It is Consumer Electronics Show (CES) week in Las Vegas, so the tech world is abuzz with all kinds of chatter about stuff and things. For some reason, Delta decided a few years back that it wanted to be a big player at CES, positioning itself as a thought-leader or tech-titan or something like that. And this year, it went even bigger. The problem? It was all flash and almost no substance.
CEO Ed Bastian took the stage inside the vaunted Sphere in Las Vegas for a grand keynote. Sphere is the giant orb with an incredible, immersive screen both inside and out. I saw U2 play there and it was unreal. And to be clear, Sphere did not disappoint. You can see videos and more at this link, but here’s a still shot from the outside.
Image via Delta
The inside was no less cool with stars Viola Davis and Tom Brady lighting up the stage. But on such a grand — and expensive — platform with such hype behind it, there had to be some incredible innovation being released, right? Nope. This looks like a very pricey branding exercise that was more of an illusion that made it seem like there was something momentous and important happening.
So what was announced? There were four different press releases that seemed to be chock full of changes, but when you peel the layers back, there wasn’t much underneath.
Delta’s AI-Powered Concierge
Delta will add Delta Concierge to its app this year. It “uses generative AI to create seamless and personalized moments while making a customer’s journey easier,” which to me says that Delta doesn’t quite know what it’ll do in the end but it sure will be great because it has AI in it.
The idea is that customers can ask questions and get answers. It will also “eventually anticipate customers’ needs, provide contextualized guidance and take actions on customers’ behalf.” Note that word “eventually.”
So what will it have when it launches? Delta says that this year “Delta Concierge will notify customers about upcoming passport expiration and visa requirements.” I don’t understand this. You don’t need AI for this. It’s easy to use a database with some simple logic to make this happen. There will also be better wayfinding, but I don’t know why that requires AI either. Wayfinding in apps is not new.
I guess this is one of those things that may eventually be awesome, or maybe it won’t be.
Seamless Uber Partnership That Isn’t Seamless
I think my favorite headline in any press release is this:
Convening partners to create new modes of seamless, membership-unlocked travel
This level of corporate-speak reaches a new high. Keep climbing, Delta. But what does this mean? Well, in the future, Delta wants to make it so you can combine different modes of travel into one journey by better integrating with partners. And to start, it is kicking Lyft to the curb and parterning with Uber instead. Right now, this looks a lot like the Lyft deal in that you’ll be able to earn SkyMiles when you ride on Uber, but as an added bonus, you can now get miles on Uber Eats too. But you can’t even do any of this yet. You have to get on a waitlist for when that is available.
Further, Delta will do the same kind of thing with Joby for its eVTOL service and Wheels Up private jets, apparently, but none of that is happening yet and there were no details.
Watch YouTube Without Ads
I wish I weren’t kidding that this was considered a big announcement, but it is. Soon, travelers who are logged in with their SkyMiles number will be able to watch YouTube with no ads. Watching YouTube in general shouldn’t be an issue with modern, functioning inflight wifi. This just gives it to you without ads.
If that’s not exciting enough for you, get ready for Tom Brady’s new Delta exclusive onboard show called “Well Traveled” which appears designed to be a sleep aid by having Tom talk about how to integrate wellness tips into travel routines.
I’m not joking. This was such a big deal that TB12 himself came on stage to pretend he and Ed are best friends. Or wait, that’s not close enough. After all, Ed called him “brother” after they embraced.
A New Tech IFE System That Others Use
Delta is working with Thales to create the newest iteration of Delta Sync, its inflight entertainment system. It’ll have a fancy 4K OLED screen (something United already signed on for with Panasonic), Bluetooth (something United already has rolled out with United NEXT aircraft), and a ton of storage for content (a system Qatar launched).
With this, Delta says it will not only have a more personalized experience, but it’ll be “hyper-personalized.” A lot of this is likely fluff or far off in the future, but one thing that I do actually like is live translation of flight attendant announcements. Except, wait, it’s not actually that:
Flight attendants will have the ability to send specific messages to seatback screens and translate them into customers’ preferred language, marking an important step forward on the path to deliver even more robust and dynamic personalized in-flight communication capabilities in the future.
