This is a story about my son's experience yesterday, but it starts a long time ago because it points to a sense I've had that there's something about the Delta organization that is somehow different from other airlines, and which sets them apart in small but meaningful ways. I'm curious if others see it this way as well.

For me it started with my very first flight on Delta. When we checked in for our flight in Asheville, NC, we mentioned to the Delta agent that we were beginning our honeymoon. If I remember correctly, she presented us with a certificate recognizing our "first married flight on Delta" or something like that. Not really such a big deal, but a nice touch. But what really got my attention is when we boarded the plane in Zurich on our return, a couple of weeks later. The Delta FA took one look at our seat assignments and exclaimed, "Oh! You're our honeymoon couple!" As I recall, we got no upgrade nor any special swag or anything, but it really impressed me that the note in our record from Asheville had made it to our return flight in Zurich, and that the FA had gone to the trouble to notice that note and even remember our names or seat numbers to be able to offer a special greeting as we boarded.

Later, I learned about the Spirit of Delta story. Then, I saw the employees' "Keep Delta My Delta" campaign in response to USAir's attempted hostile takeover. And the same kind of spirit seemed to play a part in Delta flight attendants' rejection of the union several years ago.

Perhaps it's because I'm not looking for them, but I don't seem to see things like this happening with other airlines.

On July 4, 2017 (he still remembers the date), my son had two heroes. One was Mikhail Gorbachev, and the other was Ed Bastian. My son's interest in Gorbachev can only be explained by the fact that my son is a very special young man. His interest in Mr. Bastian was perhaps a natural consequence of my son's radical enthusiasm for all things aviation, coupled with my frequent travel and status with Delta, and the resulting vacations on Delta that he has been able to experience. And when I say "vacations on Delta," that's exactly the way my son experiences them. The vacation, for him, is the flying. The destination is important only because it justifies the flights.

So on July 4, 2017, my son (12 years old at the time) sent a letter to Gorbachev and a letter to Ed Bastian. In both cases he asked probing questions about past strategy and future plans, and he "camped out by the mailbox" (not literally) to wait for a reply.

Here it is 2019 and we've all realized that there will be no reply to either of the letters. Did we expect a reply? No. If I were a CEO of a large company I'm sure I would not consider it a responsible use of my time to read fan mail from 12-year-olds. But we did want to encourage the idea that you will never know if you don't try.

Back in November, I think, my wife discovered that a friend of hers from her youth in Atlanta has a husband who works for Delta, in IT, I believe. She wrote to her friend and asked if my son might interview her husband because of his great love of aviation and of Delta in particular. We wanted to set up the interview as part of my son's 14th birthday next month (for his birthday party he has asked that we take him to the Renaissance hotel at ATL so he can spend the day watching takeoffs and landings from a front row seat). The story about the letter came up in their discussions. Evidently this lady's husband has some access to Mr. Bastian's office, because yesterday we received a FedExed package addressed to my son, from Ed Bastian himself. It contained some thoughtful Delta birthday gifts for my son, and the thing that excited him most: a personal letter wishing him a happy birthday and encouraging him to work hard, get a good education, listen to his parents, and follow his dreams. It's clearly not a form letter, and was signed, "Ed."

Just another small thing (but not small to my son) that may be just a fluke. But it's another piece of a puzzle that seems to paint a consistent picture that there's still something special going on with Delta.