Delta Teams Up With YouTube for Free Premium Content on Flights

[MacRumors]

Delta today announced that it is partnering with YouTube for a new in-flight Delta Sync entertainment experience. Delta SkyMiles members who log into their accounts will be able to watch their favorite creators, podcasts, and music artists ad-free while on board most Delta flights.

YouTube will provide "fresh, dynamic, ad-free content" that is tailored to and personalized for each passenger. YouTube videos will be available on the Delta Sync seatback units. From Delta CEO Ed Bastian:

Whether through Delta Sync Wi-Fi or Delta Sync seatback, Delta prides itself on giving customers something new to discover every time they travel and is committed to continuously offering customers content that is relevant to them - that feels personal and meets them where they are. A multi-layered YouTube partnership gives customers access to the most premium source of content in the industry for free, supported by Delta's fast, free Wi-Fi.

Delta is debuting new seatback hardware starting in 2026 that features a 4K HDR QLED display with a theatre-like viewing experience, Bluetooth capabilities for connecting earbuds, a recommendation engine tailored to customer preferences, and options for features like a Do Not Disturb mode for communicating with Delta employees.

Article Link: Delta Teams Up With YouTube for Free Premium Content on Flights

 

[Blackstick]

Conveniently doesn’t work when the aircraft is stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours.

 

[BelgianChoklit]

I prefer the feeling of satisfaction knowing my adblocker blocked an ad

 

[BelgianChoklit]

Conveniently doesn’t work when the aircraft is stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours.

One day youtube will be overtaking all screens in the cockpit too. Mayday or not, the pilots will see the ad, wether it'll be their last ad or not, see it they will

 

[landonalder]

This is awesome. Go Delta!

 

[maxfromdenmark]

Yes! Finally I would watch the all YouTube content during my flight

 

[alexandr]

...only to add ads in a few months and introduce a paid plan. Of course you'll be able to use your Delta miles

 

[F23]

no thanks just get better WiFi speeds

 

[Plutonius]

I would rather sleep .

 

[macsound1]

Considering the hardware that we've come to expect running in aircraft infotainment systems, I don't have much faith in this working very well.

Also - pairing bluetooth devices during the first 10 minutes of a flight is going to be an absolute nightmare. The plane is too small for everyone to not see all the available bluetooth devices. Maude from 12D will accidentally choose your headphones because there aren't many unique visible names for common headphone brands.

 

[jz0309]

Delta is debuting new seatback hardware starting in 2026 that features a 4K HDR QLED display with a theatre-like viewing experience,

that would require doubling the pitch between seats

 

[t0rqx]

Its not free, they handing over passenger data!

 

[rgeneral]

I rather have better movies and shows.

 

[JapanApple]

How about better movies and crap like this.

 

[JHBrown]

Nothing is free! We are paying for it indirectly.

 

[Virinprew]

Pay for it with your flight data.

 

[e-coli]

Delta is the only American airline company worth a damn. I’ve exclusively flown them since JetBlue was poisoned by American.

 

[e-coli]

no thanks just get better WiFi speeds

Delta WiFi speeds are actually pretty great. And it’s free.

 

[CarAnalogy]

One day youtube will be overtaking all screens in the cockpit too. Mayday or not, the pilots will see the ad, wether it'll be their last ad or not, see it they will

YouTube engagement metrics will track the plane better than flight control.

 

[Martin Bland]

Now everyone can watch ASMR, and mukbang videos! And MrBeast! On their seat backs! The future is sad.

 

[AHDuke99]

It's about time they allowed bluetooth headphone connectivity. Who uses wired headphones these days?

 

[ibran]

This is great — can't wait to watch the latest videos from my favorite YouTubers like Disaster Breakdown, Air Safety Institute, and blancolirio. I'm sure my seatmates will be fascinated by that content!

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I’m glad that Delta continues to make the in-flight experience better for customers✈️👌😎 I fly Delta a lot because I live in Boston, MA and Delta has one of their main hubs here (out of Boston Logan)

I saw this article yesterday on my CNBC app regarding Delta switching their ridesharing partnership (from Lyft to Uber) so I figured that I’d post the news about it here to let you all know about this upcoming change:

Delta links its loyalty program to Uber, ending partnership with Lyft

Starting this spring, Delta SkyMiles members will be able to earn loyalty points for Uber rides.

www.cnbc.com

I currently have my Lyft and Delta accounts linked and I have been earning Delta SkyMiles on a regular basis because I mostly take Lyft (because it’s usually cheaper) but considering that I now have an Uber One membership for the next 12 months, I’ll have to initiate the linking process of my Delta and Uber accounts sometime in the next 2 months

 

[SoldOnApple]

This is a great idea really.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

no thanks just get better WiFi speeds

I just saw this article the other day about how United Airlines is switching to Starlink (starting this spring) and the Wi-Fi will be free as well:

United Airlines Moves Up Timeline For Free Starlink Wi-Fi Rollout - View from the Wing

United Airlines is adding free Starlink wifi to its planes over the coming years. They’ve updated the install timeline. Based on experience with Hawaiian Airlines and JSX, it should be faster – and with far less latency – than competitors’ wifi.

viewfromthewing.com

When I was in New Zealand (in March of last year) I was able to try out Starlink for the first time when I was staying at AirBnBs (sometimes way out in the boondocks) and I was amazed at how fast the speeds were - I was getting over 100mbps symmetrical (both upload and download) obviously something previously unheard of in rural parts of the country and a game changer in terms of getting more people connected with high-speed internet (in previously inaccessible locations)

This is the first time that I’ve heard of airlines using Starlink for their Wi-Fi so hopefully it turns out to be an improvement over the satellite Wi-Fi that airlines currently use and if Starlink turns out to be a success at United, Delta (and other airlines) might consider switching to Starlink (or another new company with similar satellite technology) in the future which would improve the Wi-Fi speeds for customers