- Delta Air Lines’ 2025 CES keynote was an immersive spectacle
- The airline announced partnerships with YouTube, Airbus, and Uber
- A new generative AI assistant called ‘Concierge’ could make air travel easier
There have been plenty of keynotes this week at the CES 2025, but by far the most impressive and simply the coolest was the one I attended last night, on January 7 at the Sphere. Delta Air Lines put on a keynote that had plenty of razzle and dazzle, but it also made excellent use of the space – I mean, there is nothing like a tech demo, even a pre-recorded one, on a massive screen.
Further, though, it feels as if Delta Air Lines is laying a fresh foundation and between a new generative AI assistant ‘Concierge’ to confirmed vertical takeoff electric aircraft arriving in the next few years with plenty of partnerships, there was certainly a lot of ground to cover.
CEO Ed Bastian led the keynote quite well, speaking to the airline’s history, core values, and foundation for future innovation, and that was all accompanied by bold sound, plenty of wind courtesy of a long row of blowers, and the big screen.
So, let’s go through the three most impressive things that Delta Air Lines announced and teased at its 2025 Consumer Electronics Show keynote.
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1. ‘Concierge’ could make travel a whole lot easier and way more personable
Just like every other company at CES, Delta is joining the AI bandwagon, too. This one has the potential to be helpful though, and it will be a level playing field regardless of where you’re sitting on the aircraft – Delta One and standard economy are the same here.
Delta’s ‘Concierge’ is a personalized assistant, so it’ll know your itinerary, where you live, and past flights. From there, it can suggest things like scheduling a Uber to get you through the airport on time and help guide you through the terminal, potentially having dropped you off closer to the best security lane for expedited processing if you have TSA Precheck or Clear. But conversely, if you’re checking a bag it can adjust your routing for that.
Given that it can interface with other apps, the LLM is multi-modal, and potential partnerships down the line could expand this. In a teaser video, via the seatback screen, a customer could confirm a dinner reservation and preview a new suggested route that could get them from the airport to their hotel faster.
It’s really all about making more data accessible in one place and increasing the overall Delta experience – which is something that the employees are very passionate about, just ask me or my colleague Lance as we were seated next to the cheerful group – and ultimately making travel a bit more convenient on the whole.
Now, similar to Apple Intelligence, Concierge will be a tiered rollout, so we can expect the first features to arrive at some point in 2025.
2. YouTube will arrive in flight alongside 4K screens and better Wi-Fi
The Delta Air Lines seatback experience is dubbed ‘Delta Sync’ and it will be getting a number of new features. But the one that got a shoutout – and a debut on the Sphere stage – was a partnership with YouTube.
If you’re enrolled in Skymiles – Delta’s free membership program – you’ll unlock ad-free YouTube content ranging from videos to music and podcasts on the Delta Sync screen at your seat.
Judging from teaser photos, it appears that YouTube videos might appear in line with the existing content library, while there will be a widget for YouTube Music. Further, Skymiles members will be eligible for a free trial of YouTube Premium – this way, you can experience ad-free content on the ground or at 30,000 feet.
Not featured on stage but written in a subsequent press release is a promised improvement to Wi-Fi. Delta’s already been offering free Wi-Fi for Skymiles members, but thanks to an already announced swap to provider Hughes for some aircraft, you can expect more stable connections in the future. This comes shortly after United Airlines announced it’s accelerating its planned rollout of Starlink on its entire fleet.
Maybe even more important, though, is the arrival of 4K HDR QLED displays to some seatbacks. If you’re like me and enjoy a window seat, this could let you get crisp, rich views even when the sun is shining in. There will also be an exclusive new show focused on wellness while traveling hosted by Tom Brady dubbed “Well Traveled.”
3. A look at the future of aviation
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Probably my favorite moment was how Delta used the Sphere’s screen – for instance, as you can see in the TikTok we witnessed and felt the air of an Airbus A350 taxining towards us on a runway and then parking with its nose almost touching the folks to the far left side of the Sphere. There was a rumble in the seats, loud roaring jet engines, and wind – yes, wind blowing at us.
And while that’s a look at our current aircraft of today, potentially even the one that some CES attendees arrived in, we did get a peak ahead. Delta Air Lines is partnering with Airbus on innovation labs to help imagine future aircraft including ones that could eventually run on 100% sustainable fuel.
Right now, some planes can fly with a 50% blend of this, but even more interestingly the two companies are working on aircraft with folding wings. So, much like a bird in the sky, a future Delta airplane could change the shape or orientation of its wings for better aerodynamics.
Even more cutting edge, and likely arriving sooner, is the Joby electric aircraft that is capable of taking off or landing vertically. This means it could take to the air or come back down more like a helicopter rather than needing a long runway of asphalt or concrete.
CEO Ed Bastian said on stage that these would be arriving in the next few years, first in Los Angeles and New York City – we even saw how Concierge could call a Joby to ensure you get to the airport on time. It was awesome to see the 160,000 square foot wrap-around screen of the Sphere transform into that futuristic aircraft cockpit, but also the shots of it flying across some beautiful backdrops.
We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.
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As a whole, Delta Air Lines used the opportunity of its 2025 Consumer Electronics Show keynote to impress visually – as well as audibly with a set from Lenny Kravitz after a grand finale of digital fireworks, which, trust me, were as cool as the real thing – but also aim to elevate the customer experience by using new technology to hopefully create meaningful experiences, some of which will be arriving in the next few months of 2025.
I’m really keen to try out the generative AI ‘Concierge’ experience as it will likely get better with time, but I’ll do anything to speed it up and make air travel a bit easier.
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