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Delta’s Vaccine Watch Tower

[ February 19, 2021   //   ]

Delta continues to support the global effort to beat the pandemic with numerous successful COVID-19 vaccine shipments within the U.S. These critical vaccines are shipped with the highest priority on Delta aircraft, with the entire journey monitored by the airline’s Vaccine Watch Tower.
The Vaccine Watch Tower, open 24/7, enables end-to-end visibility for all shipments with centralized monitoring and customer reporting. The team follows each consignment from booking to delivery, proactively updating customers every step of the way.
If there is a disruption during any part of the journey, the Vaccine Watch Tower works across numerous divisions on a recovery plan to ensure the vaccines reach the final destination.
Delta recently had two COVID-19 vaccine shipments connecting through Atlanta to the West Coast. Due to mechanical delays on the inbound flights to Atlanta, both shipments would miss their connections without intervention. The Vaccine Watch Tower, however, brought together Delta teams to ensure the vaccines made it safely to Seattle.
The delay of the aircraft into Atlanta was minimized, with the two onward flights held for a short time after evaluating that customer and operational disruption would be minimal. The Airport Coordination Center and Delta’s Atlanta Cargo team updated the pilots on the reason for the delay and ensured the two aircraft were at adjacent gates at the airport to allow the teams to quickly transfer the vaccines.
“To say this was our most challenging shipment to date would be an understatement, but the entire Delta team pulled together to make it a success,” said Delta’s James Ryu, Manager – Cargo Control Center. “We are judged every day by the service we deliver our customers, and this is critical as we build trust with healthcare manufacturers and shippers that we can handle their business. None of this would have been possible without our employees who enable our business to operate and serve our customers.”

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