Delta Air Lines to make entertainment change travelers will like
The airline is offering new perks to those who sign on with their loyalty account.
While being able to stay connected throughout one's flight was at one point a novelty, airlines are increasingly finding themselves having to keep up with competitors who have taken the leap and started offering free Wi-Fi on their flights.
In April, American Airlines (AAL) became the last main U.S. airline to commit to rolling out free in-flight Wi-Fi on all its flights.
Delta Air Lines (DAL) was the first to offer free Wi-Fi for anyone who logs into a SkyMiles account on domestic flights in 2023 — Wi-Fi access is also how airlines get travelers to create loyalty program accounts — while United Airlines (UAL) followed with the same offer to MileagePlus members a few months later in 2024.
While the rollout can sometimes not extend to older aircraft that are a few years away from being retired, the vast majority of flights with mainstream airlines now offer at the very least free messaging to passengers.
YouTube without ads? Delta Air Lines partnership to give passengers plane access for free
After signing a new partnership with internet provider T-Mobile (TMUS) earlier in the year, Delta has just announced a second deal with Google (GOOGL) -owned streaming platform YouTube.
The partnership will allow Delta to feature both videos and music playlists on its plane seatback entertainment systems and give SkyMiles members access to ad-free streaming through YouTube Premium.
Travelers who already have an account will be able to log into it like they would on their tablet or computer. Those who do not will be able to access the 14-day free trial on either a personal device or through the seatback screens without putting down a payment method like one would to get the free trial outside a plane.
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"This partnership was born from a simple but powerful insight: Our customers love YouTube," Delta's Vice President of In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity Julieta McCurry said in a release.
YouTube Vice President of Partnerships Miguel Quiroga also said in a statement that the goal was to launch more "ways to experience YouTube's top creators, culture-defining podcasts, and fan-favorite music content." Image source: Delta Air Lines
Mr. Beast, Nick DiGiovanni, and Mother Goose Club: Free YouTube content coming to Delta planes
"It's designed for premium and longform content in nature that's generally widely popular and suited for in-flight viewing," Quiroga said further.
The selection of seatback content accessible without signing up or logging into one's loyalty account includes videos from popular YouTube personnalities such as Mr. Beast, Nick DiGiovanni, Kinigra Deon, and nursery rhyme channel Mother Goose Club for the youngest passengers.
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The new content will be available on aircraft with entertainment systems from Sept. 25, while the free YouTube Premium access will be accessible from Oct. 1.
The YouTube Music playlists will, meanwhile, feature rotating playlists of songs selected by Delta flight attendants for specific "travel moods."
United secured a similar partnership with music streaming platform Spotify (SPOT) back in June, and JetBlue Airways (JBLU) also offers travelers curated song playlists.
The partnerships also give the airlines access to podcasts available through the streaming platforms with which they secured contracts — in Delta's case, ones available through YouTube Podcasts.
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