From now on, all Delta flights are smokin'.

We're not talking cigarettes— they're still banned. We're talking about Katherine Lee, aka "Deltalina," now starring in the airline's cheeky new safety video. A fetching redhead who scolds against lighting up with a saucy wave of her finger, Lee's causing turbulence on the Internet, where nearly 300,000 viewers with, uh, safety on the brain have watched the short clip.

Louie Favorite/AJC

Katherine Lee struck this pose in the much-watched Delta safety video.

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Your Turn Is Delta on to something with its new safety video?   Yes. Anything that makes passengers want to watch is a good thing.   No. It's sexist and obviously geared toward men.   Who's Deltalina?   Can I get her phone number? Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

"It's crazy," said Lee, who's as bubbly as a glass champagne in first-class.

Born in Heidelberg, Germany, she has traveled ever since she can remember. Her father is from Puerto Rico and her mother is German; he was in the military, so the family moved around a good bit. Lee, 33, graduated from Stone Mountain High School in 1992 and was living in Melbourne, Fla., when she applied to become a Delta flight attendant in 1997.

"They hired me on the spot," said Lee, who lives in Buckhead and likes to hike and travel in her free time.

A Delta flight attendant ever since, she was culled from an initial pool of 1,000 candidates for the safety video, winnowed down to 82.

"It was really based on personality, comfort in front of an audience, and the ability to engage people," said Chris Babb, Delta's product manager for in-flight entertainment and media.

The clip was filmed in January at Delta's Atlanta headquarters by a Hollywood production company hired for the job. (That tantalizing finger wagging was written into the script, by the way). The casting director ultimately picked Lee. Babb says she was in his personal top 2.

"Clearly, she shone," he said. "The goal was to engage, and we thought it was important to introduce bits of humor. The idea is to get as many people to watch the video as possible."

Mission accomplished. The clip begins airing on 400 Delta flights in about a week, but it's already a hit online, where viewers have dubbed her "Deltalina."

"I love Angelina Jolie, To be compared to her is beautiful," said Lee, who's been fielding a steady stream of media requests and at least one marriage proposal. She's single, doesn't have a boyfriend, and says those pouty lips are all hers.

Asked if Delta has further plans to showcase its new star, Babb thought for a minute.

"This all just happened two days ago," he said. "We haven't brainstormed that yet. But having an individual with a great personality talk directly to customers is the way to go."

Lee is working in training right now and looks forward to flying again soon. She's already getting recognized, but doesn't mind the attention.

"I'm such a people person," she said. "It's so great because (the video) is bringing awareness of safety and how important it is. That's the bottom line —it's all about safety."