Deltalina

Katherine Lee-Hinton
Deltalina in 2015
Born	Katherine Lee 1974or1975(age 49–50) [1] Heidelberg, Germany [1]
Nationality	American
Education	Stone Mountain High School
Occupation(s)	Flight attendant and flight attendant instructor for Delta Air Lines
Years active	1997–present

Katherine Lee-Hinton, better known as Deltalina, ^{[2] [3] [4]} is a German-born American flight attendant for Delta Air Lines and was one of the presenters of Delta's onboard safety videos. The first Deltalina safety video was released in February 2008 ^{[5] [ unreliable source? ]} and became one of the most-watched videos on YouTube at the time.

The nickname Deltalina came from YouTube viewers who, in the comments to the video, compared her looks to those of actress Angelina Jolie. ^[6]

Early life

Deltalina was born in Heidelberg, Germany to a family of the military and is of Puerto Rican ancestry on her father's side and German ancestry on her mother's side. An alumna of Stone Mountain High School, class of 1992, she was hired by Delta in 1997 upon her first attempt to join the airline. She resided in Melbourne, Florida in 1997 and Buckhead, Atlanta as of 2008. ^[6]

Safety videos

The original 2008 safety video was featured on several news outlets such as USA Today , CNN , Wired , De Telegraaf , ^[7] De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad , noting that the unusual humor might make passengers pay more attention to the video. ^[8]

Critical reception

Martin Grant of Forbes wrote in 2012 that the Deltalina video was the first of the "next generation of safety video" and that the "talents" of Deltalina "largely helped" this. ^[9]

This video, however, was panned in the book How to Do Things With Videogames by Ian Bogost because, in Bogost's opinion, the attention that is paid to the videos is given to Lee-Hinton and not to the actual safety instructions, that the video made her into "a minor celebrity", that "In a weird historical inversion, this very much is your father's Pan Am." ^[10]

Subsequent Delta safety videos

• In late 2012, Delta Air Lines made two new safety videos in which Lee-Hinton is not the presenter, but in which she does appear in a cameo role, admonishing against smoking on board with her famous finger wag. ^{[11] [12]}
• In 2014, a younger version of Deltalina did her "finger wag" in a 1980s-themed safety video.
• In 2015, Deltalina again did her "finger wag", this time admonishing a screaming goat not to smoke, in a safety video featuring Internet memes. This scene later returned in a 2016 Delta safety video. ^[13]

List of public appearances

• 2006: Lee modeled from May to September 2006 presentations and photo sessions for new Delta Air Lines' flight attendant uniforms. ^{[14] [15] [16]}
• 2007: Lee appeared giving a live safety briefing ^[17] in the May 22, 2007 ^[18] episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show when the entire show took place aboard a Delta flight.
• 2008: In September, Lee shot a series of humorous instructional videos for the Atlanta Falcons football team, shown on the large screens at the Georgia Dome in advance of each home game. The videos' theme was "Delta Safety First". ^{[19] [20]}
• 2009: In March, Lee helped celebrate the opening of the heliport atop the W Hotel in Downtown Atlanta, accompanying developer Hal Barry and his wife in a helicopter which landed there, kicking off the party. Barry intended to commute between downtown and his estate 50 miles (80 km) further south. ^[21] In the same month Lee appeared both in print and video to help kick off the relaunch of Delta's inflight magazine, Sky. ^[22]
• 2010: Lee appeared in a video for the Carter foundation. ^[23] Also in that year, she did a video to promote Sky Priority benefits for frequent flyers. ^[24]
• 2011: In March, Lee appeared in a video for the 2011 Adobe Summit orientation. ^[25] In August 2011, Lee appeared in a series of promotional videos for Healthe Trim's diet supplements. ^{[26] [27]} On December 14, 2011, she also appeared on CNN offering travel tips.
• 2012: In March, Lee was onstage at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. ^{[28] [29]} In November 2012, she appeared in a print ad for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, which appeared in Delta Sky Magazine. ^{[30] [31]} In the same month she also appeared in a cameo role in a promotional video for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. ^[32]

Personal life

Lee was born in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to a Puerto Rican father, who died in December 2013, and a German mother. Her father was in the military, and her family moved around a lot. Lee graduated from Stone Mountain High School in Metro Atlanta in 1992. ^[1] She is fluent in German and English.

