Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
DELTA AIR LINES has added automatic check-in to the Fly Delta app to streamline the check-in experience for customers and take the guesswork out of accessing a boarding pass.
The new functionality, available on the latest version of the app, automatically checks in eligible customers 24 hours prior to their scheduled departure. Customers receive an alert via email or push notification, open the app, acknowledge the federal government mandate for restricted items, and their boarding pass is there along with all the tools needed for their trip.
“Our customers have told us Delta can eliminate some of their stress associated with upcoming travel if they know their boarding pass is ready and can see their seat assignment,” said Rhonda Crawford, Vice President – Global Distribution & Digital Strategy. “Auto check-in provides that peace of mind in a simple, automated solution that also saves valuable time.”
Once inside the app, customers can add checked bags, change seats and purchase upgrades – all from the “Today” mode.
“We’ve approached the app experience with the intention of making it as intuitive as possible,” Crawford continued. “Take, for example, the bag button in ‘Today’ mode: once a customer adds a bag, the bag button will dynamically change to display ‘Track My Bags’ so they can take full advantage of Delta’s industry-leading RFID bag-tracking capabilities, through the app.”
Auto check-in is generally available to customers with domestic-only itineraries who already have a seat assignment or are auto-assigned a seat at check-in. Customers who require assistance with special requests like traveling with a pet in the cabin or traveling as an unaccompanied minor need to continue checking in with an agent.
Version 4.6 of the Fly Delta app also introduces features that give customers the ability to:Toggle between trips in “Today” mode for customers who have multiple trips on the same day Enroll in SkyMiles directly from the app
With more than half of Delta travelers using Delta’s mobile tools to navigate their experience, Delta regularly updates the app for the benefit of customers. Earlier this year Delta updated its industry-leading app with the ability to access trip information offline and became the only airline to integrate airport wayfinding maps into the boarding pass to make them accessible by touching the departure city code, arrival city code or gate numbers, and through My Trips, Flight Status and the “More” section.
Delta has led the industry in app-technology advancements, starting with the introduction of the Fly Delta app in 2010.
2011: Delta was the first to offer cancelled- or delayed-flight rebooking via its app and the first to offer tracking for bags associated with a reservation or those with tags scanned using the app.
2013: Delta’s design for indicating TSA Pre-check on Apple Wallet boarding passes was adopted as Apple’s standard in displaying this information for all airlines.
2015: The Fly Delta app was the first U.S. airline app to offer Apple Pay.
2016: Delta started using RFID bag tags systemwide to track checked bags and implemented push notifications in real-time so customers can track their bags using the Fly Delta app throughout the travel experience.
