Delta's work to fight human trafficking was highlighted yesterday morning at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The hearing was organized to explore the role transportation providers and supply chains play in fighting the growth of sex trafficking in the United States and slave labor in the global economy. 

Delta partners with Polaris, a nonprofit dedicated to combat human trafficking, to raise awareness and shed light on how the airline industry can be exploited to facilitate such activity. In her testimony at the hearing, Keeli Sorensen, Polaris' Director – Government Relations and Public Policy, detailed Delta's role in the partnership, which began earlier this year. 

"Delta…established a special SkyMiles program [Skywish] offering its customers the ability to donate SkyMiles to Polaris to provide airline tickets to support survivors of trafficking to travel to their home country, to receive critical services, reunite with children or family, or engage in survivor leadership opportunities," Sorensen said. The airline is matching the first 3 million miles donated through the Skywish program.

Delta has been proactively fighting human trafficking from the frontlines since 2011, as the first airline to sign the ECPAT International Code of Conduct. Since then, more than 54,000 employees have been trained to detect signs of trafficking in the skies.