NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
DELTA AIR LINES SUSTAINABILITY
Delta has “been a leader on sustainability for some time”, according to Spyak, who says: “We were the first airline to cap our emissions at 2012 levels and last year became the first carbon neutral global airline through a robust carbon-offset programme. “But offsets are only going to
Left: Shane Spyak, Delta managing director for international sales Above and right: Delta’s new Premium Select premium economy cabin on US flights offers wider seats with extra legroom and recline, adjustable head and footrests, a larger screen, SkyPriority check-in, security and baggage handling, dedicated overhead storage and TUMI amenity kit.
200+
Number of aircraft retired since pandemic
for passengers who connect from continental Europe. “All our aircraft serving London
will have a four-cabin offering – main cabin, Delta Comfort+ which comes with additional legroom, a premium economy product called Delta Premium Select, and our Delta One cabin which is fantastic.” He points out: “We’ve seen
premium rebound faster than the main cabin and Premium Select is great value if you’re not willing to jump all the way to Delta One.” The pandemic has brought some
changes, not least the emphasis on cleaning, “which was a priority anyway” he says. “But we had to
travelweekly.co.uk
get us so far. To really make an impact we need to stop emissions at source. So we’re doing a lot of work with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to get to a path towards limiting emissions. “We retired 200 less fuel-efficient aircraft and have new Airbus A350 and A330 aircraft coming into the fleet which are 25% more fuel efficient. “We’ve also committed to
escalate that to a different level. It is important agents know so they can convey to travellers that they should feel confident travelling.” Spyak adds: “Refunds outpaced
anything we’d ever seen. So we took steps to put control in travellers’ hands so if they need to make a change they don’t need to wait on hold to talk to somebody, they can go to the website. “Over 80% of the transactions we
had to do via phone can now be done on our website or app.” But at the same time, he says:
“There are many people who want to call their agent, want to talk to somebody, want to consult on the experience – ‘Can I get into the US? Do I have the right material? What kind of test am I going to need?’ “Agents are absolutely critical.
We want to make sure they feel fully informed. I imagine not a lot have seen what travel is like these days so
we want to ensure they understand the changes.” He insists: “Travel is safe and fully
enabled for vaccinated travellers. We want to ensure it’s as simple to understand as possible. The requirements changed all the time. It was really complicated and difficult to stay on top of. But we seem to be coalescing around rules that seem to be sticking. This is a permanent change to the industry, but we’re all going to get better at this over time. “Between Delta and Virgin
•
Atlantic, we can get you to where you want to go in the US. We fly direct to seven of the top-10 US destinations and can connect you to 200 more. We’re ready to take you where you need to go with the great service you’ve come to expect from Delta and Virgin. We’re looking forward to a great 2022.”
Delta has a Delta Professional site for agents at:
pro.delta.co.uk
using 10% sustainable aviation fuel [SAF] by 2030. The problem with SAF is supply. The worldwide supply would only fuel Delta’s 2019 operation for a day. So we need to focus on building supply. We’ll buy 300,000 gallons of SAF this year, growing to 70 million by 2025. There is no perfect solution. So we’re investing in next-gen technologies. We’ve committed to investing $1 billion over the next 10 years.”
US TRAVEL AND FACE MASKS
Face masks remain a requirement when flying and in US public spaces. Spyak notes: “Passengers will have to wear a mask at the airport and on the plane, likely in the transport they take to their hotel and in the lobby. It’s common-sense precautions. In public spaces, people generally wear masks unless there is some testing protocol in place. If you go to a restaurant you’re free to take your mask off once you sit at a table.”
28 OCTOBER 2021
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