I recently became a big fan of Delta Air Lines after witnessing first-hand how they treat members of our military and how they do a nice job giving free upgrades to their frequent fliers (they still have the worst frequent flier program in terms of redeeming miles at their lowest award level, but that’s another story).
My beef with Delta is how they encourage their flight attendants to push their Delta American Express credit cards in the middle of the flight. I can understand that the airline and the flight attendant want to make more money (they must pay the flight attendants a commission) and build brand loyalty, but there’s a time and place for everything—and the middle of a flight is not one of them.
It seems that the head flight attendant usually pushes the card for a second time an hour before landing, which is when most passengers are sleeping, watching movies or working on their laptops. The last thing they want to hear is some flight attendant get on a loud PA and speak for two to three minutes about the perks of a credit card. Actually, the last thing passengers want is to hear the pilot get on the horn and say we’re having mechanical problems. But you get my point.
Each time I’ve heard a Delta flight attendant makes this long, disruptive announcement, I’ve watched the passengers around me grumble and shake their heads in disbelief. I’m one of them, too. Yes, the Gold card is a very good one. We’ve even written about it and its many perks on this site. But don’t make a second announcement. Just make your first plug after the safety briefing. Or if that’s not good enough, run a silent commercial on the screen. But making the second announcement actually turns people off and makes the airline and the flight attendants look desperate.
FYI: Each time, after they make this announcement, I watch the flight attendant walk down the aisle with sign-up pamphlets and I’ve only ever seen one passenger take one.
Have you noticed this? Does it irk you too or is it just me? I hear US Airways and Alaska Airlines does it as well but I can’t confirm this since I haven’t flown them in a while.
Well, I disagree with most of the comments. I was flying Frontier when they were hawking their 40,000 mile Barlcay Credit card offer which I thought about and then did accept the SECOND time the announcement came. I know Johnny mentioned how good a deal that is in a previous post. Credit card points are a great way of getting them — if you pay your bills in full every month. The announcements are no more annoying then flight attendants hawking duty-free goods.
I hate the entire relationship between Delta and AMEX. Since I primarily fly international, I could NOT understand why Delta took up with AMEX when they bought Northwest who had a wonderful relationship with VISA. AMEX can not be used at most of the destinations I travel to…even many hotels and to get many (or any) benefits from AMEX you have to pay so much for use of the card. In talking with a seat companion one day in 1st class who was with the sales staff of Delta, I complained about it and was told the reason for the association is because AMEX paid Delta megabucks so they could purchase Northwest. (Not being in the financial sector, I always wondered how you can go from bankruptcy one day to purchasing another airline the next day.)
Actually Northwest bought Delta , and had more money
I’m a former NWA flight attendant now a Delta fa
Frontier Airlines flight attendants hawk their MasterCard about halfway through every flight. I’m usually always listening to music so it doesn’t bother me.
It’s also demeaning for the flight attendants who are professional; putting them in the very uncomfortable role of hawking credit cards. Aren’t the much too aggressive “credit card hawkers” located thoughout major airport concourses enough annoyance to passengers?
Frontier does it too! It is rather annoying. If I remember right, they do it twice. I’m sure a lot of airlines are doing that, really is sad, they want your money any way they can get it.
Wow, I’m amazed anyone is actually listening to anything that is said over PA while in air. Whenever I fly I see people talking loudly, reading, sleeping and finally on laptop, phone or pad! That’s first class and coach! Plus, I can hardly understand what they are saying over PA so I pretty much tune out the announcements. You’ve got to love plane travel since 2001!!
As a marketer, I can tell you this is a bad practice.
Every marketing engagement is a business transaction. If I interrupt you with my message, I need to deliver some tangible value. The more intrusive the message and/or communications vehicle, the better the value of the message ought to be. To interrupt me in the middle of a flight, the message better be “sign up and fly to Europe for free” (which it’s not).
There’s a perfectly reasonable time to include the message at the beginning of the flight and at the end of the flight, both times when announcements are already being made. On flights with live TV (as many DL flights have), there’s an opportunity to trade entertainment for audience…”watch our video about this card and we’ll let you watch a show”…which DL do not take advantage of.
Unfortunately for the airline business, too many of the people making decisions have spent their entire lives in the airline business and don’t understand how the real world works.
Why is Johnny Jet writing this when he even admits that he hasn’t done any research? He doesn’t even know if other airlines pitch credit cards. …he asks us!
What a sad state of journalism.
Have you heard of the term “engagement”?
Alaska needs to hear this too! Otherwise I love the Airline. (And, I already have their card!)
You must not have been on a Spirit flight lately ……. they do the same thing. And now they have advertising posters pasted on the overhead bins and backs of the tray tables. I feel like I’m on a city bus!
@ Julie. You said you feel like you are on a city bus. Well….you ARE on a bus, just not a city bus. It’s life in the 21st century. the only thing keeping my neighbors from selling advertising on the side of their homes is a strict set of HOA rules that have teeth.
yes, it is annoying. but I live in ATL and I could give you a whole list of things Delta does that piss me off.
Ha! Let’s hear them
Agreed! I’m a DL platinum so I hear the message all the time. Last week on a flight from SAN-DTW, some kind of announcement was made at least 10 times during the 4 hour flight. So annoying!