Delta stopped passing through the coach cabin offering complimentary earbuds on May 15. This includes the extra legroom ‘Comfort+’ section. They still proactively pass them out in premium cabins.
They don’t tell you this, but the earbuds are still available on request. The goal is cost savings, and conservation of earbuds. They want to pass out fewer, because the cost has gone up. They’re made in China, and the airline attributes it to ‘supply chain’ issues (tariffs).
An internal airline memo suggests the change is temporary but that remains to be seen.
Flight attendants have been instructed to discontinue the practice of walking the aisle and offering earbuds during boarding. Additionally, the customary audio announcement that previously informed passengers of the availability of earbuds will be removed entirely.
There’s a lot of earbud waste. When they’re passed out, customers take them but do not use them. They leave them behind in seat back pockets, stick them in their bags and lose them, or just throw them away. Offering them on request may make sense, but ideally with an announcement that they are available which customers largely wouldn’t know unless they’re regular Delta flyers – customers more likely to have brought their own earbuds in the first place.
Delta’s decision to stop telling customers they’re available is the real downgrade, rather than not proactively passing them out.
The people most likely to know the earbuds are still there, and to request them, are probably the people who sell them on eBay. Oddly you’ll see them sold from $3 to as much as $25. Grab a bunch, and your flight nets out to free! What’s more there’s all sorts of different packaging over time, making them collectors editions (like the Delta 100th anniversary edition).
As far as I know, there aren’t any flights where you can use wireless earbuds in coach so many will need cheap wired earbuds even if they brought their own (presumably) Bluetooth ones.
Please correct me if there are airlines with Bluetooth sound in coach.
I always accept the earbuds when offered, that way I have a reserve supply whenever Delta decides to stop handing them out. Like now.
Surprising that Ed didn’t use the tariffs as an opportunity to further promote the “premium” difference, like complimentary earbuds for the higher margin passengers in “Delta Main Extra” or whatever…
@Rico. I’ve used it on UA, and I think DL has it also. Of course, you have to get one of the few planes with it.
That’s a shame. And it’s just the start of it all. Unnecessary, self-inflicted wounds. Brexit x100. Yet, this was all foreseeable. ‘Elect a clown, expect a circus.’ Now, who’s gonna parrot the propaganda, and blame #46, or immigrants, or some other boogeyman? I’ll wait…
most frequent flyers carry their own, they don’t need to give out. it’s just trash.
Next,they’ll charge for toilet paper depending where it’s from!!
@Rico. Not sure. I always fly with my AirFly Pro so I can just Bluetooth to my AirPods. It’s one more dongle but the sound quality is great and there one less cable to deal with when folks need to get up.
Cutting costs is also why Delta eliminated plastic cups and instead now has a single paper cup for hot and cold beverages.
Ohhh, the humanity. What a first world problem…
Ususally I’m getting drug tested when I get a paper cup…
That can’t be right. Trump says China is eating his tariffs. Just like when Mexico paid for the wall. We never pay anything.
These tariffs are the absolute worst policy prescription of this administration by far. It’s Bernie Sanders level economic idiocy. Even with the so-called pause with China, tariffs on US-bound goods are still more than double the highest previous rate. And with the bullwhip supply chain effect, we won’t start feeling the first wave impact until next month. It’s unbelievable economic incompetence. Trump and his advisors seem to have zero understanding of consumer surplus, or the sheer magnitude of the aggregate wealth it creates.
@Dave Flaat yes, absolutely a first-world problem. But, if you are selling a premium experience you need to deliver on a premium experience. Drinking out of a paper cup is not a premium experience.
IIRC, Qatar serves PDBs in glassware. That is much more sustainable than single use paper cups. Just sayin.
Having complimentary earbuds on demand is a good policy for all cabins. No need to contribute to waste. The cabin crew just has to respond to the call light.
@Mike Hunt — Wow, way to turn the actual idiocy of what #47 is doing into a silly attack on Bernie and his separate and completely different movement. Even if his wing of the ‘left’ would consider using some targeted tariffs as a tool, they would use them surgically, not like a hammer as #47 has so haphazardly done here. You must know that. Also, Bernie constantly and consistently advocates for workers and the poor, not the ultra wealthy and special interests. C’mon, man. You’re comment above was willfully ignorant, at best, but really just plain ole disingenuous. (Now, please, do share another silly poem with us, if you must.)