—The Airline signs multi-year agreement with league, underscoring Delta’s commitment to women’s sports –
NEW YORKAugust 19, 2024 – The WNBA and Delta Air Lines today announced a multi-year partnership that makes Delta the official airline partner of the WNBA.
This latest agreement builds on Delta’s existing relationship with the WNBA charter program and is part of the airline’s continued focus on women’s sports.
“We are proud to partner with the WNBA, where every game is a testament to our shared values of teamwork and perseverance,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “We look forward to supporting these incredible athletes on their journey and furthering Delta’s support of women’s sports.”
“Delta Air Lines shares the league’s commitment to excellence and innovation and is a committed partner in working to promote and strengthen women’s sports,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “As the WNBA’s airline partner, this partnership not only enhances the travel experience for players, but also underscores Delta and the WNBA’s shared commitment to promoting the growth and visibility of women’s sports. With Delta’s support, we look forward to taking the WNBA to new heights and connecting with fans in meaningful ways.”
Earlier this season, Delta expanded its relationship with the WNBA charter program when the league launched a full charter program for the 2024 season. Under the expanded multi-year agreement, Delta now carries all 12 of the league’s teams during the regular season and playoffs.
As the Official Airline Partner, Delta will leverage sophisticated travel-related storytelling opportunities across WNBA media, including broadcast, digital, print and social media. The airline, in turn, will have the opportunity to share the WNBA and its players’ off-court travel stories across digital and social media networks.
As the Official Airline of Champions, Delta has flown 75 championship teams from many sports leagues since 2000, most recently the Las Vegas Aces, the 2023 WNBA champions. In addition, all eight playoff teams in the WNBA postseason flew with Delta.
About Delta Air Lines
With the warmth and service of Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) employees and the power of innovation, Delta continually seeks ways to tailor every journey for every customer. 100,000 Delta employees lead the way to deliver a world-class customer experience on more than 4,000 daily flights to more than 290 destinations across six continents, connecting people to places and to each other. Delta will have served more than 190 million customers in 2023—safely, reliably and with industry-leading customer service innovation—and was named No. 1 in passenger satisfaction in First/Business and Premium Economy classes by JD Power this year. The airline was also again recognized as North America’s most punctual airline by Cirium. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta operates major hubs and key markets in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Bogota, Boston, Detroit, Lima, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Lima. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Santiago (Chile), Sao Paulo, Seattle, Seoul-Incheon and Tokyo. As a leading global airline, Delta’s mission to connect the world creates opportunity, advances understanding and broadens horizons by connecting people and communities to each other and to their own potential.
About the WNBA
The WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that represents the strength of women. Entering its 28th season in 2024, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and social responsibility. With its world-class athletes, in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content, and community and youth programming, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture that surrounds it. In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking CBA that charted a new course for women’s basketball – and women’s sports overall – with a focus on increased player salaries, player experience enhancements, expanded career development opportunities, and resources tailored specifically to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported by the league’s partnership platform, the WNBA Changemakers Collective, with AT&T, the WNBA’s Marquee Partner and first Changemaker, as well as fellow first Changemakers Deloitte and NIKE, Inc. and later additions Google, US Bank and CarMax. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement and established the Social Justice Council with the mission to be a driving force for needed change and to continue the work related to women’s and maternal health and voting rights, among other important societal issues.
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