Delta Allows Some Elites to “Fly” Through the Atlanta Airport
You step off of a plane to find yourself in the sea of chaos and humanity known as Atlanta International Airport. You don’t have much time to make your connection, but then a surprise comes.
An airline employee greets you by name, and then whisks you down a set of stairs to the tarmac. From there you are ushered into a $70,000 Porsche, which peacefully delivers you planeside to your connecting flight.
This is the life for certain Delta elite fliers, according to the Wall Street Journal. While this is likely the first public news release, this topic had already been posted on FlyerTalk several months back. Still, this was a unique look at the service, with some interesting insight.
For example, this service is not necessarily for Diamonds—as some lucky Platinums have received this service. Rather, it gives the ultimate thrill ride to only a dozen or of the highlights. Additionally, it aims this service to those with tight connections, but this must not always be the case as some elites have been delivered directly to the rental cars, personal vehicles or even their hotel.
What I found most interesting is that this service actually saves Delta money. Keep in mind Delta didn’t purchase the Porsches—they were donated. According to one of the personnel who escorts these lucky frequent fliers, between 25 and 35 frequent fliers are saved from missing their connections every day.
While this service is offered by a couple of foreign airlines like Emirates and Lufthansa, this exceptional level of service is likely to distinguish Delta from other domestic US carriers.
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