\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIf you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.<\/p>\n
\n\tDelta is rolling out a new on-board experience for passengers, that will allow them to view content from YouTube \u2014 including YouTube Premium and YouTube Music \u2014 on their airline\u2019s in-flight entertainment (IFE) system.<\/p>\n
\n\tFirst announced at CES in January, the partnership with YouTube adds a curated selection of the streaming site\u2019s content to Delta\u2019s existing offerings, which include Delta Studios for a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music and audiobooks, plus live TV from DirecTV and more entertainment options. The partnership also allows YouTube access via in-flight WiFi and mobile devices, starting on Thursday, Sept. 25.<\/p>\n
\n\tAccording to Delta officials, traveling from point-A to point-B doesn\u2019t have to be a bore anymore. While more and more people travel with their smartphones and tablets these days to pass the time, airlines like Delta are making sure passengers\u2019 in-flight entertainment experience is just as smooth as the flight itself.<\/p>\n
\n\tDelta\u2019s Managing Director of Engagement & Optimization Sarah Downs says the airline has long been committed to ensuring that the in-flight experience mirrors consuming content at the theater \u2014 or at home. \u201cWe\u2019re giving customers ways to enjoy content from their favorite studios in multiple ways from multiple screens, just like you might do at home,\u201d Downs tells Variety, noting the \u201cpersonalization of the seatback screen\u201d through the airline\u2019s \u2018Delta Sync\u2019 seatback experience.<\/p>\n
\n\tDelta Sync is the airline\u2019s feature that pairs with the company\u2019s mobile app and your seatback display, providing up-to-the-minute information on your flight, arrival times, gate and baggage information and more. It even has a \u201ccontinue watching\u201d feature that lets you pick up where you left off if you\u2019re making a connecting flight, but still want to finish TV episodes of \u201cThe Office,\u201d \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d and \u201cDownton Abbey,\u201d for example, or catch the end of movies, like recent Delta releases, \u201cSinners\u201d and \u201cLilo & Stitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe \u2018Continue Watching\u2019 feature allows customers to continue watching flight over flight, so if you didn\u2019t finish watching a movie on the first leg of your trip, you can pick it up after your layover, or on your return flight,\u201d Downs explains. Delta Sync also offers a media recommendation engine that is \u201cserving up content we think you\u2019ll enjoy,\u201d she says, \u201c[and] creating a more seamless and connected experience from trip-to-trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tOn a recent trip with Delta, we noticed the robust entertainment options with hit movies and TV shows across various genres and styles. However, we were completely surprised with the addition of films from the Criterion Collection, such as \u201cBlood Simple,\u201d \u201cA Brighter Summer Day,\u201d \u201cThe Rules of the Game,\u201d \u201c8 1\/2\u201d and others. These titles are not often found on in-flight entertainment offerings, so their inclusion was a big surprise and delight on long-haul flights. It\u2019s not often you can watch \u201cChungking Express\u201d or \u201cIn The Mood For Love\u201d on a flight to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe addition of those films was intentional, Downs explains. \u201cWe had several collections with \u2018film lover\u2019 organizations [like] Letterboxd, Criterion Channel and The Black List\u2019 [and] we featured those collections to provide some additional diversity to our content offering and to give customers something they wouldn\u2019t necessarily expect to see onboard,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\n\tThat\u2019s in addition to partnering with \u201cmost of the major movie studios to add fresh content monthly,\u201d she continues, adding that \u201cOur curation team works with them and other partners to ensure customers can enjoy the very best content onboard.\u201d Downs says Delta is now also curating from film festivals to provide an even wider selection of movies onboard.<\/p>\n
\n\tMeanwhile, while other airlines are taking away seatback screens and asking customers to use their own mobile devices, Delta is upgrading their own touchscreens with intelligent 4K HDR QLED displays for vivid and sharp picture quality, as well as built-in Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones, and new \u201cdo not disturb\u201d features for more comfortable flights. As part of Delta Sync, the company says aircrafts are now also outfitted with stronger and faster WiFi (free for T-Mobile subscribers) and able to accommodate more entertainment and experience options from Paramount+, YouTube, Crunchyroll, American Express, Spotify, Atlas Obscura, Resy and other brands and services, so you can hit the ground running when you arrive at your destination.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re doubling down on that seatback investment with the coming next-gen Delta Sync seatback platform, which will truly transform the inflight viewing experience,\u201d Downs explains. \u201cWe\u2019re continuing to look for ways to lead the industry in IFE, not just in the number of our seatback screens but in the quality and richness of our overall experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile Delta is seemingly leading the pack with the best in-flight entertainment options \u2014 thanks to their wide selection of movies, TV shows, music and playlists, audiobooks, podcasts, games, live TV, kids entertainment and much more \u2014 it hopes that the wider implementation of Delta Sync will make customer flights smoother and easier, while allowing the airline company to continue to set the bar high.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cA big part of what makes Delta stand out today is our commitment to personalization across the entire customer journey,\u201d says Downs. \u201cOne of our guiding principles is blending smart technology with the warmth of our team to deliver experiences that feel tailored, relevant and meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Delta is rolling out a new on-board experience for passengers, that will allow them to view content from YouTube \u2014 including YouTube Premium and YouTube Music \u2014 on their airline\u2019s in-flight entertainment (IFE) system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[361,4989,7133,14542,5651,1394,1085,1265],"class_list":{"0":"post-23872","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-air","9":"tag-delta","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-inflight","12":"tag-lines","13":"tag-movies","14":"tag-review","15":"tag-youtube"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}