Delta and Airbus Will Do… Something
This is the oddest of the releases. Delta is going to be a partner with Airbus’s UpNext innovation lab, and Airbus is going to invest on production of sustainable aviation fuel in Minnesota.
UpNext is just how Airbus trials new tech. That’s all well and good, but there is no tangible benefit for Delta travelers at any point in the near or likely even medium-term future. Airlines participate in these kinds of trials, so this is nothing earth-shattering.
Did you see anything that impressed you? Because to me this looked like a big wish list of nebulous things that may or not ever happen. There’s not even a clear end-benefit, just a vague promise of future seamless travel. That as a general idea is fine, but there was nothing here that I found particularly exciting or appealing.
I assume this was just an attempt at continuing to tie the Delta brand to being upscale and revolutionary. If it’s a world that’s all about how things look, not what they do, then Delta may have won the battle. But that is not a world I live in. I care about real leaps forward in the experience, something that would make me want to pay more to fly Delta. I did not see anything even remotely like that.
51 comments on “Delta Makes a Spectacular, Amazing, Astounding Announcement About… Nothing”
With all due respect, the burning of Southern California is of far more significance than anything at the CES or from Delta
The impacts of the S. California fires will have enormous long-term impact to that part of the country.
Mr. Dunn, you need to create your own Blog since you always seem to want to show the readers of Cranky how right you always are. Of course, the events in Los Angeles are tragic, but this is an airline Blog which thousands of people enjoy reading and learning from its content and humor. One cannot spend 24/7 listening to reports on the latest tragedy as we need to balance it with our everyday life responsibilities. This is Cranky’s business, and he is correctly focused on his business model. I suggest you request Cranky to remove your ill-advised comment and ask Cranky if he could do an article at a later time about how the wildfires in the LA basin affected airline traffic. I hope you find some peace and “Joy” in your life.
I’m not questioning what Cranky chooses to write.
I am saying that there are things in life that supersede anything that happens in the airline industry. The CA fires have completely overtaken the news cycle. whatever DL or any other company announces at CES is being buried by far more impactful news of the CA fires. The actual properly losses will far exceed DL’s revenues which are higher than any other airline in the world.
S. California is one of the largest air travel markets in the world and the reasons for the fires can’t be fixed overnight. The United States DOES bear impact of disasters JOINTLY. That has also been true even if one part of the country bears a disproportionate impact. I can’t think of a major disaster that has impacted a major metro region to the degree this one has – with the possible exception of some of the major CA earthquakes.
It is beyond heartbreaking what is happening in CA. Nothing the airline industry could do or say right now comes close to mattering.
Okayyyyy, but I think you are confused about what this site is. It is not CNN, BBC, or Fox. It’s a site focused on the travel industry. If you want updates on world events, there are other places you can go to.
@ Eric R,
As much as Tim’s insane rantings drive us all crazy over how great Delta is, He is not wrong here. Oh sure it’s way off topic but he acknowledged what’s really important. So this time I’m not going to be as critical of his lunacy & neither should everyone else here.
“The actual properly losses will far exceed DL’s revenues which are higher than any other airline in the world.”
The most Tim Dunn statement of all time. Even when lamenting a tragedy, can’t miss an opportunity to tout Delta’s superiority.
I agree with you statement that comments on the LA fires don’t really belong here (this is an airline industry blog, not a catastrophic disaster blog); however, I often find Tim’s commentary entertaining whether or not I agree. We all have some airlines that we favor over others and it doesn’t bother me at all that Tim is Delta’s biggest fan. Now who will step forward and give rave rewiews for Spirit?
@Patrick: Spirit has the best top elite tier of any airline in the US.
I think this is the first time I have even seen “Spirit” and “elite” in the same sentence
@RKC,
As much as Tim’s RA of Delta drives me crazy, he is correct as far as the wildfires are concerned. A natural disaster such as this is far more important than any non-innovation at Delta, so give him credit where it is do.
When someone starts with the all due respect… something dumb is going to follow. BTW Cranky lives in the LA area.
With all due respect, this is the greatest non-sequitur from a man full of them.
I think Covid-19 had a far bigger impact on air travel than the Los Angeles ever will. However Covid dusappeared from the news cycle about 3 years ago. The Los Angeles fires will disappear from the news cycle as well.
