Taking a page from its Song book, Delta Air Lines this fall is unveiling new digital entertainment systems for all passengers on domestic transcontinental flights. The carrier is launching the new features first on its fleet of former Song aircraft, which comprised 48 Boeing 757s, for flights from its New York and Atlanta hubs. Delta is reconfiguring those aircraft—which Song operated as all-coach products—into two-class offerings, changing their 199-seat configurations to 184 seats, 26 of which will be in the first class cabin.
Bankrupt Delta last October said it would "merge" its low-fare Song service into domestic mainline service as part of an effort to "tap the best features" of both operations
(BTNonline, Oct. 28, 2005).Delta said that between September and November it will retrofit about 18 aircraft per month with the new entertainment system, which offers 24 live TV channels and music, video games, interactive services and a rotating roster of 20 movies.
Delta plans to expand the product to more than 100 aircraft in the next two years, and specifically gear it to customers traveling more than 1,750 miles or four hours. Delta COO Jim Whitehurst this month during a conference call said the focus of the new offering is on domestic long-haul, but aircraft with upgraded cabins would appear in other markets—even short-haul ones—depending on aircraft rotation schedules. Delta also is upgrading international products
(BTN, July 17)."Song had a great product but only one class," he said, adding that installing premium class seats in the former Song fleet would appeal to business travelers.
Delta's Song and United's Ted, carriers within carriers designed to rival the likes of JetBlue with one-class, low-fare services, have embarked on different paths since their launches—Song in early 2003 and Ted in early 2004. While Song spent the past year being woven back into mainline operations, Ted expanded under its own flag.
Ted by the end of 2004 operated 47 156-seat Airbus A320 aircraft in primarily western cities. United expanded Ted's fleet to 56 aircraft last year by converting nine A320s to Ted's configuration. United earlier this year said Ted, in less than two years of its launch, had grown by 20 percent.
United this month launched a dual-end jet bridge, which allows passengers to board and deplane simultaneously from the front and rear doors on narrow-body aircraft, for one gate in Denver that serves Ted aircraft. The carrier said five such jet bridges would be installed this year, "with future systems planned throughout the Ted network in 2007 and beyond, after operational testing is complete."