Deltalina

Katherine Lee
Katherine Lee in 2015
Born	Katherine Lee 1974/1975 (age 41–42)[1] Heidelberg, Germany[1]
Nationality	American
Occupation	Flight Attendant, Flight Attendant Instructor for Delta Airlines
Years active	1997–present
Home town	Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Katherine Lee, better known as Deltalina,^[2][3][4] is a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines and since 2008 is one of the presenters of Delta's onboard safety videos. The first Deltalina safety video was released in February 2008^[5] and quickly became popular not only on board but also became one of the most-watched videos on YouTube soon after its release.^[6]

Safety video

The original, unorthodox 2008 safety video made the news in the United States (for example, in USA Today, CNN, Wired), Netherlands (De Telegraaf)^[7] and Belgium (De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad), most articles 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] Ian Bogost, author of How to Do Things With Videogames, wrote that the video made her into "a minor celebrity".^[10] Bogost wrote that "In a weird historical inversion, this very much is your father's Pan Am."^[10]

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.^[11]

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.^[12][13] This flight attendant had started to return to the public in May 2015. However, starting in June 2016, he video was no longer displayed as part of the reboot of the Delta safety videos. ^[14]

List of public appearances

• 2006: Lee modeled in May–September 2006 presentations and photo sessions for new Delta Air Lines' flight attendant uniforms.^[15][16][17]
• 2007: Lee appeared giving live safety briefing^[18] in the May 22, 2007^[19] 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".^[20][21]
• 2009: In March, Lee helped celebrate the opening of the heliport atop the W Hotel Downtown Atlanta, accompanying developer Hal Barry and his wife in a helicopter which landed there, kicking off the party. Tycoon Barry, inspiration for the protagonist in the Tom Wolfe novel A Man in Full, intended to commute between downtown and his estate 50 miles (80 km) further south.^[22] In the same month Lee appeared both in print and video to help kick off the relaunch of Delta's inflight magazine, Sky.^[23]
• 2010: Lee appeared in a video for the Carter foundation.^[24] Also in that year, she did a video to promote Sky Priority benefits for frequent flyers.^[25]
• 2011: In March, Lee appeared in a video for the 2011 Adobe Summit orientation.^[26] In August 2011, Lee appeared in a series of promotional videos for Healthe Trim's diet supplements.^[27][28] 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.^[29][30] In November 2012, she appeared in a print ad for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, which appeared in Delta Sky Magazine.^[31][32] In the same month she also appeared in cameo role in a promotional video for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.^[33]

Personal life

Lee was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to a Puerto Rican father (died in December 2013) and an American mother. Her father was in the military, and the family moved around. Lee graduated from Stone Mountain High School in Metro Atlanta in 1992.^[1]

Lee is currently living in California.

References

• "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, Delta Air Lines