Joby’s Bivert and Delta’s Bastienseal the deal 2022 ©Rank Studios
Delta Airlines has committed an initial USD60 million for a five year exclusive contract with eVTOL developer Joby. The deal could increase that commitment to USD200 million as programme milestones are achieved. While the deal is touted as an exclusive one in the US and UK for a period of five years after services begin the implication is that this will be for differentiated seemless booking service running in tandem with Joby’s standard transit product. The plan calls for the service to begin in Delta’s New York and Los Angeles hubs. Joby says that the transit time from Lower Manhattan to Delta’s JFK hub will be around seven minutes compared with an average 49 minutes by road. Commenting on the deal Delta CEO Ed Bastien said “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,” s 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.”
