In Pictures: Airlines Take Olympic Sponsorship to New Heights

29.07.2024 - 23:12 / skift.com / Ed Bastian / Delta Air Lines / Wizz Air / Air Canada / Air France / Gordon Smith

The Olympics are big business. Alongside broadcasting rights, merchandising, and ticket sales, corporate sponsorship plays a vital revenue-generating role. However, from a travel perspective, Airbnb is the only company currently in the International Olympic Committee’s TOP – or ‘The Olympic Partners’ – Program.

Organizations in this elite group are typically long-term sponsors of the Olympic Movement and include household names such as Coca-Cola, Omega, and Visa. Each has an exclusive category and is awarded with global rights over a given sector. For example, Airbnb’s official status is ‘Unique Accommodation Products and Unique Experiences Services’ partner.

But that’s only half the story. There are plenty of other ways for a company to be closely associated with the Games, without breaking the bank with a TOP-level deal.

For airlines, one of the most popular methods is sponsoring their home country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams. While some seem content with a photo-call with athletes at the airport, others go a step further to leverage the deal. 

As Paris 2024 gets underway, here are some of the most eye-catching airline campaigns from this summer’s tournament:

Delta recently signed a new eight-year partnership with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Notably, this covers the 2028 Games, which are due to take place in Los Angeles. To mark the agreement, the company painted one of its newest planes with a special design. Emblazoned with ‘Team USA’, it carries the Olympic and Paralympic logos, alongside the all-important ‘Official Airline’ messaging. 

The Airbus A350 livery was created by Delta’s in-house art director Alessandra Rabellino and internal brand team, Window Seat. It is inspired by the jetstream of an aircraft, with the red, white, and blue imagery a subtle horizontal nod to Paris’ Eiffel Tower.

As part of the sponsorship deal as Team USA’s official airline, Delta is managing travel for all U.S. athletes. However, the start of the Paris Games couldn’t have come at a worse time for the firm.

Delta was hit harder than any other major carrier by the CrowdStrike outage, with its global network still recovering as Ed Bastian, the carrier’s CEO, flew to Paris. The U.S. Department of Transportation says it is investigating the operational meltdown.

As well as Los Angeles in 2028, the commercial contract also covers the Winter edition in Milan in 2026. Delta previously held sponsor status when the Olympics came to its hometown of Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002. 

Earlier this year, Air Canada renewed a major partnership as the official airline for the country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams. The deal extends to include the Winter edition of the Games in 2030. 

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