For the second consecutive year, Delta had the distinguished honor of flying more than 40 World War II veterans on a charter flight to Normandy, France, for the 79th annual commemoration of the 1944 D-Day invasion.  

This program, operated in partnership with community partner Best Defense Foundation and with support from Michelin, underscores Delta’s longstanding commitment to and support of veterans.  

Last June, for the inaugural year of this endeavor, a Delta Charter flight touched down in Deauville, France – a first for a U.S. passenger airline – to return WWII veterans to the site for D-Day commemorations. On May 31, the historic charter once again departed to return WWII Veterans to the beaches of Normandy for the 79th anniversary of D-Day.  

Delta provided additional support to the WWII veterans for this year’s trip, with several employees – who are part of the airline’s Veteran Business Resource Group (VBRG) – receiving special training through the Best Defense Foundation to serve as primary care providers. This training included dedicated time for employees to build friendship and trust with their assigned veteran prior to the journey. Each volunteer is paired with a veteran individually to ensure they can provide the best support throughout the duration of the trip.  

“We’re honored to work alongside the Best Defense Foundation to support our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “The Delta team will display their world-class service excellence for our heroes traveling on this milestone journey, which is a true representation of our values. I’m grateful for the many members of the Delta team who are dedicating their time and passion for this endeavor.” 

THE STORY BEHIND THE FLIGHT

It all began when Delta Enterprise Sales Manager and Normandy-native, Virginie Durr, took part in a viewing of The Girl Who Wore Freedom, a movie that explored the untold stories of D-Day. Following the touching presentation, Virginie was made aware that the former Defense Attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Paris featured in the film was none other than the current V.P. of Government and Defense for Michelin North America, David Chapman. 

Recognizing their shared passion and roots, Virginie connected with David. “Next thing I know, he’s telling me his story, and I’m telling him about myself — it's all about people and being in tune with your customers. Each connection is an opportunity to partner," Virginie said.

David used to manage the D-Day preparations at the U.S. Embassy in Paris and is now an executive sponsor of the Michelin VBRG. Seeking to create additional value in the partnership, Virginie connected the Michelin VRBG to the Delta VBRG. Together, with Virginie and David alongside, the two VRBGs began discussing what they could achieve together.   

At first it was more of a dream, a “maybe one day,” until they found themselves having dinner with Delta S.V.P. – Global Sales Bob Somers, the VBRG and the Enterprise Team at Delta and Michelin.

Virginie recalled Bob coming up to them after the dinner saying, “We should help take these heroes back to Normandy, let’s try it!” So, together with the Delta VBRG, DE&I and the Enterprise Sales leaders, they got to work building a proposal to present to Delta CEO Ed Bastian. 

On December 12, 2021, they received a response from Ed: “Let’s do it.”

“This was a grassroots effort,” Virginie said, “When we received that email there was no playbook. In Europe they had never seen a U.S. commercial airliner land directly in Normandy. This was historic for Delta and for France.”

Through the power of partnership, Delta and Michelin worked with the Best Defense Foundation, to sponsor the charter through the non-profit's “return to the battlefield” initiative at no personal cost to the WWII veterans. 

“We, at Delta, are part of something so much bigger than us, and the spirit of our people across the airline just moved it along,” Virginie said. “When you build a partnership and your values align, incredible things can happen.”

Through this partnership, the Best Defense Foundation has been able to return more veterans than ever before to Normandy for the D-Day commemorations. 

“As a seller, we’re not just selling a Delta product, we’re selling the power of partnership—looking at each other and how we can help one another,” Virginie said.