A day after Christmas, I started the final stretch of the SAS EuroBonus million-point challenge, where I would end up taking 20 flights on 16 different SkyTeam airlines over the course of 25 days in order to nab 1 million SAS EuroBonus points.
Delta to boost seatback screen game, expand Bluetooth — and launch SkyMiles partnership with Uber
08.01.2025 - 01:49 / thepointsguy.com / Delta I (I)
Delta Air Lines is jumping on the Bluetooth bandwagon. Starting in 2026, the Atlanta-based carrier will begin rolling out Bluetooth connectivity to more planes and cabins, allowing passengers on its newest aircraft to pair their Apple AirPods or other wireless listening devices to its inflight entertainment system.
Delta announced its new Bluetooth plans Tuesday in a keynote presentation at the Las Vegas Sphere, held as part of CES, one of the world's largest consumer electronics shows – and among the largest conventions each year in Las Vegas.
As part of the presentation, Delta executives revealed these stepped-up Bluetooth capabilities will be part of a larger inflight entertainment system boost on its new planes — which will include new, higher-quality seatback screens and a just-announced, ad-free streaming partnership with YouTube.
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Plus, the airline announced a new partnership with ride-hailing service Uber which will launch later this spring, allowing customers to earn SkyMiles on rides.
Today, Delta passengers can only pair their wireless Bluetooth devices to a small fraction of the carrier's inflight seatback screens. Specifically, only in the first-class cabin of its Airbus A321neo jets.
That limited Bluetooth rollout, as TPG reported in 2022, was part of a trial as Delta considered expanding the technology to more aircraft — and more cabins. Since then, airlines — Delta among them — have doubled down on seatback screens. And Bluetooth-enabled headphones, of course, have only grown in popularity.
Now, one caveat: So far, Delta has not announced any plans to deploy Bluetooth across its entire fleet. The carrier on Tuesday said the technology will start appearing on select new aircraft deliveries next year.
Specifically, Delta plans to install the new technology on future Airbus A350-1000 jets, along with A321neos beginning in mid-2026, an executive said Tuesday. It's also planned for eventual deliveries of the still-yet-to-be-certified Boeing 737 MAX 10.
That said, Bluetooth will be available in every cabin of those jets, so you'll be able to pair your AirPods whether you're flying on a Delta One ticket or a basic economy fare.
In some ways, the carrier is following in the footsteps of United Airlines, which has already announced plans to equip more than 800 of its jets with Bluetooth capabilities by 2032.
For Delta's part, its Bluetooth announcement came as part of a larger inflight entertainment overhaul the carrier unveiled Tuesday at the Sphere in a major spectacle that saw the company's branding adorning the world-famous Las Vegas venue.
Past years have seen Delta use CES to announce other
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