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INFLIGHT SERVICE
Big improvements
Delta rolls out the welcome mat for 45 million passengers this summer with the first steps of a $2 billion investment in the cabin and on the concourse By Rick Lundstrom
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elta Air Lines, which now carries more passengers than any other airline in the world, has set about trying to please as many as possible wigth long list of improvements completed and in the works. Less than two years into its complete merger with Northwest Airlines it is in the midst of a US$2 billion investment that is already taking shape. The airline is preparing for a summer filled chockablock with passenger bookings, operational updates and customer service features that will be visible throughout the airline’s extensive hub system. Since last summer, Delta has been at work enhancing its aircraft cabins with a number of changes. Twenty-five percent of its international 777s and 767-400s now have flat-bed seats. In June, its new Economy Comfort Class could be found on 160 aircraft adding four additional inches to the seat pitch. More than 2,000 premium seats have been added to the airline’s fleet of regional aircraft. Delta is betting that a few of the enhancements will pay off in ancillary revenue. The Economy Comfort Class section is priced at between US$80 and US$160 per seat based on the length of the flight. Many of the world’s airlines are taking the same approach as tight economies have forced business travelers out of the front cabin, but some companies have been willing to compromise by allowing them to declare an upgrade to a premium economy seat on their regular expenses. One of the most recent applications of the newly enhanced cabins took flight in early June, when Delta re-launched its nonstop service between Atlanta and one of the world’s most important business markets -Shanghai, using a 269-passenger 777. Delta originally launched the flight in 2008, but suspended the service due to economic conditions. This summer, Delta will operate 47 flights per week out of locations in China. Other opportunities for Delta will soon be presenting themselves. On June 10, the United States Department of Transportation approved a “Trans-Pacific Alliance” between Delta and Virgin Australia. The new agreement will allow the airline to develop routes linking thousands of cities in the United States with
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Pacific destinations in and out of Australia. The two airlines pledged to have the partnership fully up and running by the end of the year. On the technology side, wireless Internet is now the norm on 2,200 flights. Passengers have the chance to plug in personal electronics on one of more than 8,100 power outlets. Mobile apps are now available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android units. The airline also has the first online baggage tracking capabilities for airline customers. In the past year, Delta has opened two new premium Sky Club lounges in Indianapolis and Philadelphia and renovated Sky Clubs in its important hubs at New YorkLaGuardia, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul and its home city of Atlanta.
Good to EAT Finally, but not least comes the changes in its food service offerings on the ground and in the air. Over the summer, the airline announced a number of changes to its buyon-board EATS program and a significant plans to upgrade the food serving at an important concourse at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (see related sidebar). “We work hard to keep our menu items fresh and stay current with what our customers expect,” Megan Ireland, General Manager of Inflight Service at Delta, tells PAX International. “At Delta we regularly test new items to gauge customer response. From time to time we also host customer surveys on the delta.com blog. All this direct customer feedback is incredibly important to us.” That feedback has put a number of name-brand products in the Delta cabin for sale this summer. Delta is working closely with suppliers like premium meats manufacturer Boar’s Head, Ben and Jerry’s Delta is $1 for every snack box sold to the American Cancer society in May
An egg salad wrap, part of Delta’s EATS program
ice cream and confectionery supplier Wrigley’s. The additions are selling for between US$2 for Wrigley’s gum products and $2.50 for Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla and Cherry Garcia brand ice cream. In addition, Delta has added a children’s plate with fruit and celery and carrot sticks with ranch dressing for US$4.50 and two alcohol offerings -- a Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and honey blend and a Margaritaville Margarita Mix, both retailing for US$7. The additions take their place among the regular full meal offerings that Delta has been incorporating into its EATS program since its inception. Morning flights this summer will have a BLT wrap sandwich, snack bar and yogurt and a fruit and cheese plate. On lunch and dinner flights there will be a chicken salad sandwich, Black Forest turkey sliders using Boar’s Head meat products and a fruit and cheese plate. Delta also offers a selection of snack boxes for sale. During the Month of May, the airline has pledged a US$1 donation to the to the American Cancer Society for each snack box sold.