Delta elites above the silver level, Skyteam Elite Plus members, and business class passengers get, wait for it… “Sky Priority!”

Gee whiz, what is that? Well, it’s mostly (a) what they already get and (b) marketing schmaltz.

It was announced on Flyertalk and they’ve created a website to promote it.

And all it is is.. new branded signage and banners across Delta’s websites and in the airports, “we try to get you on your way in under 10 minutes” when checking in for folks who already get priority checkin, dedicated elite security lines where those already exist, priority boarding, priority baggage tags (“we’ll try to do better with that going forward…”), and special phone lines for lost baggage.

In other words, elite benefits!

The Wandering Aramean reports on the one actual improvement to this offering: Gold elites and above (and partner elites of a similar level) sitting in coach will now get a complimentary beverage or buy on board snack.

That’s a real benefit.  The irony is that one nuggest of substance doesn’t quite sizzle, so they’ve spend tons on marketing and branding.  But they’re not really offering anything meaningfully new.

In other news, Delta Skymiles are still very tough to use for international premium class award travel compared to every other major program in North America.  And the Delta website makes booking awards appear even tougher than that.  Fix the nuts and bolts, Delta, don’t just spin with Sky Priority…!