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(Photo Credit: American Express Company)
Aviation fans and history buffs as well as travelers who enjoy air travel are going to love a new promotion from Delta and American Express.
From now through August 3, 2022, customers can apply for the Boeing 747 Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card. Here’s the cool part: The limited-edition Boeing 747 card is made with 25 percent airplane metal from Delta Ship #6307, a retired Delta Boeing 747.
“The idea of making a metal credit card out of actual airplane metal began years ago, and the creativity and innovation that was required to achieve this is incredibly meaningful,” Dwight James, senior vice president of Customer Engagement & Loyalty at Delta and CEO of Delta Vacations, said in a statement. “We’ve partnered with Amex to transform a piece of Delta’s history into a collector’s item you can use in your everyday life.”
The Boeing 747, known as “The Queen of the Skies” and “The Jumbo Jet” for “its majestic presence and distinctive ‘hump,’ set the stage for many advancements in air travel and was a beloved part of Delta’s fleet,” Delta explains.
“The double-decker 747 revolutionized the industry: It was a major engineering advancement compared to prior long-range planes with its speed, long-haul flight capability, and sheer size,” Delta continues. “The aircraft marked the beginning of an era of more accessible international travel and came with luxuries like spiral staircases to the upper deck and stand-alone piano bars.”
Delta Ship #6307 was in service for 27 years. During that time, it made 14,100 flights, traveling 68 million miles. As Delta notes, that distance is comparable to circling the Earth more than 2,700 times.
More than four million passengers traveled on the “ship” during its service. Along the way, #6307 was the setting for weddings, including that of flight attendant Holly R. and pilot Gene P. The ship was also used to transport U.S. service men and women and to evacuate travelers from Florida during Hurricane Irma.
Delta retired its 747s, including #6307, in 2017 when it introduced the Airbus A350 into its fleet.
To begin the transformation Delta refers to as from “wings to wallet,” Delta staff contacted the team at the “boneyard” in Arizona, where Delta Ship #6307 was moved after retirement.
“The big question was: Would it be possible to disassemble the main body of the aircraft, the fuselage, and mold it into metal that could be cut into a credit card?” Delta notes.
“After a year of research and development to ensure the airplane metal could work as a functioning credit card that stands up to daily wear and tear, a team of metal workers began disassembling the aircraft,” Delta explains. “They then prepped the aluminum exterior so the material could be cleaned, processed, and rolled into thin sheets to preserve its authenticity. The Boeing 747 Card is made with 25 percent airplane metal and has layers of polymer print to protect the aluminum as well as an antenna that enables contactless payments.”
Meanwhile, Delta and Amex collaboratively worked on the card’s design so it would pay homage to the aircraft’s history and the 747’s distinctive shape.
“This is the most unique card design Delta and Amex have created to date,” Jon Gantman, senior vice president and general manager of Cobrand Product Management at American Express, said. “To transform fuselage into metal that can withstand the wear and tear of everyday use while still functioning as a contactless credit card was a huge feat.”
The Boeing 747 Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card offers, as you would expect, what the companies call “best-in-class travel benefits,” but there’s more…
“It also comes with access to exclusive content via an augmented reality (AR) experience that comes with the welcome kit,” Delta explains. “Created especially for the limited-edition card design, the AR experience features the history of the Delta Ship #6307 and the Boeing 747, flight stories, and the card transformation.”
You can learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card, including how to apply for it, here.
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Jim Fulcher has been a writer and editor his entire career. In addition to writing, he also enjoys traveling--particularly in an RV. Over the course of numerous trips, Jim has driven an RV through West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. His favorite national park is Yellowstone, which he has visited three times.