"21st-century gracious"

Oh, boy!  Here I  am, trying to preserve stories about gracious passenger flight on Northwest Airlines in the 1950s for posterity, and now Delta informs me that "21st-century gracious" is the new brand identity for THE BIGGEST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD.

Was it a sleeper cell in the Northwest DNA that infected Delta - once the two became one last month - and created this new identity?  I say sleeper cell because there sure hasn't been much evidence of graciousness being awake on Northwest in recent years, at least in my personal flying experience.

So okay, Delta, we read of your wine selections, an Italian sparkling named Prosecco and a warm, fuzzy red from Sonoma called Cashmere; your "hipper, more contemporary music for boarding;" your "elegant and classy" new celebrity-designer uniforms; and your nationally-known chefs for first class and coach dining.

But tell me, Big Guy, where is the Lowrey organ providing live dinner music?  Where, oh, where is the spiral staircase leading to the cocktail lounge?  How about Fujiyama hors d'oeuvres trays and Oshibori towels?  An aisle wide enough for two adults to pass one another without touching?  Sleeping berths?  An invitation to ride in the cockpit?  Prime rib sliced to your preference - rare, medium or well done?  

I could go on and on.  Suffice it to say I'll keep on collecting and sharing tales of the era of the red tail, when gracious was gracious, not needing to be further defined by century, or unveiled as a "brand" at a wine-tasting party.