Delta Air Lines to Offer Westin Heavenly In-Flight Bedding in BusinessElite

Airline committed to providing a superior sleep experience in the skies

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Feb 26, 2013, 09:57 ET

ATLANTA, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is transforming the sleep experience in the air by offering Westin Heavenly^® In-Flight bedding, designed and manufactured exclusively for Delta, in all of its BusinessElite cabins throughout the world.

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The new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding product will be available on all BusinessElite® International flights, as well as BusinessElite flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle and between Atlanta and Honolulu, beginning in June 2013. BusinessElite customers will receive a Westin Heavenly sleeping pillow and a comforter with extra luxurious loft. Passengers on flights over 12 hours also will receive a lumbar pillow.

"Delta is committed to providing our customers with the best possible sleep experience in the skies and we're excited to partner with another leader in the travel category, Westin Hotels and Resorts, who shares this goal," said Joanne Smith, Delta's senior vice president – In Flight Service. "In recent surveys, customers have told us that the most important part of the in-flight experience is sleep. The new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding product is just one of the new amenities Delta is introducing to ensure customers achieve a restful, rejuvenating in-flight experience."

"We are delighted to bring the Westin Heavenly experience to thousands of Delta travelers around the world especially at a time when Westin is experiencing tremendous growth in key markets around the world," said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels. "Getting a good night's sleep is the number one priority for our guests and we are renowned for providing travelers with the best bed and sleep experience in the business. Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding will ensure Delta's customers will be renewed and refreshed when they land. Now consumers can experience the brand's Heavenly sleep experience in-flight, in our hotels and even in their homes."

In addition to the new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, Delta is making investments in several other products and services to revamp the in-flight sleep experience. These include a white noise channel on Delta Radio, and new BusinessElite amenity kits featuring Tumi and Malin+Goetz products.

Delta is also enhancing the sleep experience by expanding full flat-bed seating. Delta is introducing full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin of all transcontinental flights operating between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle beginning in March 2013. All of Delta's Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft serving these transcontinental markets will offer the flatbed seats over the next 24 months. Delta's decision to install full flat-bed seats on its transcontinental flights complements the airline's current investment in full flat-bed seats on its entire international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft. By the end of 2013, 70 percent of all Delta aircraft will have flat beds and, in early 2014, Delta's entire widebody fleet is scheduled to be complete.

As a direct result of customer feedback, flight attendants are also modifying their in-flight service to better foster sleep. BusinessElite flights now offer an "Express Meal" that features lighter fare and a one-step delivery process on all international flights departing after 9 p.m. and flights between JFK and London's Heathrow Airport. Delta will be designing a similar express meal menu for BusinessElite flights that are less than 10 hours long, as well as transcontinental flights.

To create a more restful cabin environment, flight attendants also are now proactively adjusting for appropriate lighting based on the time of day and streamlining cabin announcements to decrease noise disruptions.

Delta is showcasing its renewed focus on sleep at TED2013 in Long Beach, California, Feb. 26-March 1. The airline will host a talk from renowned Oxford neuroscientist and sleep expert Dr. Russell Foster addressing jet lag and how the eye tells time and demonstrate his research in action with the world's first Photon Shower – a small light chamber that conference attendees can enter for a short period of time to help reset their body clocks through a personalized, rejuvenating light treatment. The Photon Shower, along with Delta's new amenity kits, charging stations and a juice bar, will live in Delta's "Power Up" lounge, a space designed to help revitalize and energize TED attendees. Conference goers can also relax and wind down in Delta's "Power Down" lounge, a second activation space featuring flat-bed seats with Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, nap pods, and white noise calming music. Delta's Sleep Bar at the Westin Long Beach will also provide conference attendees premium items and hospitality focused around aiding sleep.

Known as the travel industry's innovative leader, Westin revolutionized the travel industry with the 1999 launch of the Heavenly® Bed, an icon that inspired countless imitators. Due to incredible popular demand, Westin became the first hotel company to sell a signature retail line with the unveiling of the Heavenly® Bed in-room catalogue in 2000.

About Westin Hotels & Resorts

Westin Hotels & Resorts offers innovative programs that transform every aspect of a stay into a revitalizing experience. All Westin signature services – like the Heavenly Bed, delicious SuperFoods and WestinWORKOUT studio – have been designed with the guests' well-being in mind. Westin hotels, with more than 190 hotels and resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,134 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element(SM). The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic "Airline of the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology and won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 350 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.