Delta Woos Hollywood Elite With Invite-Only 'Party Plane'
Mar 10, 2015, 11:00 pm
#1
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Delta Woos Hollywood Elite With Invite-Only 'Party Plane'
Everyone on Delta Airlines Inc.’s 11:30 a.m. flight from Los Angeles to the South by Southwest festival on Friday will get expedited security processing, complimentary cocktails and a chance to win first-class tickets to London and New York.
Good luck booking a seat. This is an invitation-only junket to Austin, Texas, part of Delta’s bid to grab more of the entertainment industry’s travel business, which the carrier estimates is worth $1 billion a year.
The handpicked high-fliers paid $247 each to rub shoulders and share armrests on a new Boeing Co. 737-900ER. Delta’s not identifying the passengers, but when it dispatched a special jetliner to the Sundance Film Festival in February, those on board included actors Kristen Wiig and Emile Hirsch.
“It was a party plane,” said Gary Michael Walters, chief executive officer of Bold Films, a producer of “Whiplash,” the Oscar-winning movie. “It was very much a club of people who are significant players in the business. To have them all pre-assembled, it jump-started the film festival for me.”
Good luck booking a seat. This is an invitation-only junket to Austin, Texas, part of Delta’s bid to grab more of the entertainment industry’s travel business, which the carrier estimates is worth $1 billion a year.
The handpicked high-fliers paid $247 each to rub shoulders and share armrests on a new Boeing Co. 737-900ER. Delta’s not identifying the passengers, but when it dispatched a special jetliner to the Sundance Film Festival in February, those on board included actors Kristen Wiig and Emile Hirsch.
“It was a party plane,” said Gary Michael Walters, chief executive officer of Bold Films, a producer of “Whiplash,” the Oscar-winning movie. “It was very much a club of people who are significant players in the business. To have them all pre-assembled, it jump-started the film festival for me.”
Who gets to sit in FC?
Mar 11, 2015, 2:49 am
#4
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Using this would have made more sense:
https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...9-31c-vip.html
https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...9-31c-vip.html
Mar 11, 2015, 4:51 am
#6
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Nice idea, but they're digging deep on the elite list if the invite goes to a recent MBA grad associate at a VC shop, who is quoted in the article.
The real A listers are flying private.
For SXSW they should have run it from SFO.
The real A listers are flying private.
For SXSW they should have run it from SFO.
Mar 11, 2015, 5:37 am
#7
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Mar 11, 2015, 5:40 am
#8
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Yeah should've used one of the VIP configured planes they use for other events like flying sports teams around. But if their goal was to pack in the most amount of people they can, then the 739 was an appropriate choice.
Mar 11, 2015, 1:25 pm
#11
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More likely, Delta offers outstanding, over-the-top service in the hope that some people who book travel for others in the entertainment industry will be duped into thinking that is how everyone is treated every time. Put a few folks who get in front of the camera on the plane to increase hype.
Mar 11, 2015, 2:10 pm
#12
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Is it possible that the A/C was not in normal service configuration but in some custom configuration (say for example, with all 75 D1 seating) for this particular service?
Mar 11, 2015, 6:26 pm
#14
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As an aside, no intelligent management agency would encourage more than a few of its clients to participate. There is a concept called risk management where valuable employees do not fly on the same plane or ride in the same vehicle. One doesn't want to lose the revenue stream if there is an unfortunate event.
Mar 11, 2015, 6:41 pm
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The 180 passengers will bypass most airport hassles on Friday, with special check-in and security lanes, and be treated to a pre-flight brunch by the restaurant Lemonade at Los Angeles International Airport. Everyone will receive a subscription to Spotify’s premium music streaming service and a gift from Columbia Sportswear. Amenity kits will be packed with several items, including from the skincare company Malin + Goetz. Wi-fi will be free on board.