Working out on a flight sounds a little weird, but it’s not unheard of. I was once a dogmatic yoga practitioner who would sneak to the back of the plane to squeeze in some poses (what else is there to do on an 11-hour international flight?). Don’t get me wrong: I would never willingly touch the floor of an aeroplane, but I did use the wall near the emergency exit to hold myself in chair pose for a bit and open up my hips. It offers remarkable relief when you’re stuck with your knees cramped up to your nose in economy class.
In the same vein, Peloton’s new partnership with Delta Air Lines will produce in-flight stretching and meditation classes specifically for Delta passengers. It’s the first time that Peloton classes are available anywhere outside of its ecosystem of products, including two stationary bikes, a treadmill, and a mobile app.
The five classes produced for this deal won’t be available to Peloton members outside of a Delta-branded aeroplane either. Peloton plans to record new offerings for Delta every few months, so that repeat passengers will have new classes to take.
“It gives us the chance for people that aren’t Peloton members about this accessibility and that we have the best fitness content in the world,” Jen Cotter, Peloton’s chief content officer, told CNN Business. “We know that once someone downloads the Peloton app and tries one of our classes, they’re going to fall in love with Peloton.”
The initiative is one of the easiest ways to get newcomers to try out a Peloton class, especially those who don’t have an existing network of friends sharing their favourite Cody Rigsby classes on social media (I am one of those people, by the way). Peloton also has way more than just cycling and running classes, as the partnership is designed to highlight. Its yoga, meditation, strength-training, and outdoor running and walking classes are all popular with app subscribers. CNN adds that the company is “aiming to expand its products and attract new members who might be turned off because they think its products are exclusively for the wealthy.”
Peloton has had a rocky time since the recall of the Tread+. The company’s shares are down about 40% for the year. A deal with Delta won’t necessarily turn that around. Still, it could prove helpful at increasing brand recognition beyond suburban homes and urban lofts, thus increasing subscriptions to its mobile app, which doesn’t require Peloton hardware to use.