Delta Launches Song for Tourists

Delta Airlines, a largely business carrier, has decided that to appeal more to tourist travelers, it needs a new brand name. So, it has chosen to launch a new airline called "Song." Whether this venture is a success or not, Delta believes that it cannot make a success of the tourist market with its own brand -- but is Delta wrong?

Marketing people will argue that when a brand becomes associated with a certain demographic among its customers, changes are dangerous because present clients may leave while new ones are not guaranteed to sign on. So, paint the planes lime-green, give everyone a TV screen, and fly them to Florida with a new name but the same owners.

The only problem is that this airline-inside-an-airline model has failed before -- United is phasing out its Shuttle by United in California, US Airways has dropped MetroJet, and Delta itself is dropping Delta Express. Since Delta hasn't arranged a separate, low-pay contract with pilots for Song, it could well fail.

Delta is a known quantity for many and a fairly good one at that. Rather than spend the money on ugly paint, a new logo, and all the accoutrements of Song, perhaps Delta should merely have made it more attractive for tourists to fly on their regular flights. Time will tell.



© Copyright 2003 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.



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