Words Fail Me

This doesn’t even classify as a “Dead Tree” award nominee.

This is in a class by itself.

Tuesday Delta Air Lines issued this release:

From ‘Project Runway’ to Airport Runway, Delta Launches ‘Flying in Style’ Promotion to Celebrate Sponsorship of Bravo’s Hit Reality TV Show

Flight attendants will award stylish passengers with SkyMiles certificates, Crown Room Club passes and coupons for the airline’s signature cocktails on select Delta flights from Aug. 23 through Sept. 6

ATLANTA, Aug. 22, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) — From “Project Runway” to the airport runway, high fashion is taking flight on Delta Air Lines. Delta is launching a “Flying in Style” promotion on select transcontinental flights from Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York to celebrate the airline’s sponsorship of the new season of The Weinstein Company and Bravo’s hit reality TV show, “Project Runway,” and its role in two upcoming episodes on Aug. 30 and Sept. 6. On select flights between Aug. 23 through Sept. 6, Delta flight attendants will award passengers who are “flying in style” — sporting stylish, fashionable looks while traveling — with prizes that highlight the airline’s distinctive products and services. On Aug. 30, when Delta is featured on the first of two “Project Runway” episodes, special premium prizes also will be awarded.

“In support of Delta’s sponsorship of ‘Project Runway’ and our ongoing efforts to create a more entertaining on-board experience for our customers, we’re having some fun and recognizing our passengers who are spotted traveling in high style,” said Joanne Smith, vice president of Marketing for Delta. “It’s only fitting that our incredibly stylish flights attendants, wearing the sophisticated and elegant Richard Tyler collection for Delta, will be recognizing and rewarding our most fashionable customers.”

Delta’s stylish passengers will be awarded by stylish flight attendants sporting stunning new uniforms from world-renowned designer Richard Tyler. On May 1, Delta flight attendants, customer service agents and Crown Room Club began wearing the Richard Tyler Collection for Delta, which was inspired by the era of glamorous air travel and are designed to reflect timeless elegance.

Starting next month, Delta will unveil a new innovative domestic product on its transcontinental routes. The product, offered in both first and coach classes, will provide a distinctive on-board experience for customers, with comfortable all-leather seats, signature drink offerings and an industry leading in-flight entertainment system that features live television, movies and music (all available on demand), as well as a suite of video games. With this new product, Delta will be the only domestic carrier to provide customers with a two-class aircraft equipped with video on-demand entertainment available at every seat.

“It’s only fitting that our incredibly stylish flights attendants, wearing the sophisticated and elegant Richard Tyler collection for Delta, will be recognizing and rewarding our most fashionable customers.”

Delta’s stylish passengers will be awarded by stylish flight attendants sporting stunning new uniforms from world-renowned designer Richard Tyler. On May 1, Delta flight attendants, customer service agents and Crown Room Club began wearing the Richard Tyler Collection for Delta, which was inspired by the era of glamorous air travel and are designed to reflect timeless elegance.



So let me get this straight. With everything else going on in the industry these days, Delta has decided that it’s a good thing to reward those travelers who wear Jimmy Choo shoes with a Coach bag thrown over their shoulder, while attired in a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress? All in an effort to recapture a sense of the days of “glamorous air travel.”

As I said, words fail me.

You know, I could have seen this working with Song. Because that product’s “brand” image would have fit right in with this promotion. But what I fear is that someone at Delta thought — “Oh, we can import some of those “good ideas” we had with Song to the mainline — this is perfect.”

Ahhhhhhhh……..don’t think so.

Now here is an example of the “glamorous days of air travel.”

Dining

Here we have the dining room of Pan American’s Yankee Clipper, a Boeing 314 flying boat, which flew Pan Am’s first transatlantic passenger flight in June 1939. The photograph’s caption states that the dining tables are made of black walnut, the upholstery features a “spirited blue pattern,” and the walls are silvery-beige.

Now, until Delta tells me they are putting in walnut dining tables and providing dining room seating attended to by attentive flight attendants dressed in those “glamorous stunning” uniforms onboard as part of their new “upgraded” service , I’m afraid this little promotion fails to make the cut.