Unexpected journeys: How two Delta people Keep Climbing

Something that fascinates me about Delta people is all the different ways they find to Keep Climbing. Sometimes their careers take them on unexpected journeys to get here, and sometimes they wind up in roles they never expected to take on at Delta.  

But one thing I hear often is that they don’t want to grow their career anywhere else but Delta. 

 Looking at my own journey – when I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, I wanted to work in PR for an Atlanta hometown company that I admired. My top choice was Delta, but I was turned down the first time I applied. 

So I decided I’d find another way in. That’s how I became a flight attendant. And from there, Delta invested in me. I had leaders who believed in me and gave me opportunities to grow. And that’s how I arrived where I am today as Chief People Officer. It’s a completely different path than I envisioned nearly 40 years ago. But if I had to start all over again, I’d choose this path as I’ve loved every minute. 

I recently sat down with a remarkable pilot, Capt. J.R. Canales. J.R. grew up in a neighborhood in Orlando, Florida, where, he says, “just about everybody worked for Delta.” Naturally, he gravitated toward aviation. So when he turned 18, J.R. got himself a job working as an air cargo agent at Delta. 

What a tremendous story of success and how fortunate is Delta to have a captain who has all of this background in the flight deck? Who knows – if you needed help with a ticket, he probably still remembers how to do that transaction.   

Perspective

100 years and climbing: One Delta flight attendant’s take on connecting the world

Delta's E.V.P. and Chief People Officer Allison Ausband sits down with a flight attendant with nearly 40 years of experience in the skies, highlighting the reverberating connection between people and places with care.

One of the things I love most about Delta is learning the stories of people like J.R. Sitting down and getting to know them is the best part of my job. 

Something else I love about Delta? We take a Skills-First approach to hiring and career advancement. Many of us have come a long way from our first job. It’s not about where we started or, for those who attended college, what we studied – it’s the skills we learn along the way and the talents that emerge along our journeys.

I hear from people who have been with us for over 50 years, and some who are still just starting out. Take Bryce Boigner, who like me graduated with a journalism degree and had dreams of being a newspaper reporter. But the economy had other ideas when he graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. So he decided to start his career with Delta as a Reservations & Care agent.  

Now, Bryce works closely with our Global Communications team, putting his journalism skills to work to help his fellow agents stay up to date on everything they need to know. He loves telling the stories of our people, and can’t wait to see where his career takes him next. 

“I have been a lifetime flyer – over those many years, I have really grown a love for Delta as an airline,” Bryce said. “Since being here, it’s been such a great opportunity to grow, it’s been such a welcoming culture, a diverse group of people. I have met people who have only been here to help me develop my career, and I appreciate every day that I’m at Delta.” 

Delta does a lot of remarkable things every day to coordinate 4,000 flights crisscrossing the world. But it’s our people who make that happen.  

I’m grateful people like J.R. and Bryce have entrusted their career journeys to us, and I can’t wait to see where they and their 100,000 co-workers venture to next.