Starbucks Coffee almost in and of itself translates to customer engagement. The iconic, immensely popular global brand will now receive more prominent attention on Delta Air Lines flights.
Delta Air Lines and Starbucks Coffee Company announced that Delta will extend its existing service of Starbucks® coffee onboard every Delta and Delta Connection flight around the globe. Delta officially began serving Starbucks® Pike Place® Roast and Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew Italian Roast decaf on its fleet of 1,270 aircraft, on Feb. 1.
Last year, the airline and its partners operated more than 1.8 million flights, carrying 170 million passengers to 330 destinations in 64 countries worldwide.
Delta initially partnered with Starbucks in 2013 to offer coffee to customers traveling on select cross-country and West Coast Shuttle flights. Now, Starbucks Coffee will be served on more than 5,000 daily Delta flights.
“We began offering it on about 24 flights in 2013 (LAX-SFO, JFK-LAX and SFO),” Delta Air Lines spokesman Anthony Black explained to Loyalty360. “Customers really enjoyed it and asked if we would extend it to other flights. Delta is committed to exploring ways in which we can enhance the overall customer experience, and adding Starbucks is consistent with our ongoing efforts to enhance the onboard experience (food, beverage, seats and entertainment) and affirm Delta’s commitment to providing our customers with industry-leading amenities.”
Delta will host a social media-based contest on Instagram and Twitter through Feb. 8 asking travelers: “If you could fly anywhere Delta flies and enjoy Starbucks® coffee along the way, where would you go?”
Entrants will be asked to write their desired destinations on a coffee cup and upload a photo to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #DeltaCupContest to enter. The winner will be selected at random to receive a ticket to anywhere Delta flies.
What’s more, Delta has commissioned artists from around the world to create three larger-than-life art installations made solely out of Starbucks® cups. The pieces feature famous landmarks and sites of global destinations where Delta and Starbucks fly together: Big Ben in London, Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple in the historic district of Asakusa, and a carnaval float in São Paulo, Brazil. The cup sculptures are on display in Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK International Airport.
“Delta and Starbucks are global brands that carry a reputation for high-quality products and excellent customer service,” Black added. “Customers always appreciate seeing a familiar brand as part of their travel experience.”