Last semester a student told me her dad was a commercial pilot and he carried trading cards he’d give out if you asked for them during a flight.
I thought this fanciful tale absurd, and yet found myself asking a flight attendant about it yesterday while chatting with her in the galley.
She laughed and confirmed it to be true, and said she wasn’t sure there were ‘any left’ but she’d ask the pilots in their break. A few hours later she came to my seat and handed me this:
A super glossy – almost plastic – foil trading card of the very plane we were on! Card number 67 to be exact! I was astonished: not only was it true but the cards are extremely high quality.
A quick glance online reveals they’ve been doing this for 22 years now! More than my student has been alive. As a frequent Delta flyer I lament the countless cards I missed and have decided this won’t be my last 🙂