With summer ahead and more customers taking steps to return to the skies, Delta has continued to find new ways to welcome customers back with less guesswork.
Last month, the airline launched its new Travel Planning Center – a onestop guide packed with resources to manage travel requirements – and added more interactive features to its easy-to-use Delta Discover Map that give customers the ability to filter, search and book travel in a couple of clicks.
Over the coming months, the airline plans to bring an even further streamlined experience to customers with new tools aimed at reopening international travel.
Matt Muta, V.P. – Innovation, explains how Delta is using technology to help the industry return to a preCOVID travel experience, while keeping an eye to the future.
Muta explains that a few destinations are reopening for U.S. customers, including Iceland and Greece, but many long- haul international destinations remain closed to U.S. passengers for all but essential travel, with strict restrictions for entry.
“Even so, our teams have been working hard over the past several months to make it easier for customers returning to travel through our new Travel Planning Center, Delta Discover Map and more. And while it is clear we still have a long road ahead before we see international travel return to PRE-COVID levels, we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.
Speaking on the digital health ‘passport,’ he said the ‘Health passport’ sounds exciting, but misnomer.
Muta explained that a passport is an official document issued by a government, certifying the holder’s identity and citizenship that entitles them to travel abroad. We’ll leave it to governments to decide on entry requirements and what’s accepted to cross borders.
He hinted that where Delta can be innovative, though, is in making it as easy as possible for our customers to navigate and address those requirements.
“That’s what we’ve been working hard to do since the onset of the pandemic. We want to develop an integrated suite of digital tools available via Delta channels that takes the guesswork out of the customer journey.
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“Earlier this year, we introduced a test upload capability in partnership with Trustassure in a handful of airports that has helped bridge the gap between paper documentation and digital credentials, but we are hoping to go a step further.
“Our goal is to bring one solution to customers that help them schedule a test, manage their results and other health documents, and automatically verify they have met the requirements for entry at their destination in a seamless, secure way – and we are making progress,” he said.
Muta said Delta is working closely with Skyteam, the global airline alliance, and each of our global airline partners throughout the pandemic, sharing best practice on the health and safety measures in place throughout the journey and focusing on how we can create a stress-free travel experience as customers navigate new and future requirements needed for international travel.
He assured that Delta is ensuring that its customers have the digital resources they need is critical. “That begins at the initial booking. They need to understand the tests required for travel and, ultimately, the documents they’ll need before they go. It is imperative that we deliver the technology solutions, such as touchless check-in, that ensure a seamless experience for our customer’s benefit across the partners. Customers want a smooth, connected and stress-free travel experience,” he added.
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