Delta Air Lines is embarking on a multi-year, multi-market commercial and operational partnership with Joby Aviation, Inc. with the aim of delivering a sustainable home-to-airport transportation service to Delta customers. The initial launch, which is anticipated to be the first eVTOL service to market, will target New York and Los Angeles.
Delta has made an upfront equity investment of $60 million in Joby, with the opportunity to expand the total investment up to $200 million as the partners achieve substantive milestones on the development and delivery of the service.
Joby’s aircraft is designed to fly fast, quiet and sustainable trips in and around cities. The aircraft has flown more than 1,000 test flights, demonstrating its range, speed, altitude and low noise profile. According to the company, it was the first eVTOL company to be granted a G-1 (Stage 4) Certification Basis for its aircraft by the FAA and recently received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certification.
The companies will work together to integrate a Joby-operated service into Delta’s customer-facing channels, providing customers the opportunity to reserve a seat for seamless, zero-operating-emission, short-range journeys to and from city airports when booking Delta travel. The partners hope to create a differentiated, premium experience for Delta customers featuring seamless booking, simplified transit and greater time savings. This will run alongside Joby’s standard airport service in priority markets. The partnership will be mutually exclusive across the U.S. and U.K. for five years following commercial launch, with the potential to extend that period.
“Delta is differentiating and amplifying the customer experience with premium products, choices and solutions across the journey,” said Allison Ausband, Delta’s E.V.P. and Chief Customer Experience Officer. “Addressing what matters most to our customers is foundational to our focus, and our work with Joby is the latest in a series of ways we’re making the experience of travel more seamless, enjoyable and wait-free.”
“Delta always looks forward and embraces opportunities to lead the future, and we’ve found in Joby a partner that shares our pioneering spirit and commitment to delivering innovative, seamless experiences that are better for our customers, their journeys, and our world,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “This is a groundbreaking opportunity for Delta to deliver a time-saving, uniquely premium home-to-airport solution for customers in key markets we’ve been investing and innovating in for many years.”
“We share Delta’s unwavering commitment to delivering seamless and sustainable journeys to customers,” said Joby Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “Their history of innovation, along with their vast operational expertise and leadership on climate change, make them incredible partners for Joby, and it’s an honor to be working alongside them.”
So far in 2022, Delta has unveiled multi-billion-dollar terminal transformations at both New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Los Angeles International, further cementing its commitment to those hubs and to creating a more efficient and seamless experience for customers. The airline also continues to invest in digital identity technology in these and other airports, which allows customers to move through the airport using facial matching technology, eliminating the need to show a boarding pass or government ID and thereby expediting their journeys.
