“That’s a wrap!”: Delta’s Steven Larkin announces “retirement”

“That’s a wrap!” wrote Steven Larkin, director of sales for Canada at Delta Air Lines, on his LinkedIn page.

After about 30 years in the travel industry, Larkin has decided to “retire” from his job and take some time off. His last day at Delta was today (March 31).

Sharing the news with his followers on social media, the seasoned travel pro noted that he is grateful for his time at Delta and the opportunity to represent its joint-venture partners: Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Why make an exit now? PAX posed the question to Larkin, who said “the time was just right.”

“Delta has been an amazing place to work and I have so many fond memories,” he said.

But is he officially retiring? Maybe, maybe not. For now, Larkin plans take a breather from the daily grind, pack his bags, and travel the world.  

“Retiring from an airline gives you a lifetime of flight benefits, so first up, I will spend some time at my second home in Puerto Vallarta, then head down to Brazil, and then spend some time in the south of France to visit my sister. From there, we’ll see!’ Larkin said.

An impressive travel career

Larkin started his travel career in the mid-nineties as a manager at Flight Centre in Melbourne, Australia. He then advanced into a variety of sales and manager roles at Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Tour East Holidays and G.A.P Adventures (now G Adventures).

He was a Co-Founder of OUT Adventures Inc., a travel company that serves the LGBT community, and was president for Canada at Intrepid Group for nearly seven years.

He joined Delta in 2014 and has worked there ever since. What’s his most memorable moment at the airline?

“There have been so many that it’s hard to pin one down,” Larkin said.

But he can name a few – notably, “watching the Canadian market grow for not only Delta but also for our JV partners, Air France, KLM and now Virgin Atlantic.”

“We’ve seen new routes open like Vancouver-Paris with Air France; Edmonton-Amsterdam with KLM, Ottawa-Paris and Quebec City-Paris with Air France. And just this week, the re-launch of Toronto-London with Virgin Atlantic,” he said.

So, is this good-bye for good?

“I’m not sure,” Larkin said, saying that he has committed to six months of travel, family, friends, good wine and food.

After that, “I will take it from there,” he said.

“I love the travel industry,” he said. “It has provided me with so many opportunities that it’s hard to let go.”

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