Our group has fully united as one Delta Force for Global Good by spending long days working in the intense sun of beautiful Chiang Mai—spending our time building walls brick by brick for our families, much like adding rungs to the ladder of opportunity and hope we’ve now helped provide by giving these families their own homes.

And as long as one has hope, anything can be accomplished. Khun Kumbao, the future owner of the home and his family, have been working side by side with us and a renewed sense of hope.

Working so closely with the family throughout this week has helped us develop strong relationship with the family. Last night was particularly special as the family joined us for dinner, where we met their children for the first time.

Not only have we bonded with the family, but our team has gotten the chance to really gel, we built not only working relationships but also lasting friendships.

Along with brick and mortar homes, we built the foundation and the stepping stones of success. But we have to ask the question of what does one define as success? For some it is to have to the career of their dreams and go to college, but for our Habitat families, success to them comes down to having the most basic necessities like a roof over their heads and a safe neighborhood where they can raise their children.

All of the families of this build will always be part of the Delta family and will remain in our thoughts and prayers forever.

Being of Thai heritage, this trip has been very meaningful in the sense that it has allowed me to connect with my native country on a new and personal level. My family is Thai and it makes one proud to be part of such a great cause. Sir Winston Churchill once said, “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”

I am proud to be associated with this great cause and this great company, one that adds both joy and glory to climb.

Kelvin C., Global Assistance Center, ATL

NYC based pilot and blogger, Scott J.

My mom used to say, “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” And while it’s rare to find experiences that are more meaningful and purpose-giving than making a difference in the lives of others, even more rare is the opportunity to pair doing something you love that also has meaningful purpose. The Habitat for Humanity build here in Chiang Mai is the epitome of both. Yes, our build site feels like it’s ten degrees from the center of the sun, and humidity is our constant partner, but we’re sustained by the joy and satisfaction we’re witnessing as a community grows from the ground up in mere days.

Our third day on the project was decidedly less hot and humid than the previous ones—a quite welcomed break. The first two days spent laying brick and mortar today gave way to working with steel, as we placed each metal truss that will become the roof.

The work was sometimes tedious but highly rewarding. This was the third day in a row I’ve felt the communal pride that’s formed as strangers with little knowledge of each others language unite as friends and coworkers in common purpose.

The Thai people we’ve met are of remarkable and uncommon humility and graciousness, and we all know the families are pleased with our work and progress. The Delta teams’ houses are taking shape much as the rest of the homes in the village are, albeit at a slightly faster pace than the majority. Tomorrow the shelter will be evident, and as this community of concrete, bricks and steel take shape into livable personal spaces, you witness sweat equity bringing tears to the eyes of the families—and our teams.

An anecdotal note: Thai chili peppers completely live up to their reputation! The food we’ve had on this trip has been delicious and flavorful—making Thailand worth a trip, from top to bottom, just for the love of amazing food.

Scott J., NYC based pilot

In the same folder with the schedule was a perspective on air travel by longtime Delta engineer Art Ford in 1976. Passengers traveling from New York to Dallas in 1934, were in for a ride, writes Ford:

“You first rode in an Eastern T-34 Condor to Atlanta, and then connected to a Delta Stinson Trimotor for the rest of the journey. And what a journey it was! You took off and landed 15 times; you spent 19 hours enroute; you bounced around in the hot air thermals at 3,000 to 5,000 feet strapped in a wicker chair with a sickness cup handy. You went blindly through thunderstorms and frequently diverted to alternate airports.

Bad as it was, it was still progress. The alternate was black soot [by train] or boiling radiator [by car] and a journey 5 to 6 times as long. . .

Today [in 1976], your New York to Dallas flight is a non-stop jet at 600 miles per hour and 38,000 feet. It is a fast, comfortable and reliable flight. With a travel time of 3 1/2 hours . . . you have truly witnessed the miracle of scheduled air transportation’s progress.”

2009 marks 50 Years of Delta Jet Service. Happy jetting!

