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‘The Steepest Climb’ documentary highlights airline’s resilience, determination amid unimaginable crisis

The new feature-length cinematic documentary, “The Steepest Climb: How Delta Air Lines Navigated the Global Pandemic,” is coming to Delta Studio this June. The film tells the behind-the-scenes story of how the 90,000 people of Delta battled the worst crisis in the airline’s history and emerged stronger than ever.

May 17, 2023, 12:15 p.m.

Beginning June 1, “The Steepest Climb: How Delta Air Lines Navigated the Global Pandemic” will be available for viewing on Delta’s In-Flight Entertainment industry-leading seatback entertainment. The feature-length film, produced and directed by award-winning documentarian Josh Seftel of Smartypants Pictures, shares the behind-the-scenes story of the company’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, including heartfelt testimonials from Delta people, leaders and customers.

The film follows the story of Delta people, past and present, who are no strangers to challenging times. The 9/11 terror attacks, the global financial meltdown of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic upended the airline with no supporting playbook nor a clear ending in sight. However, without fail, the Delta team persevered.

Delta's documentary "The Steepest Climb" debuted on Feb. 14 to Delta employees and is coming to Delta Studios this June.

“There’s no better team than the one at Delta. Their stories of resilience deserve to be told, celebrated and remembered for years to come,” said Tim Mapes, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. “Creating this film was both a special and unconventional way to ensure that the world, including the future generations of the airline, understands what they’ve been through, the power in their resilience and their strength despite adversity.”

The film was previously shared earlier this year with Delta employees worldwide as part of the annual profit-sharing celebrations on Feb. 14.

You can catch the trailer above or via delta.com/SteepestClimb for a preview of this special piece of history.

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