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Delta announces AI-powered assistant and 4K QLED seat displays at CES 2025

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Delta Air Lines has kicked off its centennial year with a bunch of attention-grabbing announcements at CES 2025.

CEO Ed Bastian hit the stage in Las Vegas on Tuesday night to reveal plans for more premium offerings and personalized services aimed at enhancing the passenger experience.

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For starters, Delta Air Lines is launching an AI-powered assistant called Delta Concierge for its Fly Delta app, designed to give customers “more control and confidence navigating their travel experience.”

Like other AI-powered chatbots, you’ll be able to engage Delta Concierge using natural language text or voice input. You can even ask it to book a flight, just using your voice. In real time, the tool will eventually have the ability to anticipate customers’ needs, provide contextualized guidance, and take actions on customers’ behalf. For example, it’ll let you know if your passport needs renewing, or if there any special entry requirements for an overseas trip that you’re taking. You’ll also gets tips on what to pack, according to the weather at your destination.

The airline revealed a partnership with Uber, too, for deeper integration into its broader service, ensuring an Uber car is waiting for you when you walk out of the terminal building. And extra Sky Miles will be awarded via your Uber trips.

Delta is also launching a first-of-its-kind, cloud-based in-flight entertainment system, with YouTube joining the Delta Sync experience to bring passengers fresh, ad-free content.

Notably, beginning with select new aircraft deliveries in 2026, passengers will get to enjoy the next-gen Delta Sync experience, including 4K HDR QLED seatback displays. United Airlines made a similar announcement last year. With lousy seatback displays the bane of many a flight passenger, Delta’s 4K QLED screens can’t come soon enough. And the streaming experience will be powered up by a 96-terabyte storage system — more than 50 times the average Delta inflight entertainment system capacity.

Bluetooth capabilities are also coming to all cabins for easy pairing of wireless devices.

Bastian also offered an update on its partnership with Joby, a leader in the field of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Delta Concierge will connect with Joby’s promised air taxi service for hops to and from Delta’s New York (LGA and JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) hubs in the coming years, “pending sign-off from federal and local authorities,” Delta said.

Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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