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Vol. 25 No. 7		Monday February 16, 2026

Delta And The Oracle

Orlando is considered the top tourist destination in the U.S. The city traces its origin back to Fort Gatlin, established in the period of the Seminole wars. Disney World has become a global attraction that justifies the trip on its own, but this is not the only reason why you should be in Orlando this week: the Air Cargo Conference 2026 is taking place in ‘the city beautiful’. That is the place where everybody who is anybody in air cargo will be found, in the company of Brandon Fried of the Airforwarders Association and the extended team. All attendants will be networking and promoting their achievements, walking up and down the halls of the venue, some with questions on what the airfreight market in 2026 will be like. Others may think they know, or not, as this is the future: who can tell? The first signs are positive, but we are right the beginning of the season, the Chinese Lunar New Year starts relatively late: it is too early for harboring certainties.
Now, when it comes to future guessing there are several avenues one could choose: among other practices, the Roman augurs looked at the flight of the birds, in ancient Greece those in charge resorted to the Oracle, a much cosier practice I daresay. AI explains this most important Greek augural practice in this manner: “The Oracle of Delphi was the most famous ancient Greek oracle, a priestess (the Pythia) at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi who delivered prophecies believed to come directly from Apollo, serving as a crucial religious and political advisor for centuries. Considered the cener of the world, Delphi's oracle influenced everything from personal decisions to state policies, with her cryptic pronouncements often delivered in riddles, though her influence waned under Roman rule and ended with Christian emperors.”
More factually today one could consult with counsellors and consultants, or resort to UNCTAD, with its generous but hardly optimistic reports. Xeneta suggests an increase, with caution, but the increase is not true everywhere, some markets actually see a decline. One could observe that airfreight is not always conditioned by the overall fortunes of trade, and here questions are bigger than answers. So what do we do?

Brian Akers, Tal Mor, Andy Kirschner, Sarah Sanderson, Megan Grill, Michael Hatfield, Will Wallen, Jess Mears

     First of all, we are in Orlando! And we know where to go, when we have arrived. At FT we had the privilege of receiving personal feeds from one of the main actors in airfreight, i.e. Delta. They sent us a response on their latest developments and programs, which is well worth taking note of. Please read on before playing your cards on the airfreight table this year. You will certainly have reasons to change or celebrate, as the news is considerable. By the way, in Italy we were just reassured by Ed Bastian, CEO, who publicly stated that flights to and from Italy will see an increase. So let us find out what is in stock in general for Delta Cargo, in anticipation of Orlando’s event.
     “The Air Cargo Conference is always a valuable opportunity to connect face to face with customers and partners across the industry,” said Andy Kirschner, Director of Americas Sales, Delta Cargo. “We’re looking forward to being on site in Orlando, continuing those conversations, and sharing how we’re focused on making it easier for customers to do business with Delta Cargo.”
     For the typical FT reader this means investments, so let us see what Delta is willing to share about their future approach. Ahead of the conference in Orlando, Delta Cargo is entering the year focused on network growth, product modernization, and operational reliability. At FT we have a clear impression that Delta is about to reap the result of its recent strategy, and boost its presence in Orlando, contributing to industry dialogue through featured programming, including sponsorship of and participation in the women’s leadership panel, which is focused on inclusive, people first leadership across the air cargo ecosystem.
     Talking of Network Growth and Capacity Expansion, Delta Cargo continues to expand its global and domestic network to meet the evolving customer demand. In our opinion ‘evolving’ is an adjective used ‘diplomatically’ to describe a market that has become more and more unpredictable and prone to sudden changes, but there you go . . . we need to deal with it.
     For Delta there will be a strategic international growth with new and expanded routes, including: additional JFK–TLV frequency, resumed service from ATL–TLV and BOS–TLV service, brand new year-round LAX–MEL service, plus new LAX–HKG service (as of June 2026), as well as ATL–RUH service (as of October 2026). Their strategy is not limited to adding capacity where necessary, but there is an ongoing evaluation of domestic wide-body deployment based on aircraft availability, for example ATL–SJU operating with a 767 January through May, but this will not diminish other frequencies, e.g. continued strength of the JFK–LAX connection, with 11 wide-body flights per day in each direction.
     Delta has also announced significant long-term investments in next-generation wide-body aircraft to support passenger and Delta Cargo growth. This covers all manufacturers: Delta has announced an order for 30 Boeing 787-10 aircraft, with options to acquire up to 30 additional aircraft. The 787-10 is expected to support long-haul international growth with improved fuel efficiency and enhanced cargo capability.
     On the Airbus side, looking at Airbus A330-900neo and A350, Delta announced a wide-body order totalling 31 Airbus aircraft, including 16 A330-900neos and 15 A350-900’s. This order combines new aircraft and exercised options, with additional future wide-body options available. In so doing, Delta’s fleet plan includes growth to 55 A330-900s and 79 A350s, including A350-1000 aircraft, expected to begin entering service later this decade. These next-generation wide-body aircraft provide increased belly cargo capacity, improved fuel efficiency, and greater flexibility to support long-haul cargo markets, as Delta continues to grow its global network. In this regard we cannot pass a very special feature that is part of Delta’s offerings: the AOG Product Development: there was a survey on Customer feedback (late 2025) and now, throughout 2026 Delta will continue to shape the future direction of its AOG offerings. We were talking of investments: well there you go, my dear, if the above does not speak of investments, I do not know what the word investment means . . .
Delta Dash Product

