Delta’s Ascent: How a Legacy Airline Earned a Leader’s Spot in Loyalty

Delta Air Lines is aptly named: It has delivered one of the greatest “deltas” in Net Promoter Score improvement in the airline industry in recent years. According to NPS Prism data, in 2022 Delta’s NPS trailed Alaska Airlines by 9 points, JetBlue by 5, and Southwest by 4. Today, Delta is in a statistical dead heat for the industry lead—and it’s achieving this with revenue per available seat mile that’s 14 percentage points higher than the industry average.

That’s not luck. It’s leadership.

Delta has turned NPS from a score into a strategy. CEO Ed Bastian has made it a top corporate priority, with goals approved by the board and discussed at every town hall and board meeting—and linked directly to executive compensation. An approach that few companies match in discipline or in results, it’s the subject of Fortune’s April/May cover story, “The CEO Who Gave Employees $1.4 Billion” by Shawn Tully.

I recently sat down with Lizzy Martinez, Delta’s general manager of customer research and advisory, and one of the executives helping lead this transformation, to learn how Delta has embedded customer-centricity into its culture, operations, and frontline actions.

From crisis to catalyst

Two decades ago, Delta was coming out of bankruptcy and a merger with Northwest Airlines. The industry had become commoditized, and Delta’s leaders made a bold bet: They wouldn’t win by being the cheapest—they’d win by being the most loved.

That meant investing in their people. Delta instituted a profit-sharing program that paid out about 10% of base pay in 2024. Bonuses were handed out on Valentine’s Day, a not-so-subtle reminder: “We love our employees.” And it’s mutual—over 80% of Delta’s workforce has chosen time and again to decline union representation, according to the company.

Delta’s operational excellence depends on its motivated workforce, which delivered the industry’s best on-time performance in North America in 2024, winning Cirium’s Platinum Award for Operational Excellence for the fourth year in a row.

“We still say our people are our secret weapon,” Lizzy told me. “We call it the Delta Difference.”

Making emotion a KPI

Delta’s service philosophy is grounded in three brand beliefs: Make customers feel welcomed, elevated, and cared for. These aren’t just words—they’re operationalized through training and frontline behaviors.

Using biometric data and customer sentiment analysis from volunteers, Delta mapped the emotional peaks and valleys across the travel journey. One surprising insight? Stress levels drop the moment customers sit down. To make that moment even sweeter, Delta turned on seatback entertainment as soon as passengers board—no need to wait to reach 30,000 feet. A small tweak, a big impact.

Personal touches like handwritten notes at passengers’ seats (sometimes with a chocolate or a pilot pin for kids) are made possible through real-time data integration. Flight attendants use an app that integrates customer feedback surveys with operational data, such as whether a Medallion member recently missed a connection. This enables little acts of personalized care that help turn bad moments into stories worth sharing.

Data, meet delight

Delta isn’t just delivering delightful moments—it’s measuring their impact. With NPS Prism, Delta benchmarks against competitors across every “episode” of the customer journey, from Wi-Fi usage to flight cancellations.

In 2022, Delta trailed JetBlue by 14 points on in-flight Wi-Fi. By 2024, that gap had vanished. What changed? Free Wi-Fi, fewer connectivity issues, and better digital support. Similarly, Delta’s NPS on canceled flights jumped from 2023 to 2024 thanks to faster resolution, clearer policies, empathetic agents, and shorter hold times.

Delta has added 165,000 seatback screens, more than any other US-based airline, which fliers can log into using their SkyMiles information for a customized entertainment experience.

Across the board, “digital self-service has to work hard,” Lizzy said, “so our people can shine where it matters most.”

When NPS drives decision making

Delta’s CX team sets NPS goals each year, informed by both internal scores and competitive benchmarks. These goals are shared with—and approved by—the board. At Delta’s biannual leadership conferences, customer feedback, sentiment, and NPS data are featured in nearly every executive talk track.

It’s not just about hitting a number. It’s about aligning the company around a shared mission: to lead the industry in customer loyalty and love.

Delta’s CX roadmap prioritizes core pillars like operational excellence, empowered people, and a premium product customers want to pay for. From renovated cabin interiors and plush Delta One clubs to biometric digital IDs and personalized media screens, Delta has invested heavily in experiences that customers feel—and remember.

And the company isn’t just building for today. Delta is exploring AI-powered “digital concierge” tools to enhance key CX moments like service recovery, one of the most emotional moments in any customer journey. Delta knows that today’s customers are more reactive—delighting moments soar higher, but failures fall faster. Precision and personalization aren’t luxuries; they’re necessities.

A model for modern loyalty

As we wrapped our conversation, Lizzy asked me a provocative question: What’s the future of loyalty programs?

In my view, most airline loyalty programs are transactional at best, awkward bribes at worst. True loyalty isn’t about racking up points; it’s about earning emotional commitment. Delta is inching toward something deeper: a membership mindset. I would love to see a premium, paid program that signals real value and delivers moments that customers would gladly recommend.

In an industry still haunted by commoditization, Delta has charted a new course—powered by people, grounded in purpose, and guided by NPS.

The sky isn’t the limit. It’s just the beginning.