Thales and Delta Air Lines partner to deliver next-generation Delta Sync seatback experience powered by FlytEDGE

At CES 2025, Delta unveiled its next-generation Delta Sync seatback experience powered by Thales’ award-winning FlytEDGE solution - the first cloud-native IFE system that elevates the passenger experience to new heights. The system features state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies including:

• Stunning cinematic 4K QLED HDR seatback displays to immerse passengers with over 1 billion vibrant colors
• Bluetooth® capabilities so travellers can pair their wireless devices 
• Thales’ award-winning Onboard Data Center (ODC) with 96TB of storage to enable edge caching, bringing immense volumes of high-quality content and instant streaming experiences to passengers
• An intelligent recommendation engine that tailors content to passenger preferences so they spend less time scrolling and more time enjoying

For Passengers: creating unique experiences at every seat

FlytEDGE enables Delta to deliver unique features that make the travel journey more enjoyable and accessible for all travelers, including digital functionalities such as:

Onboard experience planner

Seatback features like “Do Not Disturb” mode that give travellers more control over their journey and enables Delta to deliver the exceptional service they are known for.

Future enhancements will include features like guided wellness, expanded options for customizing the food and beverage experience and other expert guidance designed to make every trip the best it can be. 

Seatback announcement translation 

Enables customers to understand crucial flight information, no matter their first language, and makes the travel experience more accessible to customers with hearing disabilities. ​ ​ 

Provides flight attendants with the ability to send messages to seatback displays in the passenger’s preferred language, a step forward in delivering dynamic in-flight communication capabilities. 

Arrival mode

Integrates essential day-of travel information from the Fly Delta app directly into the seatback environment. This enhancement ensures SkyMiles Members have the information they need, across devices, to confidently transition to the next step of their journey – whether it’s making a connecting flight or arranging ground transportation at their final destination.

For airlines: creating personalized experiences through ground-breaking digital features

FlytEDGE facilitates data-driven decisions to constantly adapt the passenger interface with new features and curated entertainment at every seat. Delta can deploy the latest updates over the air at the click of a button to one aircraft or the entire fleet to deliver the newest and most popular content curated by the Delta Studio Team. FlytEDGE goes beyond the hardware, providing superior performance with real-time system ​ and automated maintenance tasks. Leveraging a connected cloud-architecture, the system is built to enable quick integration of Delta’s digital partners - allowing the airline to seamlessly bring-in services for a personalized touch at an unprecedented speed and efficiency. Features include:

Virtual aircraft support: The ability to deploy system and experience updates to a virtual aircraft providing a groundbreaking approach to validate and approve user interface (UI), content and services updates anywhere and anytime. Following deployment and validation to the virtual aircraft, updates can be deployed to partial or full fleet instantly and as desired.

Real-time analytics: Enables the curation of experiences and content in real-time based on usage analytics.

Resilience: Exceptional system availability to passengers due to redundant storage, data flows, and computing capabilities.

Future-proof: A continuously evolving set of services that can be selected and deployed by the airline at their convenience.

Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President Avionics, Thales commented: “At Thales, we believe that the future of inflight entertainment is without limits. We are delighted to be at the forefront of innovation alongside Delta to introduce groundbreaking new experiences. Through our collaborative partnership, we are bringing the industry’s first cloud-native IFE system onboard as part of the Delta Sync experience. FlytEDGE’s advanced capabilities offer the airline endless opportunities to create memorable and engaging passenger journeys, fully integrated into their CRM and ground-based services.” 

Ranjan Goswami, Delta S.V.P. – Customer Experience Design said: “As technology evolves, our customers expect their travel experience to adapt and evolve with them. They want it to be intuitive, contextual and seamless in a way that supports and guides them so that they can move through life with confidence. To stay ahead of those expectations, Delta is committed to continuously evolving our industry-leading digital experiences across channels to ensure the sky is never the limit – it’s only the beginning.”