that included a live shot on the “Today” show of U.S. rightsholder NBC. Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, the network’s figure skating broadcasters for the Olympics, emceed a stage filled with Winter Olympians and Paralympians.
On the official side of the program, Delta CEO Ed Bastian praised the “resilience” of the airline workforce during this “crazy, crazy hard time.”
“That endurance, that resilience we’ve displayed is coming through. The end of the pandemic is in sight. We’re not to the finish line yet, but we’re getting there,” said Bastian.
Bastian says the airline is proud to be the U.S. flagged carrier for the Olympics, the second time for Delta. Based in Atlanta, Delta was the airline sponsor for the 1996 Atlanta Games. United Air Lines followed Delta after the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. Last year a new deal was struck with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and Delta.
The sponsorship runs through the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, but Bastian quipped he hoped the partnership would continue for “many decades to come.”
The value of the Delta sponsorship has not been disclosed, but has been reported to be $400 million. LA28 plans to raise $2.5 billion in sponsorships out of a total budget of $6.9 billion.
“Collectively we’ve been through a lot during the past two years,” said LA28 chair Casey Wasserman in brief remarks. “Sport has the unique power to connect us, inspire us and change the world. At its most fundamental level, sport celebrates the human spirit and what we can accomplish when we work hard and persevere,” he said.
“We look back fondly on the 1996 Games here in Atlanta and cannot wait until we bring the Olympics and Paralympic Games back to the U.S. in just six-and-a-half short years when we open the games in Los Angeles the summer of 2028,” said Wasserman, then pausing to tease the Delta crowd.
“That’s worth applause I think,” he said, a cue that prompted a hearty ovation which break the silence to Wasserman’s satisfaction.
The new livery for Delta decorates three of the wide-body Airbuses in the Delta fleet including one for the Paralympics.
The aircraft will be in regular service until they are needed in February and March to send Team USA to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. The flights will be charters, the only mode of transport for athletes heading to Beijing that is allowed at this time.
Delta, which formerly flew into China prior to the pandemic, is waiting for the green light from the government to resume passenger service to China. But with a ban on foreign spectators, as was the case in Tokyo, there’s not a big demand for commercial airline service to Beijing for the Games.
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