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Delta adds free-to-play sports contest with DraftKings via SkyPicks
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Business/The Apex Times/Jul 29, 10:19 PM EDT

Delta adds free-to-play sports contest with DraftKings via SkyPicks

The airline is rolling out SkyPicks, a Delta Sync Wi-Fi game where eligible SkyMiles Members make in-flight sports predictions for weekly and monthly Delta Gift Cards.

By The Apex Times Newsroom3 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Delta Air Lines is betting that sports fans want more than highlights at 35,000 feet. On July 29, the airline announced SkyPicks, a free-to-play sports knowledge contest created in partnership with DraftKings that lets eligible SkyMiles Members make prediction picks during flights and compete for Delta Gift Cards.

SkyPicks is designed to run through Delta’s onboard Wi-Fi experience, Delta Sync. Delta said the contest is available starting that day for SkyMiles Members ages 21 and up, using a laptop or mobile device to submit predictions tied to real matchups.

Delta described SkyPicks as entertainment rather than wagering. The contest is free to play and includes no deposits, no buy-in, no real money, no miles, and no financial risk. Delta said there is also no “betting” functionality, positioning the game as a way for passengers to engage with teams and leagues while they travel.

The airline said SkyPicks will launch with Major League Baseball contests, with NFL matchups planned later this year. Delta also specified how ties will be handled in the event multiple players land on the same result: tied players must predict the total amount of points or runs scored in a game.

Delta said top scorers will win Delta Gift Cards. The airline said gift cards are awarded on a weekly and monthly basis, and the contest extends a broader “play-to-win” concept already offered through Delta Sync. Delta referenced a similar experience, Sky Hopper, as part of the entertainment lineup that passengers can access on the plane using the same Wi-Fi platform.

In explaining the partnership, Delta emphasized that sports content already performs strongly onboard. The airline said sports content consistently ranks among the highest-performing categories on Delta Sync, and that live sports at altitude can create a shared moment as fans watch and celebrate together.

Ranjan Goswami, Delta’s Chief Marketing and Product Officer, said the airline’s goal with Delta Sync is to build an onboard experience that connects with what customers care about on the ground, and that SkyPicks brings sports passion onboard “in a fun, free-to-play way.” He positioned the contest as another mechanism for SkyMiles Members to engage with sports conversations during flights rather than simply watch games.

DraftKings’ commercial leadership echoed the theme of extending engagement beyond traditional media. Jeremy Elbaum, DraftKings’ Chief Commercial Officer, said at DraftKings that sports interaction should not start and end with the game itself, and that collaboration with Delta offers a chance to reimagine sports engagement while traveling.

Delta’s SkyPicks announcement also arrived alongside operational moves for international soccer travel. Delta said it will operate four additional round-trip flights between the U.S. and Europe to support customers traveling to Madrid and Munich for two major professional football games scheduled for November, adding capacity for fans heading to those fixtures.

The SkyPicks details provided by Delta clarify the rules and eligibility for the contest, but some practical elements remain unspecified in the announcement. Delta did not describe where on Delta Sync the game appears, whether passengers need to connect at the gate or during flight for optimal performance, or what the specific prize values will be for weekly and monthly winners. The company also did not lay out how frequently new baseball contests will be offered during the MLB season.

Still, the initiative fits a broader trend of airlines using onboard Wi-Fi and partnerships to differentiate the passenger experience. By pairing a loyalty audience with third-party sports expertise, Delta is effectively turning entertainment into an interactive loyalty-adjacent activity. What to watch next is how the rollout performs across different fleet connectivity environments, and whether the NFL expansion later this year mirrors the structure of the MLB launch.

Why It Matters

  • Interactive loyalty-linked entertainment could help airlines differentiate onboard services as passengers expect more than streaming.
  • If SkyPicks drives engagement, it may strengthen Delta Sync’s role as a retention and brand-building channel rather than a passive content system.
  • Partnerships with major sports platforms like DraftKings announcement airlines are moving toward event-adjacent experiences that align with fan behavior on the ground.
  • The free-to-play framing may reduce regulatory and brand risk compared with betting-like mechanics, while still capturing fan participation.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Delta announced SkyPicks, a free-to-play sports prediction contest developed with DraftKings and accessible through Delta Sync onboard Wi-Fi.
  • SkyPicks is available starting July 29 for SkyMiles Members ages 21 and up, and participants can submit predictions using a laptop or mobile device.
  • Delta said SkyPicks involves no wagering, deposits, buy-in, real money, miles, or currency, and has no betting functionality.
  • The contest launches with Major League Baseball and is scheduled to add NFL matchups later this year.
  • Delta said SkyPicks awards Delta Gift Cards weekly and monthly, with tie-breakers determined by predicting total points or runs scored.

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Delta adds free-to-play sports contest with DraftKings via SkyPicks | The Apex Times