Yes, I’m here to join the bandwagon in lauding Delta for its upcoming upgrades to international economy class service. I see no downside to this customer-friendly news.
I’m no Delta cheerleader. Not because I have anything against Delta, but because I’m not in a position to be. I rarely fly Delta and the couple times I have over the last few years (Honolulu to Los Angeles and London to New York, both on a 767-300 in business class) the hard and soft product was decent, but hardly memorable.
But Delta will introduce the following upgrades to its international economy class product on flights over 6.5 hours:
- Personal greetings in the gate area and while boarding
- “Welcome aboard” Bellini cocktails (one of my favorite drinks)
- Hot towels
- Placemats for meals
- Menus
- Mix-and-match appetizers and entrees
- Larger entrees
- New cutlery
- Separate dessert course
- Pre-arrival chocolates
If matched with friendly service, this really puts Delta on a Singapore Airlines level. And these little touches do build a lifetime of loyalty…my own story with United bears that out.
Delta has trialed this upgraded service on its Portland to Tokyo flights for the last year. Now, the new upgrades will kick in effective November 01st.
Allison Ausband, Delta’s SVP of Inflight Service, offers one key to this initiative:
This is about investing in every single customer who chooses Delta, no matter where they sit on the plane. The thoughtful touches we’re investing in throughout the new Main Cabin experience were designed by flight attendants with one goal in mind — delivering an exceptional experience that our customers will rave about and one that our team, the best in the business, is proud to deliver.
Did you catch it? That “our team” is proud to deliver. That’s the key. See, I think most flight attendants (no matter the airline) would be happy to provide better service to economy class customers. The fact that Delta FAs have this opportunity is a win-win. When customers are happy, the job of a FA becomes easier. Everyone is happy. Check out this video:
It just makes me smile and think this is exactly how it should be. But life is not a marketing video…let’s wait and see how it turns out in practice.
CONCLUSION
Despite having a generally lousy loyalty program, Delta’s product investments (including complimentary and high speed internet, seat back TVs, and now an upgraded economy class experience) create an image of professionalism and make the case that by investing in its customers, it is investing in itself.
I’ve been loyal to Delta for the last 15 years since I moved to MSP. Have been Diamond for a while and Delta360 since last year. No matter if you have status or not Delta treats every customer the same. They are by far the best US airline.
I don’t have much that’s good to say about Delta, but props to them here. Of course, I’d bet that for the first time in years, United and American won’t follow Delta blindly.
Once again, Delta proves why its marketing department is the best in the business among big airlines.
Believe it or not, this move will actually save Delta millions of dollars per year. It doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a rather innovative service and will probably be pleasing to customers on many flights.
Airlines are charged by caterers for beverage cart provisioning, tray setups (per item), actual food (prep) and delivery fees. Delta is now bulk provisioning cutlery sets, plates and desserts, which saves money. The Bellini service and after-dinner drinks are limited in scope, so the only full bar cart comes at the same time as the food cart. It’s also more work for FAs, who (despite Delta’s enthusiastic promos) aren’t too jazzed about the new service.
Kudos to Delta for thinking out of the box, but it’s naive to believe that Delta is actually increasing its food service costs with this move. International is comparatively lower-margin for DL than its domestic network, and this is a step to improve margins.
The question how long will this last?
The difference between Delta and AA/UA is that cabin crew on the latter two would complain about how much extra work it creates for them. The sour old grandparents on American and United are beyond saving… a bunch of embittered old clock-punchers who’d be unemployable but for the seniority system protecting them. The larger the plane gets and the longer the route is, the worse the service will be – it’s almost a guarantee.
Amen
This is essentially going back to what coach international travel was like 20 years ago. Just being treated like a human being makes all the difference in the world.
Unfortunately Delta is plagued by ATL airport with its awful TSA and CBP queues, low-quality food/beverage options, outdated concourses, and appalling — filthy and just eliminated bottled water/packaged snacks — Priority Pass lounge.
@Anthony, sounds like you live in ATL. For the 90% of people who connect thru ATL it is not a bad gig(ie. not having to deal with TSA). Easy to get from one terminal to another on the plane train and there are gems within the rough of food if you know where to look.