On the other hand, investments are not the only ingredient of a successful business. Product innovation and simplification play an equally important role. Here the news is even more interesting. The new Pulse Tracking Platform launched in late 2025 is delivering enhanced shipment visibility and real-time tracking. Customers can now track DASH Critical and DASH shipments directly on deltacargo.com. This early engagement highlights improved transparency and confidence across the shipping journey, one could observe that this corresponds to customers’ demand one to one, so there are reasons for celebrating.
Looking at other aspects of Delta’s business that will be promoted at the Air Cargo Conference, there will be a sizeable initiative regarding the Express Product modernization, where work is underway to modernize the Express Product portfolio, updating offerings later in 2026, when the focus is on clearer product definitions, which will align with the evolving needs of the customer base. The ongoing work in the Express Product is aligned with other simplification Initiatives, as Delta Cargo is making efforts to simplify express and critical products within the current year. The goal is a streamlined portfolio with few, more functional products that are easier to book and manage.

     In the generous response that we have received from Delta, we can read about other interesting developments that will come to fruition in the near future. When it comes to the ease of use across the customer journey with Delta Cargo, targeted improvements are made across the end-to-end customer journey, focusing on making it easier for the customer to do business with Delta Cargo from booking to recovery, with ongoing enhancements focused on simplifying planning, booking, and recovering shipments across the network; investments are made to improve consistency, coordinated support and continuity throughout the shipment lifecycle.
     These efforts are designed to reduce friction, improve communication, and create a more seamless experience for local, regional and global customers. These steps may look less important than buying new aircraft, but in the end these count almost as much in the service end result.
     Air Cargo is not just about flying objects, as we all know. Targeted trials focused on improving truck flow and dock efficiency are underway in many stations, with expansion planned across additional stations based on results in the near future. Station hours’ visibility has been refreshed with ongoing reviews to support planning accuracy. On the other hand, even the most accurate planning may need a check-up and adjustment: there you work in ‘Service Recovery and Communication’ as Delta calls the measures taken to further dispel any risk of non-conformity. In-station service recovery agents are in place at ATL and JFK, with an additional station expansion planned in early 2026. There are regional support resources to provide more consistent and targeted customer communication, as well as customer support, planned for later in 2026, with a view to reducing queue times and ensuring clearer, faster resolution. Faster resolution also applies to the improvements to billing (early 2026) with a focus on reduced handoffs and clearer accountability, for an overall improved customer experience. New initiatives are also planned for early 2026 to reduce the transfer times in the handling of pure pallets and BUPs. All this just explains that Delta’s attention to service is really deployed at 360 degrees and is part of a comprehensive strategy to meet customers where service in required.
Sarah Sanderson      Coming back to our initial question on the what the future will be, well . . . there is no “Che serà, serà” with Delta Cargo. Their future seems to be well organized and ready to meet the requirements of contemporary air cargo, as it is evolving and revolving as fast as it has ever done. So we come to the end of this feature with a cherry on the cake: the Women in Air Cargo Panel. This is a dedicated women’s leadership panel at the conference.
     Delta Cargo will be represented by Sarah Sanderson, Manager of Cargo Network Forecasting at Delta. In a way, Sarah will be our oracle this time: who could be better placed in forecasting the cargo network’s future? The panel brings together women leaders shaping workplace culture and advancing careers across the air cargo ecosystem. The conversation will be moving beyond comparisons, focusing on building trust and creating inclusive teams that thrive on mutual support. Delta told us that, during the panel, Sarah will share insights on leading with empathy, so that organizations can apply principles fairly, act consistently across teams and ensure equitable treatment while maintaining accountability. Building trust by creating clarity, psychological safety, and shared ownership, whilst developing the next generation of supply chain leaders through connection, mentorship, and inclusive leadership practices; all these concepts will represent the culmination of her discourse.
     So what about the Oracle? Ancient or new, we need to resort to the wisdom of women to try and discern what the future brings, to guide us in our journey to what’s next . . . This is probably why the Pythia was represented as a woman, and the Cumaean Sibyl also was often wonderfully represented as a graceful woman, commanding respect and devotion. No wonder everyone is so excited about the Conference in Orlando to understand what air cargo will look like in the near future. The Oracle opening its doors on February 15th in Orlando, who would miss the opportunity to be part of a myth?
Marco Sorgetti

If You Missed Any Of The Previous 3 Issues Of FlyingTypers
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Vol. 25 No. 4
Fruit Logistica Freshens February
Olympics Logistics Delivers
Chuckles for February 5, 2026
Love Stems From Delta Cargo
All Dogs Go To Heaven

Vol. 25 No. 5
Indian Air Cargo Tested By Disruption
Chuckles for February 12
Hong Kong Forklift Olympics
Orlando Cargo Taking Off
Indian Air Cargo Resilience & Profitability

Vol. 25 No. 6
Kendra Tanner Hits The High Notes
Esterlyn SWA Delivers Cargo To The Max
Chuckles for February 15
Alaska Hawaiian New Horizons

Publisher-Geoffrey Arend • Managing Editor-Flossie Arend • Editor Emeritus-Richard Malkin
Senior Contributing Editor/Special Commentaries-Marco Sorgetti • Special Commentaries Editor-Bob Rogers
Special Assignments-Sabiha Arend, Emily Arend • Film Editor-Ralph Arend

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