Michael Gaitan – Delta Air Lines

Over the summer, I worked at Delta Air Lines in Bellevue as a Strategic Planning Intern. Having lived in six states throughout my life, my family is spread across the country, and I have a passion for travelling. Given my extensive knowledge of airports and airline networks, I was excited to work for Delta from the start. I was taken to several company events and received the best travel benefits in the industry, making the internship unforgettable.

One of the most unique aspects of this internship was the size and location of my team. Delta Air Lines has over 80,000 employees, but there were only about 25 in my office. I was the first Delta intern ever hired to work in the Seattle area and I worked with only three other analysts in the office. This gave me significant exposure to important meetings and other company events. I saw my work being used at higher levels, so I felt like I was treated more like a full-time employee making important contributions to the company. I was even sent to the headquarter office in Atlanta twice, which was only an opportunity because of the few number of interns in my office.

During my internship, I learned about the competitiveness of the aviation industry, and how airlines always have to be ready to adapt and stay ahead of the competition. Most of the work I did was project based, which involved automating and analyzing reports to convey this information.

This summer I went to the de-militarized zone in South Korea, attended soccer matches at Everton (England) and Dortmund (Germany), experienced Tokyo nightlife and more. Each Friday I’d go to work in Bellevue with a full backpack prepared for any destination and head straight to Sea-Tac after work.

Altogether my job, team, and travel made this internship unforgettable, where the “Keep Climbing” mentality was instilled in me. By the end of the summer I had gained a world full of knowledge and certainly wouldn’t trade it for anything.