Delta to Offer ‘Welcome Drink’ to Coach Passengers on Long Haul Flights

(Bloomberg) -- As airlines boost profits by packing more passengers into smaller spaces, lengthy international trips have become increasingly cramped and miserable. Delta Air Lines Inc. hopes a refreshing drink and a nicer dinner setting will help make up for all that.

Starting Nov. 5 in the coach class cabin of international trips of more than 6.5 hours, the Atlanta-based carrier will start off each flight offering coach passengers a free peach and sparkling wine cocktail or bottled water, a hot towel for freshening up and an updated menu for on-board meals. Food will be served on a small platter instead of a traditional tray, with a place mat. Dessert and coffee will be served separately.

“We're providing choices with elements of service to distract people from feeling like they're stuck in a metal tube for 10 hours,” said Jaime Jewell, director for inflight brand strategy and customer experience. “It's really about trying to take the airplane out of the experience a little bit.”

Flight attendants, some of whom helped design the new service, will be chattier and engage more with passengers, she said. The service was tested on more than 700 Delta flights between Portland and Tokyo over the past year.

Delta declined to say how much it spent developing the new service.

See also: Delta Rises After Reporting Preliminary 2nd Quarter Results

The carrier last year retained nine-abreast coach seating when it began updating its 18 Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft used on international flights, instead of switching to a 10-across model adopted by some airlines. All of the planes will have been updated by the end of this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at maryc.s@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Case at bcase4@bloomberg.net, Susan Warren, Tony Robinson

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