October 13, 2025
Delta Talks Up Leading CX Among US Airlines
Having announced third-quarter operating revenue of $16.7 billion and operating income of $1.7 billion with an operating margin of 10.1% last week, Delta Air Line’s earnings call went into some detail on the customer experience improvements the airline continues to make.
“Delta’s competitive advantages and differentiation have never been more evident, and thanks to the hard work of our people, we continue to elevate the customer experience and extend our industry leadership. We delivered September quarter results at the top end of our expectations on a combination of strong execution and improving fundamentals,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer.
Changing the Delta on Bookings
Depending on where you look, Delta rates great at CX for Premium Economy and Business fliers, but less so for economy. However, it is not hard to guess where the profits are. The news comes on the heels of Delta’s new shopping and booking system that went live at the start of October.
The airline’s new app supports live updates, travel documents insights, supports the airline’s refreshed flight categories: Basic, Classic and Extra for Delta Main, and Classic and Extra for products Delta Comfort and above.
Which presumably means a lot to regular fliers, but effectively means more benefits and simpler bookings. For all customers, or at least those using iPhones, the app features will work alongside the new iOS 26 Apple Wallet for simpler ticket and boarding navigation.
Taking A Better CX Game
On the earnings call, for the US market, Glen Hauenstein President, Delta Air Lines noted that Delta and United drive most US airline profits. “Then you have everybody else. This is not a new phenomenon. This has been happening really since COVID hit over the last four or five years.”
He continued, “There’s a lot about the industry fundamentals that have changed, that we at Delta are driving a much higher level of quality experience, whether it’s reliability, whether it’s the product and services that we offer, whether it’s the partners we’re bringing to the table, whether it’s the expansion internationally.”
The earnings report noted the following CX improvements.
- Launched YouTube as the newest partner to join Delta’s in-flight entertainment experience, bringing access to ad-free content to customers across seatback screens and personal devices
- More than 1 million SkyMiles Members linked their accounts with Uber, making it easier for customers to earn miles in their everyday activities
- Led network peers in the Travel + Leisure 2025 World’s Best Awards survey in its Readers’ 10 Favourite U.S. Airlines list
- Expanded the advanced meal selection option to Delta Comfort customers on select international flights
- Named Best Airline Entertainment winner in the 2025 Rolling Stone Travel Awards
- Continued the roll out of fast, free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles Members with nearly 1,000 aircraft equipped
- Unveiled SHOWCASE, a new, more valuable digital experience for managed corporate travel, rolling out to corporate accounts later this year and replacing the current Delta Professional site.
Premium vs Economy, Only One Winner
Hauenstein followed that up noting Delta’s CXM improvements, “We used to look at the airline at a route level, but that wasn’t really thinking about what’s inside the minds of customers. You know, what makes customers choose Delta over a different carrier? I think the answer is relevance.”
Ed Bastian concluded, highlighting the drive for better CX, “At the heart of our position of industry leadership is a relentless focus on elevating the customer experience. We’re investing across every phase of the journey to make travel with Delta Air Lines more seamless, personalized, and premium, growing our value proposition to customers.”
Delta is the anchor tenant at the new JFK Terminal 4 which has made large strides in improving the passenger experience.
