Airlines, such as Delta, have secret trading cards that are becoming every aviation geek’s new obsession

The secret trading cards from Delta are no longer just a hush-hush pilot tradition, as they’ve become the aviation world’s newest collectible craze.

What started as a quiet, in-house project for pilots to share with curious passengers has turned into a full-blown social media phenomenon.

Travelers are now swapping cards mid-flight, hunting down rare designs, and even comparing ‘fleets’ online like Pokémon trainers in business class.

It’s an unexpected trend that’s uniting aviation geeks around the globe.

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The low-key tradition blew up on social media

Delta’s secret trading cards actually date back more than 20 years, born out of pilot and operations staff enthusiasm rather than a marketing campaign.

The concept is simple: each card features one aircraft type in Delta’s fleet, often corresponding to the type of plane flown by the pilot who carries them.

Over time, the cards have been redesigned every few years.

Because the pilots themselves are the only distributors, these cards were largely a secret to the public until videos of people asking for them went viral.

Have you seen this? ✈️@Delta Airlines trading cards! Have you collected any? 📹: Sarowarrr on TikTok pic.twitter.com/Hy0wkxybey

— CollX: Sports Card Scanner (@CollX_App) November 27, 2023

What was once a low-key in-airline tradition instantly became a ‘must-ask’ memento for anyone flying Delta.

Other airlines have followed suit or used their own flavors of giveaways, like the miniature Delft Blue houses that KLM gives to business class passengers.

However, Delta’s approach, involving pilots handing cards to curious passengers, has become something of a gold standard.

Delta’s secret trading cards are getting rarer

So how do you land one of these secret trading cards? The key here is polite timing.

The best moment is usually after landing or during deplaning, when cabin crew or flight attendants can coordinate with the cockpit.

Approach a flight attendant near the cockpit, and you can ask whether the pilots have any trading cards with them.

If you’re lucky, you might get handed one of the cards the pilots carry, and sometimes even the one matching their own aircraft.

Just don’t expect full sets or guaranteed availability: many pilots run out because demand has surged.

And scarcity is baked in.

Delta handed out roughly 1.5 million cards in 2023 alone, and that was before the social media surge.

With millions more now hunting these cards, the supply can’t always keep up.

When demand outpaces availability, cards become more coveted, often turning up on secondary markets among collectors.

This is often the case for trading cards of any kind.

In fact, the world’s most valuable trading card is worth more than some yachts, which is pretty awesome.

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