Delta to bring back inflight flamenco

ATLANTA — In an era of cost-cutting measures and cheap, electronic forms of inflight entertainment, at least one airlines is bringing back a classic live show.   

Delta Airlines CEO Mark Flyerton has announced that starting in early 2017, the company will reintroduce its celebrated flamenco performances on all flights.

Between takeoff and landing, a guitarist and a dancer — and as many as six on long-haul flights — will perform Spain’s most revered musical art form.

“Today’s travelers may not know it, but in early 1960s through the late 1970s, Delta was synonymous with the clicking of castanets, the plucking of guitar strings, and passionate women in colorful dresses dancing on top of drink carts,” Flyerton said. “We want to take our passengers back to a time when flying Delta meant an immersion into the culture and beauty of Al-Andalus — otherwise known as Andalusia.”

“Olé,” he added.

Delta’s competitors were quick to announce their own new offerings for in-flight entertainment. A spokesperson for United Airlines says that the company will hire professional yodelers to delight first-class and business passengers, and rumors are swirling that hip-hop artist Lil Wayne has signed a five-year, $12 million deal with Southwest Airlines to rap the safety instructions on all Chicago-Atlanta flights.