Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein says he wants the company to evolve in the future to be a more complete travel option.
That includes getting your bags directly to your final destination.
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In an interview for an upcoming podcast with Ric Elias, CEO of Red Ventures, Hauenstein said by 2025 Delta wants to advance from being an airline that takes you from JFK to ATL or SFO to LGA to a transportation company.
“Right now, we still sell airline tickets,” said Hauenstein. “What we really want to sell is the journey.”
He explained, “You want to go from your office or your house, and you want to wind up at a particular hotel or venue. That’s what we need to integrate into the buying process.”
There are many separate companies, or outside vendors, as Hauenstein called them, that will ship your bags to a final destination for you. Let’s face it, in this day and age of air travel and the check-in process and making sure your luggage is under 50 pounds and so forth, eliminating the bag-handling part can be a great advantage in your trip.
It’s also one less thing to worry about.
“When you get to your destination,” said Hauenstein, “[we want] your luggage to find its way to your mode of transportation, and show up at your hotel or place of residence, or whatever your destination is…If you use Lyft for ride-sharing, if you use Hilton or Marriott as your preferred hotel vendor, we need to know that. Then, we can provide you a curated experience from start to finish. That’s where we’re headed.”