References

1. Brett, Jennifer (March 25, 2008). "'Deltalina,' a real Delta employee, is loving the safety spotlight". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
2. ""I'm just a down-to-earth girl" – Deltalina chats w/ the airlineguys". airlineguys.com. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
3. Brown, Joe. "Delta's New Sexy Safety Starlet". wired.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
4. "Meet Deltalina, the star of Delta's new in-flight safety video". msdn.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
5. "Delta's In-flight Safety Video". YouTube. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
6. Brett, Jennifer (2008-03-27). "Who is Deltalina? Flashback to 2008". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved 2021-01-01.
7. "Deltalina breekt door". telegraaf.nl. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
8. "Stewardess schittert in instructiefilmpje" ("Flight attendant shines in instructional video"),   De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad , 24 March 2008
9. Martin, Grant. "United's New Safety Video Helps Turn A Page In Airline Marketing Strategy." Forbes . August 4, 2014.
10. Bogost, Ian. How to Do Things With Videogames (Volume 38 of Electronic mediations). University of Minnesota Press, 2011. ISBN   145293312X, 9781452933122. p.143 .
11. "New Delta safety videos, Deltalina is back". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
12. 11Alive Staff, WXIA (12 November 2012). "Deltalina is back in new Delta air safety videos". 11Alive. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
13. "Delta's hilarious new safety video features the stars from 23 of most viral memes ever". 21 May 2015.
14. "Richard Tyler and Delta Airlines Debut New Flight Attendant Uniforms With Guest Photos and Images - Getty Images". gettyimages.com. May 1, 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
15. "USA Delta Jet-Set Summer at Henri Bendel ("Richard Tyler, stylist, posing with models") - Documentary Photography by Alex Masi". photoshelter.com. June 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
16. "Designer Richard Tyler Unveils Couture "Widget Dress" For Delta Air Lines Photos and Images - Getty Images". gettyimages.com. September 12, 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
17. "Deltalina on Ellen". YouTube. 31 March 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
18. "This Day in Ellen History", Ellen show, May 22, 2010
19. "DELTALINA WAGS HER FINGER AT THE DOME", "Peach Buzz", Access Atlanta (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), September 24 2008 Archived 2010-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
20. "Delta, Official Airline of the Atlanta Falcons", Delta Air Lines, September 26, 2008
21. Leon Stafford, "It’s easier to get a lift downtown: New helipad provides way to beat traffic", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2009-03-11
22. "Deltalina welcomes you to the new Sky Magazine", Sky magazine, Delta Air Lines, March 26, 2009
23. "The Delta Experience Auction for the Carter Foundation". YouTube. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
24. "Just In: Deltalina Stars in Another Delta Video for Sky Priority - FlyerTalk Forums". flyertalk.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
25. "Adobe Summit Orientation". vimeo.com. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
26. "Welcome to Healthe Trim". YouTube. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
27. "Healthe Trim". youtube.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
28. "Katherine Lee at the 23rd Annual GLAAD MEDIA Awards, March 24, 2012". Patrick McMullan Company. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
29. "Delta Boarding Video at GLAAD Media Awards NY". YouTube. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
30. Delta Sky Magazine, November 2012 (no online version available)
31. "ATL". iamatl.net. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
32. "ATL Files Episode 1: Accessibility". YouTube. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2015.

Further reading

• "Fame and Marriage Proposal for Deltalina", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Richard L. Eldredge, "Delta’s famed attendant, others offer travel packing tips", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 21, 2008
• "Delta's Red-Headed Flight Attendant a Hit on YouTube in Airline's Safety Video", FOX News, March 23, 2008

External links

• Official in-flight video (2008), Delta Air Lines