I have written about the things that American Airlines does well and the things that United Airlines does well. In the spirit of reinforcement, I wanted to share the things that I think Delta Air Lines does well.
Delta is considered to be the best of the big three. I think the airline has lost a bit of its edge, but it still has a lot of advantages.
There are 10 things I like about Delta.
In this post, I am just listing a bunch of things that I like about Delta, and I am not weighing the relative value of each one. This point would be the most important if I were to do that.
Delta employees are more balanced than those at American and United. There is nothing else to say. Delta employees are the most professional and grateful for their customers even though there are some bad employees at other airlines. Delta employees see customers as the reason they get paid.
I have written about that a number of times in the past. Delta employees seem to go the extra mile more often.
While United is slowly adding TVs to most planes, Delta has been consistently winning in this area for years. Most of the airline's narrow body planes have seatback entertainment, and that's something passengers like.
Delta has a higher average age of its fleet than American and United, but it does invest a lot in making its cabins feel fresh.
Delta does a good job of providing inflight internet. Most of the airline's fleet is covered by Viasat or Gogo 2Ku. The airline is on par with American and better than United.
Delta is trying to introduce free inflight wi-fi. The launch is likely to take place in early 2023. The airline is in a good position with the internet.
Delta has a 20-minute bag guarantee. Delta will give you 2,500 SkyMiles if your bag arrives at baggage claim within 20 minutes.
I have found bags with Delta arrive quicker than bags with American and United. I have waited for 45 minutes at American's baggage claim in Miami if I had $1 for every time.
Delta Skymiles is my least favorite frequent flyer program. I give Delta a lot of credit for its frequent flyer program.
If you earn more MQMs than you do in a year, they are rolled over to the next year. This benefit gives members a real incentive to keep flying with the airline after they have qualified. There is a catch that other metrics of elite qualification don't have the same benefits.
Delta is the only airline in the US that counts flying on award tickets as progress towards status. SkyMiles are basically a currency that can be used toward any Delta purchase, so this makes sense.
Frequent flyers on the status hamster wheel don't redeem miles because they feel they need to pay for flights to keep earning status, so this takes some of the sting out of it.
All three of the big three US airlines have advantages when it comes to airport lounges. When you combine access requirements with quality, American Flagship Lounges are the best international lounges offered by a US airline.
The disadvantage is that Delta doesn't have special lounges for international passengers. Delta's Sky Clubs are better than American Admirals Clubs and United Clubs in a number of areas.
Sky clubs have crowding issues like never before, and it's not rare to see a line out the door in order to use a Sky club. It takes away some of the advantages that Sky clubs have.
American seems to be in a constant identity crisis and seems to lack a purpose and vision. This has a negative impact on the carrier's bottom line and leaves employees without motivation and aligned with the mission of the airline.
You have Flagship First Dining on one end of the spectrum, and the least comfortable domestic aircraft on the other.
In my opinion, this is an area where Delta does a better job, and that is why employees are well aligned with the company's goals. Delta doesn't try to be everything to everyone. Delta has consistently delivered good customer service and a pleasant product, whether you are a non-elite in economy or a Diamond Medallion.
The airline makes changes. Delta sets its own goals even though it looks to American and United to do so.
Delta does a good job at pricing its cabins. Delta makes more money per available seat mile than American and United. This can be attributed to the markets the airline serves, and also to the airline just pricing tickets better than the competitors.
Delta has a higher percentage of first class seats than American and United. The price difference between Basic, Main, Comfort+, and First is usually reasonable. Sometimes that isn't the case at other airlines.
The Delta app is better than American's app and on par with United's app. It is a very easy to use app.
Delta Air Lines has a lot of things going for it, from great people and service to a good mobile app. Delta is the most consistently good airline if you are just looking for a good airline.
Delta is imperfect and has a few weaknesses. The overall value of the frequent flyer program, the most disappointing long haul business class product of the big three carriers, and belonging to the weakest global airline alliance, among other things, are included.
What do you think about Delta Air Line?
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