Originally Posted by
itsaboutthejourney
Do you not see the investments Delta has been making in the lobby experience? The gate houses? Aircraft?
ATL F, JFK T4, LAX T5, LGA, MSP F, SEA S.... Things like power poles. A steady remodel of the SkyClubs. Wifi in EVERY aircraft with an F cabin. Cabin refreshes. Training staff about HVCs. Lots of IT stuff happening in the background to improve staff ability to handle customers quickly and efficiently. There are many more examples. Delta is indeed investing in its product. As DL management have taken a risk in taking a few cents from their current bottom line to make these investments, I believe they will pay off.
The payoff will likely involve attracting more high-paying customers, which will displace some low-spend FT'ers and I think the tone of this forum reflects that is already happening.
Originally Posted by
nfg05
Exactly. Couldn't agree more. DL is leading the way among US carriers in product investment and that means the end of low-fare paying, high-benefit mooching. Was fun while it lasted.
For sure. I've been saying for quite a while now that the actual flight experience doesn't differ dramatically from one major U.S. carrier to another (DL, UA, AA). They fly basically the same airplanes by the same rules. How different can it be?
The story on the ground is another matter altogether. That's where you see real differences. And Delta's gigantic investments in ground facilities -- both major and minor things, from completely new terminals to power strips -- set Delta apart and at the head of the class. Considering that I spend almost as much time in airport terminals as in airplanes, this matters a lot to me. And Delta remains my primary airline, despite the fact that they continue to nibble away at certain valuable benefits, like the Skymiles program.
Bruce