Marie Force

Archives Manager

My fellow Delta team members come from not only many U.S. states, but from around the world. And we are building alongside over 2,000 other volunteers who have traveled from all corners of the globe including New Zealand, Ireland and Saudi Arabia.

There are six Delta teams building six of the total 82 houses being completed this week. I am a member of the Tai Tens team. We have several other volunteers working with us including a 69 year old retired microbiologist from Oregon who now lives in Thailand. In addition to her, we’ve met many other folks from around the world working together helping families achieve a safe and stable home.

On day two of the build, we worked together with the family—husband, Chochai, and wife, Wanlee,–with mudding, stacking, and grouting the bricks in preparation for day three, when we will raise a roof over the house. Our house is located next to the one on which former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, are working on. As I’ve watched them, I’m amazed at their stamina and endurance while working in the sun, building almost unnoticed among all of the many volunteers here to help families.

This project is an incredible experience— one that I will always remember. I am thankful that Delta has afforded me this opportunity to participate and for the dedication of Delta’s continued assistance to partner with Habitat to end homelessness in the world.

Debbie S, ACS, Little Rock

The Mekong, the largest river in southeast Asia, is the namesake of our 2009 international Habitat for Humanity build. Delta has the largest number of volunteers and we serve as the Platinum sponsor of this year’s project.

Yesterday, we joined together alongside of our family to begin construction on our house. Ours is one of 82 total homes that will be built during the five day event, with the number 82 specially chosen to commemorate the King’s 82nd birthday.

Each 800 square foot house is constructed of concrete bricks, stacked atop a concrete foundation. The bricks, which were made as part of the ’sweat equity’ each family is required to contribute to their home, were completed prior to our arrival. In addition to the sweat equity investment, the families will pay $800 dollars for their new homes. Our first day of construction was spent mixing concrete and laying bricks as we watched our house begin to take shape.

Consisting of one large room with a separate bathroom at the back, the homes would seem small by most American standards. But for these families, they represent the big promise of a new future.

The need for decent, affordable housing is overwhelming here. We learned in the opening ceremony that about 850 million people live in slums, which is nearly two-thirds of the world’s population of slum-dwellers.

I am personally blessed to be able to participate in this project as an individual. As a 43-year Delta employee, I take great pride in working for a company who has not only provided me with this opportunity, but who has continued to serve as a dedicated supporter of such a worthy organization.

Jane hard at work in Thailand

Jane H., Flight Attendant, ATL

Jeter edged out Wright in Delta’s 2009 challenge, with a .334 batting average versus Wright at .307.

The Turn 2 Foundation creates and supports signature programs and activities that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and ‘TURN 2’ healthy lifestyles. The David Wright Foundation provides assistance for the health, emotional and educational development of children in need.

“Delta congratulates both Derek Jeter and David Wright for their superior level of performance and leadership, both on and off the field,” said Gail Grimmett, Delta’s senior vice president-New York. “Even though the baseball season is over – and what a season it was! – Derek’s and David’s work in the community continues, and Delta is proud to support the philanthropic organizations they lead.”

Delta in the last year has solidified its commitment to New York baseball as the official airline of both the Yankees and the Mets and their new stadiums in the Bronx and Queens, respectively. At both stadiums, Delta offers exclusive hospitality venues: Delta Sky360 Suite at Yankee Stadium and Delta Sky360 Club at Citi Field. The venues provide premium and season ticket holders with the same first class experience Delta offers customers in flight, including upscale food, beverage and entertainment. Each venue features culinary offerings and superior views of the game from behind home plate.

As of this update Delta has installed Wi-Fi on more than 51% of the combined (pre-merger Delta + Northwest) domestic mainline fleet, which is a total of 269 out of 520 planes. We’ve completed the MD88 and MD90 fleets and have recently ramped up installations across the 757-200 and 737-800 fleets. Engineering teams are on track to cross the 300 aircraft mark by the end of 2009.

Over the past month we’ve also installed Wi-Fi on three additional aircraft types…the A319, A320 and 757-300. We’re still awaiting the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for these three types but expect them to be operational in December.

