Delta One Suites: Delta Airlines’ New Privacy-Focused Offering

For its latest amenity, Delta Airlines is taking inspiration from some of its international competitors.

On Tuesday, the company announced a plan to deck out its business class offerings on international flights, with full suites complete with sliding door, table setup, power outlet, and an in-flight entertainment monitor that’s bigger than your laptop screen.

The strategy—which evokes similar offerings from Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, and a few other global air carriers—expands on the company’s flat-bed seats, which were introduced in 2008, complete with memory foam (because you need memory foam).

The Delta One suites could prove beneficial for all stripes of customers, Quartz argues  (opens in a new tab), because the mainstream airline’s adoption of high-quality suites is likely to convince other airlines that they must similarly work to improve their offerings.

“After setting the standard with the introduction of full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access in 2008, Delta is again elevating the international business class experience,” Tim Mapes, Delta’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “Added comfort and privacy are important to business travelers, and that drove the design of the all-new Delta One suite.”

Not every plane will get the new feature right away—despite being introduced in 2008, the flat-bed seats only became a standard feature on long-haul international flights in 2014, so a similarly staggered approach will likely happen. But the strategy is one to watch, because other airlines will likely feel pressure to similarly change their strategies.

Could your international flight get more comfortable? One can only hope.

The Metrics That Matter

Read my new guest @MemberWise  (opens in a new tab) blog: Are your member emails performing well enough? #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) https://t.co/CSM3vMAJEV  (opens in a new tab)

— Abby Wright-Parkes (@abby_w_p) August 17, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

Email is an incredibly important part of the association marketing ecosystem. Making sure those messages connect with maximum effectiveness? That part isn’t easy.

But you won’t find the answer in the open rates alone. Abby Wright-Parkes, owner of U.K. firm Optimist Consulting, says that one positive factor revealed in a recent survey sponsored by her company is that associations are largely eschewing open rates as a primary signifier of success.

“The fact that members are reading your email and content is great, but often you are looking for your audience to do something next—what is the call to action?” she asks in a MemberWise blog post  (opens in a new tab).

Check out more info, including a link to the Harnessing the Web 2016 study, on the MemberWise blog  (opens in a new tab).

Other Links of Note

With the presidential election just months away, now might be a good time to check out the charitable foundations led by former presidents. At Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog, Antionette Kerr compares the communications strategies  (opens in a new tab) of the Carter Center and the Clinton Foundation.

Trying to get a little social traction for your blog’s content? At Frank J. Kenny’s website, Christina Green offers an array of tips  (opens in a new tab) that could help build engagement.

You have airline rewards. How do you redeem them? LifeHacker suggests taking a look at AwardAce  (opens in a new tab) so you can maximize the value of those awards.

(Handout image)