Delta is giving its inflight displays a major 4K HDR upgrade

Delta Air Lines announced plans to install new 4K HDR QLED displays in its commercial aircraft, allowing passengers to experience ultra-high-definition entertainment at ultra-high altitudes.

The news came as part of Delta’s CES keynote at Sphere in Las Vegaswhere it also planned to celebrate its centennial with a musical performance by Lenny Kravitz. The airline announced a number of new features for air travelers, including new partnerships with YouTube and Uber, as well as a new AI-powered customer service chatbot.

But the decision to add 4K screens to its planes is one that’s sure to tickle any air traveler who’s ever balked at the middling quality of the current crop of seat-back displays.

Delta says it is working with Thales Avionics, an in-flight technology company that also helps install high-definition displays in Emirates’ Airbus A350-900. But don’t go looking for the new screens just yet: Delta says it won’t start delivering the upgrades on planes until 2026.

And Delta doesn’t reserve the new technology for its highest-paying customers. Allen Pham, a spokesman for Delta, confirmed that the new screens would be “available in all cabins — not just first class.”

Delta has also been testing Bluetooth connectivity for its in-flight entertainment for several years and has even quietly started rolling it out to some planes, as spotted by a TikTok user. Now, the airline says it plans to offer Bluetooth “in all cabins so travelers can pair their personal wireless devices” starting in 2026.

Delta’s in-flight entertainment will also feature “an advanced recommendation engine” tailored to each passenger’s unique tastes. Again, we lack details about what drives this engine and how it will know your particular tastes. But in late 2025 we’ll get improved “connectivity” through a partnership with Wi-Fi provider Hughes, which replaced Intelsat in 2023. Delta says this will allow for “multi-network connectivity” for more “reliable” and “stable” internet during the flight.

That will certainly help when you’re streaming YouTube, which SkyMiles members will be able to do ad-free thanks to the platform’s new partnership with Delta. And a new “Do Not Disturb” mode for their seatback screen will ensure passengers can sleep undisturbed.

Delta is revamping its app to include an AI-powered “Concierge” chatbot as well as a “multimodal” feature that will include Uber and eventually air taxis from Joby.

The concierge feature will use the traveler’s location and arrival and departure information to suggest more efficient routes and will notify users of upcoming passport expirations or visa requirements. And “in the coming years,” Delta says the feature will be able to provide more specific recommendations around packing and weather planning.

Delta also offers SkyMiles customers the ability to link their Uber account to earn miles and other perks. These include:

SkyMiles members can earn 1 mile per dollar spent on UberX rides to and from airports, 2 miles per dollar on premium rides and 3 miles per dollar on Uber Reserve rides. Plus, 1 mile per dollar spent on eligible restaurant and grocery store orders.

And finally, Delta says it’s working with Airbus to design more fuel-efficient planes. Delta has said its goal is for sustainable jet fuel to make up at least 95 percent of its fuel consumption by 2050. But achieving net-zero emissions will be a tall order for an airline and will require rethinking all parts of the business.

Now Delta says it will work with Airbus to scale the use of sustainable jet fuel, which is mostly biofuels made from plant or animal material. And the two companies will collaborate on hydrogen-powered flight projects as well as new designs, such as more fuel-efficient wings or new formations to power “wake energy retrieval,” Delta says.

Update January 8: This story was updated to include a comment from Delta about the availability of the new 4K HDR displays.