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Delta is opening airport spas its customers can’t use

Look but don't touch.
Look but don't touch.

Working for a big American airline these days seems about as enjoyable as being one of its passengers—judging by the attitude of airline employees anyway. At least one airline has decided that sweetening its employees’ tempers will pay off for the company.

Delta Air Lines, North America’s second-largest commercial airline, is opening employee “sky spas” at three airports in the US beginning in October. Set up through a partnership with spa company XpresSpa, the new facilities will offer employees discounted services like massages, hair styling, skin and nail care, makeup application, and uniform alteration. An airport in Salt Lake City will be the first to have a Delta spa, and two others in Atlanta and Detroit will open in 2016.

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The spas are a nod to the pampering stations some large corporations have erected for their high-level employees. Delta said in a press release that its spas will be accessible to “flight attendants, Airport Customer Service agents and other Delta employees.” The company did not respond to Quartz’s request for comment.

Delta’s spa investment—coupled with a newly announced 14.5% pay increase for most Delta employees—comes amid record-breaking profit for the airline, thanks in part to low fuel costs. Along with other airlines, it has also been pouring vast sums into profitable high-end fliers, while squeezing economy fliers whose seats barely cover fuel and labor costs.

In its press release, Delta said that “when our employees feel great, it’s reflected in the experience they provide our customers.” The company has been climbing the ranks for customer satisfaction among US carriers lately.

Research has shown that happy employees drive profits and increase customer satisfaction—that is, assuming your customers aren’t perpetually on the brink of rage.

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