Putting fliers in the mood

Passengers boarding Delta airplanes started hearing something different this week. No, not the sound of passengers trying to jam their stuffed suitcases into the overhead compartments to avoid baggage fees, but a new music playlist, put together by Pasadena-based branding agency DMI Music & Media Solutions.

On the boarding soundtrack? Artists such as Alicia Keys, Jack Johnson, Sheryl Crow and Natasha Bedingfield.

Delta was looking for a way to enhance its customers’ experience, said Chris Babb, product manager of in-flight entertainment and media.

The airline industry is hurting these days, so it seems strange that Delta would be spending money on in-flight music when customers might rather, for example, get more pretzels or not have to pay extra for checked luggage. But music isn’t that big of an expense, Babb said.

“It’s part of our differentiation strategy.”

So how does one come up with a playlist that differentiates the experience of boarding a Delta plane from the experience of boarding another? It’s all about the way the music makes passengers feel, said Tena Clark, chief executive of DMI. The agency tried to choose music that would make people feel relaxed but also upbeat and positive.

We’ll see if customers sing the praises of the new playlist. But I’m wondering whether it is a bad omen that Delta’s defunct low-cost carrier was called Song?