Delta flight with all-female crew takes 120 girls to NASA headquarters

A Delta plane operated entirely by women recently transported 120 girls to NASA headquarters to celebrate International Girls in Aviation Day, which seeks to inspire female aviators.

The trip was Delta’s fifth annual Women Inspiring our Next Generation (WING) flight. Delta started making the trip back in 2015 in an attempt to close the gender gap in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Delta made the flight on Oct. 6, according to a press release from the company, though International Girls in Aviation Day was Friday. The plane flew from Salt Lake City to Houston, where girls ages 12 to 18 toured NASA’s Mission Control Center, the Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston.

{mosads}According to the airline, only 5 percent of its pilots are female, which the company says is comparable to others in the aviation industry. The company said the WING flights are part of its efforts to increase the number of female pilots.

The airline noted that this year it achieved 100 percent pay parity for female employees in front-line jobs and was named a Best Workplace for Women by Great Place to Work and Fortune for the third consecutive year.

“We know representation matters,” Delta General Manager of Pilot Development Beth Poole said in a press release. 

“At Delta, we believe you have to see it to be it,” she added.