Delta's luxury brand - Page 6 (2024)

PilotWombat

Joined APC: Jun 2019

Position: Currently freeloading

Posts: 532

I just don't get this view. I fly our D1 product often (as in, a few times a month). I also fly internationally, so I get the meals D1 gets. Look, our food could be much better and certainly much more diverse. No argument there. I don't fly other airlines to compare to the quality of our international competitors. But it is still objectively pretty good food. Probably worth high $20's, into the $30s at a restaurant for the entree alone. Add in the appetizers, dessert, and drinks, and you'd easily be paying $80-100 for the same meal at a restaurant. Luxury? Maybe not. But certainly not "gross".

We pay a lot more attention to the negative aspects because we see it more often and because we don't really have any other options.

nonrev dad

Joined APC: Jan 2016

Position: usually middle seat on 737

Posts: 45

...plain and simple it's marketing, and it plays up to those who pay more, e.g. those 60+ folks seated forward of Main Cabin. The 160+ folks back in Main Cabin would have a difficult time thinking "luxury" when the fidgety teen in the seat ahead fully reclines into your face and knees on a long haul. It's simply transportation for the Basic Economy traveler at the lowest price they can find, they're not looking for luxury.

It's the way things work in our society, follow and cater to the money.

FangsF15

Joined APC: Sep 2011

Posts: 4,545

Luxury is a relative term. Mercedes is a luxury brand to the masses, until you put it in the context of a Bentley. But how many people are buying Bentely's? How big is that market, really? In the real world, no one should scoff that Mercedes offeres a Luxury product. So I submit it is appropriate for DL to use the term, at least in a real-world context. Comparing it to the most extreme of examples is silly, IMO. We are not, nor shall ever be, a ME3 with a shower in a suite. DL's market understands that among it's actual peerset, they are a (slightly) upscale brand - or at least market themselves that way. "Premium" is a word managment likes to use.

We do not actually compete against Singapore or the ME3. They have a true "First Class", while in that context we only have a Business Class. But To a "Western" - and certainly to an American - audience, Delta 1 (or Polaris, or...) are First Class. Some will get absoultely wrapped around the axle about not caling that Business Class - whatever. To all but a tiny, tiny handful of people in the world (and a few AA folks who tout thier "Flagship First"), DL has a First Class luxury product.

Nantonaku

Joined APC: Dec 2013

Posts: 2,252

Respectfully, what are you smoking? This is just flat out not even close to reality. Unless you are pounding alcohol as fast as you can get a FA to serve you - which is not going to be faster than a snails pace. The service in D1 is always disappointing (not sure if this is because they know you are a non-rev but from what I see a large majority of FA’s are just flat out rude) and the food is sub par. You would never get served a small salad with nuts at a restaurants where you are paying $100 per person. Not even a restaurant at an $30 price point is going to give you salad dressing in a packet. And any restaurant at that price point is going to treat you like a human being. Not a FA who is trying to finish service as fast as humanly possible. The D1 product needs a lot of improvement on all levels.

ancman

Joined APC: Jul 2022

Posts: 785

This is one of the bizarre elements of Delta culture. It’s the only airline I’ve worked for where many employees (particularly FAs and gate agents) look down on fellow employees and put customers on a higher pedestal. I get the importance of prioritizing customers, but to me other employees will always come first.

The best FAs here are happy to let us choose our crew meals first, even if it means telling a couple first class passengers that they are out of a particular choice. If management doesn’t like that, they can choose to let us pre-order meals like United does.

crewdawg

Joined APC: Jul 2006

Posts: 5,640

Unfortunately, the old Pan-Am FA's are all going to be retired soon.

170Till5

Joined APC: Feb 2022

Posts: 530

a captains buddy bought a D1 ticket and the FA saw the D1 passenger and captain being buddy buddy and assumed the D1 pax was a non-rev and gave him worse service / didn’t give the full D1 service due to this. She was embarrassed as hell once she found out he paid for the ticket

ancman

Joined APC: Jul 2022

Posts: 785

Definitely. The ones I’ve met have all offered perfect examples of how to take care of fellow employees first, while still providing excellent service to the passengers.

It’s a shame that their culture has been replaced with one of “offer all meal choices to the FC passengers first, then to all other FAs, then to all FA non-reving friends in economy, then to all FA cats, then maybe to the pilots right at TOD (only if time is still available after writing the pilots up for something).”

m3113n1a1

Joined APC: Apr 2018

Posts: 3,104

I've noticed this even commuting on other airlines, the FAs always offer me a big water and ask if I need anything to drink/eat before they serve other pax. At Delta even if I'm working the flight I have to go sneak myself a big water from the back before the FAs arrive!

Herkflyr

Joined APC: Jul 2007

Position: Left seat of a little plane

Posts: 2,419

I don't disagree with everything you said, but I think you just shotgun-blasted a lot of gripes. Such as:

So which is it? Is the FA going to give you crappy service at a snails pace, or as fast as humanly possible? Can't be both.

ANSWER: Domestically, answer A is correct, and for transoceanic, Answer B is correct (so they can get to the break quicker)

I agree. However at least lately I have been pleasantly surprised by good service from the FAs for both the passengers and with the pilots. Let's hope it is a trend and not an outlier. The food, however, while pretty good--the FIRST time you eat it--gets real old real fast, and hasn't been changed in ages. That's a disgrace.