Last year Delta launched the latest in its recent series of black and white TV ads called “Up.” Have you seen the ad posted above on TV (I’ve seen it at last three times in the last week.) There are some great cameos of ATL and Sky Clubs that should look familiar to business travelers.
Donald Sutherland smoothly tells us that Delta is “raising the bar on flying.”
And I have to say, I think he’s right. Delta really has improved over the last five years, especially when compared to its peers. Sure, it has its share of technical malfunctions (hello award booking site), grumpy staff and aging aircraft. And everyone’s taken a jab at its new revenue-based SkyMiles program. Flyers in captive hubs like Atlanta, Detroit or Salt Lake City love to complain about the 800-lb-gorilla out at the airport.
But that’s changing. More often than not, I’m pleased when I ride on a shiny, clean new plane or enjoy a bright new Sky Club. I like getting some sleep in lie-flat business class and appreciate the smile and sincere hospitality of a southern accented flight attendant. I’m especially cognizant of it after flying Delta’s legacy competitors. And I hear praise for Delta from folks in cities with broad airline choice, like New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco.
I’m not alone in my appreciation of Delta’s improvements in recent years. The stock market loves Delta. Corporate travel managers consistently say that Delta is their most valuable airline partner. It made the largest net profit in airline history in 2013. It was the highest ranking legacy carrier in the widely discussed “Airline Quality Rating” for 2013.
The media and analysts are pretty much sold on Delta, too.“They did a great job, they delivered a great product, and they’re getting paid for it,” said Helane Becker of Cowen & Co regarding Delta’s recent string of profits. Among airline observers and pundits, Delta is now considered the current king of the hill…the one to beat.
What do you think? Has Delta improved? Is it really raising the bar on flying? What do you think of the “Up” campaign? Please leave your comments below.
–Chris McGinnis
I just flew them in April coast to coast r/t in Economy and I was amazed at how clean and spacious the aircraft was and how pleasant the experience was.
I already paid several hundred dollars more for the first class ticket. Use of the lounge should come with that.
Why is it wrong that you should pay for food and drinks that you wish to consume? Delta is a business, they are not a food bank
I reside in the ATL hub with the 8,000 lb gorilla and I have no qualms with Delta. The one thing they changed that has annoyed me more then anything has been the changes only if original fare bucket is open, and one person into the SkyClub as a Diamond. The fare bucket makes it a hassle, hard for agents to explain and ridiculous., The SkyClub change seems to convey business travelers travel alone, or are willing to pay.
I do like the new Global Upgrades and their Social Media team under Jerry Fletcher is not only best in aviation but spanning across multiple industries.
After years of international travel and now retired, I’m a DL 2 million miler and thus a lifetime gold, no longer amember of the Sky Clubs. When flying internationally in Business Elite, I have use of the Sky Club lounges and partner lounges. However, when flying on a first class domestic ticket, with 2 or 3 hour layovers in MSP, DTW, ATL, etc. I cannot use the lounges unless I pay a $50 charge. I believe that is wrong. As I fly only DL, I have no idea whether other airlines have the same policy. On the positive side, other than this one issue, I love DL.
Agree with Kirk as far as product and service goes Delta is by far the best legacy Airline. With phasing out the dreaded CRJ200 is only getting better. Biggest issue to me is the IT issues.
At least in terms of US airlines, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Delta is best, and by a considerable margin! I had some terrible experiences with them during the merger, but in the last 18 months I’ve been impressed repeatedly. The fleet-wide wifi and fleet-wide business class lie flat with direct aisle access is great. The rapid phase-out of 50-seat RJs that is currently going on is impressive too. Customer service is better than any other US airline by a mile and a half.
I’ve always enjoyed flying with Delta and I have never encountered any of their “grumpy staff”.