• Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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BusinessDay

How to make flying experience pleasurable, the Delta way

How to make flying experience pleasurable, the Delta way

Beyond just flying passengers from one point to another, airlines are beginning to understand that the inflight experience could drive more sales for them.

A passenger once told BusinessDay that ‘The flying experience is everything for me’. Some passengers are ready to pay extra just to be on an airline that offers pleasurable services onboard.

An airline like Delta understands this trend and has recently unveiled a refreshed DPS cabin experience, featuring locally-inspired dining, premium hand-crafted amenities and more dedicated service touchpoints – while also driving social impact through its expanded Someone Somewhere partnership.

“Delta Premium Select sits at the intersection of luxury and practicality – giving customers the opportunity to treat themselves to a more spacious seat and premium experience at a lower price point compared to our Delta One cabin,” said Mauricio Parise, Vice President of Brand Experience. “We continue to debut premium products designed for the future of travel, with differentiated offerings that give our customers the experiences they crave.”

Delta debuted DPS in 2017 on select trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic routes, and the airline has since expanded the product to more routes and aircraft types. The latest enhancements build on Delta’s best-in-class onboard experience, while also offering elevated amenities and more personalization and control.

Enjoy an enhanced dining experience

Starting Sept. 20, Delta Premium Select customers will enjoy an elevated dining experience that offers more options infused with local flavors.

“At Delta, we know a good meal can make a great experience on Delta flights even better,” Mike Henny, Managing Director of Onboard Service said. “When designing our Delta Premium Select menu, we reimagined our food and beverage offerings from scratch, and we’re excited to launch delicious new offerings that also highlight our premium service and culture of innovation.”

In the past year, Delta has revamped its onboard dining experience to create a people-first and values-led foundation, including seasonal menus, more plant-based meals, local sourcing and new partnerships with small businesses, diverse partners and suppliers from across the globe.

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DPS menu options will include meals like braised beef short rib with fingerling potatoes and dijon green peppercorn jus; Impossible Meatballs with polenta, pomodorini sauce and broccolini; honey harissa chicken thighs with jollof rice and stewed greens; and for dessert, mango mousse with mango passion fruit compote.

Customers will be served their main courses on bagasse plates made from sugarcane plant fiber, with linen tableware and napkins, silver flatware and glassware. And they’ll enjoy more dedicated service touchpoints throughout their flight, like a special ‘bubbles and bites’ moment, with sparkling wine, water and a special treat shortly after takeoff, as well as a premium snack basket.

Premium amenities

Beginning in October, Delta will phase in new handmade amenity kits by Someone Somewhere featuring Grown Alchemist travel essentials and other premium essentials that make the journey more enjoyable. The new Delta Premium Select amenity kits will come in three new designs that Someone Somewhere artisans created exclusively for Delta. Special for the month of October, select Delta flights leaving the U.S. will feature a pink kit to honour Breast Cancer Awareness Month as part of Delta’s longstanding effort to support breast cancer awareness, research and education.

Customers will also enjoy specially curated, natural skincare products by Grown Alchemist, a leading force in clean beauty. Customers can keep hydrated with vanilla watermelon lip balm, found in their kits, and refresh with a vanilla and orange peel oshibori hand towel, which will be handed out before the first meal.

Other premium amenities, including a memory-foam pillow, noise-canceling headsets and plush blanket made from recycled materials, are also designed to make the in-flight experience more comfortable and relaxing.

Driving social impact

Delta is guided by the belief that customers shouldn’t have to choose between seeing and saving the world; similarly, Delta strives for luxury and sustainability to coexist within a holistic, premium customer experience. Thoughtful details like the bagasse dining ware and a blanket made of recycled materials, as well as the expansion of our Someone Somewhere partnership, continue Delta’s commitment to purpose-driven partnerships that drive social impact. The Delta Premium Select kits are more sustainable and handmade by artisans in Mexico, with each kit telling the story of the artisan who crafted them.

More space to stretch out on board

Delta Premium Select offers travellers more space to stretch out and relax with a wider seat, additional recline, and an adjustable footrest and leg rest on most long-haul international flights.

Whether customers want to unwind, sleep, work or catch up on the latest in-flight entertainment on Delta Studio, they can plan on arriving at their final destination refreshed and re-energized.