This is EXTREMELY true. The number of people, families who lost property could be in the 15,000 person range. A tragic loss (and I live in LA). However this is literally not significant in a county of 9.6 million.
This is a limited disaster. The “Big One” will be the eye opener.
So, following that logic, Delta probably should have just cancelled its big CES event to let us all focus on the wildfires.
Exactly. Just like his beloved Delta, he also enjoys making something out of nothing.
The LA fires will take a significant, measurable bite out of US GDP, push the unemployment rate up temporarily, and will add inflationary pressures. The fires are a national tragedy and are already being politicized by the incoming grifter in chief. Who really cares about Delta’s hubris?
2500 buildings to date have been damaged. It’s not a massive hit to the GDP. Come on.
Information is not a zero sum game. We can talk about one thing while another thing is going on. Your endless toady-ism towards everything Delta got old a long time ago.
The faux concern for the fires as a way to try to divert criticism of Delta is a new low for you.
Seems like even you can’t somehow defend Delta from this “innovative” release.
In my years of working between Delta and United, the only thing Delta has done with innovation is marketing and how they sell/present things like this
Don’t forget the part where Delta is also adding a sports gambling component to the IFE in partnership with Draft Kings. That truly is a first. And icky as hell.
And the Uber bit seems to limit earnings only for premium rides, so that’s also pretty crappy.
I hadn’t seen that. Isn’t gambling on US-registered planes illegal? Is this tie-in something besides sports betting per se?
Seth – You’re right, my deepest apologies! As someone who hates sports gambling so much, this one just made me bristle. But then again, a ton of people are addicted, so they’ll undoubtedly love filling Delta’s coffers with this deal.
Uber, yeah, only UberX if you’re going to and from an airport which isn’t great.
Does this mean I can gamble if Delta will have another tech meltdown by the end of the year???
1. Tom Brady is a dud on Fox. I can’t see his show on Delta being any better. So no value to me
2. Delta was known in the past for superior customer service. With Ed removing many of these touch points and replace them with phone ins or some immature “AI” has a decreased value to me. It will be no different than using AI with AA or UA.
3. Ed’s new seat back technology screams of additional costs to the pax. Ed can’t be trusted.
4. Because of the changes that Ed made last year my company moved most of their biz travel to UA. It’s not at DA’s service level but it’s not that far behind. And UA is already doing a lot of this.
Delta is bent on become a “lifestyle brand” more than anything else. All of this theater is nice (and makes for easy PR), but that money would be better spent investing in the backend IT and internal systems/equipment.
Isn’t Lifestyle a condom brand?
Nothing but pure marketing.
As long as there headlines about Delta, this can be considered a success.
“Watching YouTube without ads” during a flight may add value to some, but I’d argue that most people who are going to watch YouTube on a flight already have log saved lists of videos on their YouTube accounts or (**gasp**) know to plan ahead and download videos before their flight.
When a company as large as Delta is promoting a “free” feature that can be had for $13.99/month (YouTube premium, which I’ve paid for for many years) or for FREE (with browser extensions etc, from what I’ve been told), it’s appropriate to call the announcement out as complete ridiculous fluff IMHO.
“ The idea is that customers can ask questions and get answers. It will also “eventually anticipate customers’ needs, provide contextualized guidance and take actions on customers’ behalf.” Note that word “eventually.” ”
Finally some use case for Matthew McConaughey‘s silly SalesForce ad.
Yes, a big announcement this week about nothing. However, what CES-relevant things are there that would have a substantial impact on travellers in general ?
“Delta Makes a Spectacular, Amazing, Astounding Announcement About… Nothing”
Said every press release of this type ever.
It “uses generative AI to create seamless and personalized moments while making a customer’s journey easier”
A “personalized moment” brought to you by a machine running specialized computer software. That’s exactly what I want when I’m travelling. I’ll bet Ed wishes he could replace all of the FA’s with robots.
Give him time…
Yes, more “innovation” for the sake of “innovation.”
