(NEXSTAR) – Forget about baseball players or Pokémon characters: Today’s hottest trading cards are printed with Delta jets.
Last month, a Delta passenger named Sarowar Ahmed went viral on TikTok after filming himself asking the captain of his flight for a “trading card” — only for the captain to immediately direct him to the first officer, who handed over two glossy cards printed with photos of Boeing 737 aircraft.
“My friend told me that pilots have trading cards and she thought maybe I’d already have them since I’m a frequent flyer, but I definitely did not know about it,” Ahmed told Nexstar. “So I had to try it out myself.”
News of Delta’s trading cards also came as a shock to viewers on TikTok, where the video has amassed over 24 million views since late November.
“THEY HAVE TRADING CARDS?!” one commenter responded, summing up the general sentiments of hundreds of other viewers who were equally stunned.
“Mind blown,” wrote another user, who learned online that the cards have existed for decades.
When asked, a representative for Delta told Nexstar that the airline has indeed offered trading cards for over 20 years, during which time Delta has produced six total card collections. Each of the cards is printed with an image of a plane from Delta’s mainline or Delta Connection fleets, and features aircraft stats on the back.
“When they’re not operating some of the coolest jets in the skies, Delta pilots love this special opportunity to share their passion of aviation with our customers using these collectable trading cards; with each featuring a different aircraft in our fleet corresponding to the type of aircraft each pilot flies,” the spokesperson said. “When they’re not busy preparing for flight, or flying our customers to their next adventure, our pilots carrying these fan-favorite cards are more than happy to hand one out to any customer that asks nicely; as they look to add to, or begin, their newest favorite collection.”
The inspiration for the idea, according to Delta, came from its own employees, who wanted to share their love of flying and inspire future pilots. But passengers of all types — aviation enthusiasts or not — seem to be seeking out the cards after the popularity of Ahmed’s video.
In several follow-up TikTok posts from Ahmed, multiple Delta pilots appeared to confirm that the cards had spiked in popularity in recent weeks.
“You know, you’re the fifth person that’s asked me in the past two days,” one pilot can be seen telling Ahmed. “And I don’t have any, but I’m going to start carrying a big stack of them, because everybody wants them … I’m talking grown old men and little kids.”
Another pilot said she knew exactly what Ahmed wanted before he even asked.
“How did I know,” she said, smiling. “I’ve started carrying them on me now.”
A representative for Delta, however, urged passengers not to be too upset if their pilots run out of cards amid TikTok-fueled demand.
“Didn’t know I needed shiny plane trading cards but now I do,” one user wrote, while another said it was her new mission to “catch ‘em all,” quoting the Pokémon theme song. Others have since documented their own efforts to collect the so-called “secret” trading cards, some of which appear to be holographic.
Ahmed, meanwhile, has special plans for his budding collection.
“I’ve put all four of my cards in magnetic hard cases and plan to hold on to them for memories,” he told Nexstar.
