Delta Air Lines plans some upcoming traveler experience enhancements, including changes to some check-in and Wi-Fi access procedures, the carrier said at last week’s Delta Air Lines Business Showcase event, where it also outlined the carrier’s New Distribution Capability strategy.
Beginning May 1, the Delta One check-in experience at Los Angeles International Airport will be accessible to upper-class customers of its joint-venture partner Virgin Atlantic, said Delta SVP of customer experience design Ranjan Goswami. That includes an entry area located on the lower arrivals level of Terminal 3, a dedicated check-in space with refreshments and light snacks, a private U.S. Transportation Security Administration screening lane and direct elevator access to the Delta One Lounge entrance.
The Delta One check-in experience also is planned for John F. Kennedy International Airport this year, with the carrier expecting to open the check-in facility and a Delta One lounge in June, and the dedicated TSA screening lane in October, Goswami said, adding that the new 38,000-sq.-ft. lounge will include a bar, a full-service brasserie, a chef-assisted market with an open kitchen and a dedicated wellness area.
Starting this summer, customers also will be able to log into Delta Sync Wi-Fi through the Fly Delta app, Goswami added. As for the continued rollout of free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles loyalty program members, it’s currently available on 80 percent of the domestic mainline fleet, or about 650 planes, with continued additions the rest of this year, Goswami said. Internationally, it will be phased in by market, with plans for it to be available on the majority of flights to Europe and Latin America by the end of this year, and on transpacific routes by the first half of 2025.
The carrier also has been expanding the availability of Digital ID—its voluntary facial-recognition program at airports, allowing passengers to move through security lanes and check bags without showing a physical ID card. After launching pilots in Atlanta and Detroit, Delta in December 2023 added the service to JFK, LAX and New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and plans to expand it to the rest of its hubs—Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Salt Lake City and Seattle—by the end of 2024, Goswami said.
