A Three-year-old Named Delta Just Got the Best Surprise From Delta Air Lines to Show Her That Her Name Is Awesome

It's not easy being a Delta right now.

As the delta variant of COVID-19 wreaks devastation across the world — and news of a "delta plus" variant surfacing — the mother of one little Delta tweeted her frustration.

"Petition not to call it 'Delta Plus' and instead move on to the next letter in this cursed variant alphabet," Kellie Gerardi tweeted. "Sincerely, the mother of a very sweet little Delta who once thought the airline would be the most annoying namesake joke."

Gerardi — a scientist for Virgin Galactic headed to space soon who named her daughter in "reference to spacecraft flight dynamics" — looped in Delta Air Lines in the social media post, mentioning that the two should "form an alliance in this matter."

And the airline took notice.

"We sent her a care package that included a handwritten note, Delta backpack, Biscoff cookies, and a model plane," Andrea Feminella, a Delta audience engagement manager, said in a blog post. "Basically, everything we could find at the Delta Flight Museum gift shop with the name 'Delta' on it!"

"We saw your tweet and just wanted to let you know that we think your daughter's name is amazing," part of the note read. "It's the name for people who were meant to fly."

This week, Delta received her gift from the airline. Gerardi posted the update on Twitter complete with photos of the adorable girl and her new swag, mentioning that the 3-year-old has just learned to read and write her name.

"It was extra special to watch her delight as she discovered [her name] on each item she unwrapped," she wrote.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.