I had the DL app error for me after a rebooking this weekend and wouldn’t give me a boarding pass for my connection. In flight tried the chat agent who couldn’t get it to work. I asked at my origin and the response from 2 red coats was “ask in ATL”
In ATL, I thought well, look, there’s the service desk with 4 agents. Nobody in line or at the counter. No, you can’t join the line.
Yes: Innovation: Scan the QR code on a sign, go to a web form and join the virtual queue. Put in what you need, name, phone, email, PNR…. then wait to get called forward to join the actual physical line. What if you can’t scan the QR or don’t have internet access? Uhh… you have to scan the QR code!
I got 4 emails, 2 text messages. Got called up a minute later to stand in line. I then had to rehash all of the above to the agent, prove I couldn’t get the app to work, and she printed a boarding pass.
Yes DL innovation… take the most basic customer transaction in the airline business and make it take 8 times longer than it did 25 years ago. Delta Difference.
By the way, when I turned my phone on at my final destination, I was advised that I was next in line for the service desk and asked if I still needed help.
It makes me laugh that Tom Brady (an athlete) bothered to wear dress shoes with his suit, while Ed wore those stupid Nikes with his ill-fitting pants. Way to embrace cool, Ed.
Youtube without ads might be the most clever thing in the entire announcement. Delta knows how many customers are on youtube inflight and can estimate the amount of bandwidth used on ads. Paying youtube directly instead of having passengers watch ads could be a cheap way to increase bandwidth available and make passengers happier.
I’m not sure that logic works. If a passenger watches Youtube without ads, he probably won’t stop streaming that much earlier. Instead, he’ll just watch another video that much sooner. I suspect people on planes mostly watch Youtube to fill up a given amount of time, rather than watching a set number of videos.
Every business school leadership textboook will tell you the importance of celebrating every win. So the CEO is celebrating even the most boring of “new” tech.
Nick – There’s nothing wrong with celebrating every win, but there is something wrong with spending millions of dollars (I wish I knew the exact amount) to celebrate something so mediocre.
Couldn’t say it better Cranky! There’s a Weird Al song called “Mission Statement” that uses nearly every corporate buzzword you could imagine. It is from the album “mandatory Fun” & is in the style of Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Couldn’t say it better Cranky! There’s a Weird Al song called “Mission Statement” that uses nearly every corporate buzzword you could imagine. It is from the album “mandatory Fun” & is in the style of Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Boring announcement from a boring airline. One way to describe it would be as “Marketing Flatulence”.
Oh, quit being aggressive passive! LOL
If they were so interested in technology, why is their app so far behind United’s in terms of functionality? I guess you can’t press release modest upgrades to app in order to make it suck less so easy Ed isn’t interested. But for the price of this shenanigan and bringing on Tom Brady to do nothing, they probably could have closed that gap. Their shareholders should be worried about the focus, or lack thereof, of their leadership team.
DL had to make a rule in its ops control center about Outlook profile photos after so many dispatchers changed their photo to Tom Brady.
So that makes it a good expenditure?
Lol. Awesome.
United has consistently led the way in terms of technology and DL’s pathetic announcements are just another example of how far UA’s ahead of AA and DL. As a UA flyer who occasionally flies AA and DL, I am shocked at the lack of functionality on the app compared to UA. Rebooking? No problem. Travel disruption? Here’s your voucher. Map to your next gate? Done. AA and DL just can’t seem to get these things right.
‘d more impressed if Delta improved app functionality instead of meaningless things like “seamless travel.” I can already book intermodal travel (i.e. Connect in BRU to a train to Antwrep on the same ticket and oh, by the way, if delayed, SNCB still honors it). That’s actually something useful. DL claims to offer rail connections but requires a different website, check in process, etc. Might as well just book it separately.
DL could offer SO much more but they seem to be obsessed with the hype of Tom Brady and meaningless announcements than things that truly improve the travel experience. Thank god they’re finally introducing bluetooth which UA has had for how many years now?
I wonder who is in charge of the marketing budget at Delta… this seemed like a LOT of money was spent, and for what? Does this fall under “brand awareness” — “Brand building” ?? And I’m being totally serious.
Did Delta do anything on the tiktox, Instagram, FB Threads, etc?
The photo had me hopeful the widget livery was coming back. That’s really all the innovation I need.