The really BIG news, however, is that we’re teaming up with eBay to provide complimentary access to every customer on every Wi-Fi-enabled flight from Nov. 24-30. It’s a win-win-win partnership in that our customers get free access, eBay is able to reach an entirely new audience and we’re able to build awareness about the Wi-Fi product via a new channel.

In fact, we expect more than 1 million customers will be able to benefit from the promotion during Thanksgiving week (just enter the promo code EBAYWIFI). That’s a lot of people doing their holiday shopping on eBay, sending instant messages and updating Facebook…all while 7 miles up and speeding through the sky at 530 mph!

Given the amount of engineering and scheduling work that’s gone into scoping and installing Wi-Fi on 9 different aircraft types and nearly 300 planes, it’s pretty amazing that in less than one year we’ve gone from zero planes with Wi-Fi to the world’s largest Wi-Fi-enabled fleet and the most expansive Wi-Fi network in the sky…and that’s all due to the outstanding work of our Engineering teams and partners at Aircell.

I’d love to hear your feedback about your Wi-Fi experiences on Delta. I’ll be traveling during over the holidays (NRT-SGN-BKK-SIN-MNL) but will post the next update during the first week of December. Until then, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

MD88: 117 A/C (All)

M90: 16 A/C (All)

B737-700: 1 A/C

B737-800: 24 A/C

B757: 103 A/C

B753: 1 A/C (Awaiting STC)

B767: 5 A/C

A319: 1 A/C (Awaiting STC)

A320: 1 A/C (Awaiting STC)

Chris B., Sr Product Manager, IFE

*Offers subject to change. Use of the Gogo service is subject to terms of use available at gogoinflight.com.

Traditional Thai Dancers

Sa was dee krub! ‘Hello’ in Thai. The 2009 international build in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is off to a great start. We have a very strong contingent for this year’s Habitat for Humanity project. Joining me this year are more than 65 employees from various functions, departments, cities and countries along with one very special customer and his guest.

Our first day in Chiang Mai was spent enjoying a true Thai experience at Maesa Elephant Camp about 30 minutes outside of the city. The elephants were amazing. They are highly trained and engaging to the audience. The elephants performed a detailed show for us—including painting portraits, throwing darts, playing socceer and more. The best part of the camp was a 30 minute elephant ride around the site, going up and down hills, crossing streams. My partner on the ride was flight attendant from TAM–Ann. Ann and I had a great time on our 22 year female elephant.

After the elephant camp, we had a police escort to the official Mekong Build Opening ceremony at Royal Flora palace. The Royal Flora palace is breath-taking and immaculate with a lot of flowers, plants, shrubs and art work. The opening ceremony was held for all of the 2,000 plus volunteers from around the world, with the largest representation from the United States.

Our wonderful host kicked off the ceremony with a taste of Thailand in an open area market featuring local appetizers, dessert, and drinks. The food was delicious. My personal favorites were rice fried dough nuts and grilled rice cakes.

Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Build Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony included an up close and personal fireworks show featuring 82 fireworks to honor the King’s 82nd birthday on December 5. The evening’s highlight was a welcome by President Jimmy Carter. President Carter gave a great speech on the importance of service and giving back to others. The President acknowledged Delta Air Lines’ generous support and the volunteers in the audience. Needless to say, we cheered the President for his personal “shout out”.

President Carter and Delta Employees

The evening ended with a wonderful show of local songs and dances. The week definitely started off with a bang. Now, its time for sleep and the great work ahead of us –building six homes in 5 days!

Shawn Cole
Director Finance DGS

We wanted to pass this along to everyone who reads the blog because this is such a great chance to meet Jay Leno and get treated like a VIP while you are in Los Angeles and see what goes on at the Jay Leno show.

If you want to be the first to know about other sweepstakes and giveaways like this one you can find DeltaVacations on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter!

Enter by November 21 and no purchase is necessary!

Have you met anyone famous before? If so, who?

Sean C., Delta Vacations