Frequent flyers have long benefitted from co-branded credit cards with airlines, with CH favorite Delta‘s fleet of options from American Express often considered world-class. Now, a new limited edition American Express Delta Reserve card honors a love of aviation by utilizing recycled metal from the last Boeing 747 jumbo jet to be retired by the airline. It’s thoughtfully designed with nostalgic undertones interlaced with future-forward features. It’s also a conversation-starter, much like the American Express art cards by Kehinde Wilde, Julie Mehretu and Rem Koolhaas.
Decommissioned in 2017 after flying 68 million miles, and living in the desert ever since, Delta’s 6307 has transformed into an integral player in a new chapter of aviation history by becoming part of the new limited edition Delta Reserve card. In addition to the benefits members have been accustomed to (such as earning SkyMiles points) they can also earn some of the qualifications toward status, use Delta’s lounges, check bags for free, and more.
“We continuously look for ways to innovate from a partnership perspective and we thought what better way than to take the iconic 747, deconstruct it, put it into a card and put that in the wallets of our card holders,” Anthony Cirri, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Consumer Lending and CoBrand at American Express, tells COOL HUNTING at the launch event for the card, held at the Delta Flight Museum in its Atlanta headquarters. “We’re both highly customer-centric organizations.”
“This is not only innovative, it’s the first of its kind. When you think about Delta and when think about American Express, you think about experiences,” says Dwight James, Senior Vice President of Customer Engagement and Loyalty for Delta Air Lines, and CEO of Delta Vacations. “They’re premium experiences, elevated experiences, and services. For a lot of our customers, both existing and new, this provides a level of empowerment, where you now can actually be able to say certain things about the Delta relationship with American Express that you couldn’t have before.”
Chemistry is a big part of the partnership between these two brands, both of whom focus on customers, as well as an understanding about meeting their expectations. It’s also an opportunity for those who are passionate about flying and aviation history to share some of their enthusiasm. “Personalization continues to be a prominent thing, but the personalization conversation taking place is generally about technology,” James continues. “We are saying that this is an and not an or. This [card] is a tangible, beautiful thing to have. That’s why innovation is critical for us. We’re thinking what is a product that we can create that the customer will value, right? And then what is the service that this product fulfills.” For aviation aficionados and anyone looking to build loyalty with an airline, this is the next step.
Hero image by Evan Orensten