Around this time of year, most airlines and airports release tips on how passengers can navigate the holiday crowds.
This week, Delta Air Lines published what it is doing to ensure 9.3 million passengers on 75,000 flights get to where they want to be for the winter holiday season, which starts on Friday, December 20.
Delta Air Lines (Delta) is expected to carry 9.3 million passengers during the winter travel season between December 20 and Monday, January 6, 2025.
The full-service carrier will operate more than 75,000 flights over that period in all kinds of weather and conditions, but it has a plan to keep its operations on track and transport millions of passengers to their destinations.
Delta's team members have been preparing for the holiday peak, and part of that preparation involved doing what it can to ensure customers are playing their part.
A key element in this mission is Delta's Operations and Customer Center, the airline's nerve center, where experts from 36 departments join forces every day to manage more than 5,000 daily flights.
The Operations and Customer Center (OCC) is gearing up for the winter, and to get a first-hand update, the airline consulted with Pete Sansom, one of six OCC Duty Directors, who said that working in the OCC can be like solving a big puzzle; just when you think you have it figured out, a piece is missing, adding:
"The challenge is replacing that missing piece. You have to figure out how to get people to their destination while keeping our customers and employees safe and protecting the Delta brand."
Sansom shared some of his wisdom by outlining how technology can help customers have a stress-free journey, including the following helpful hints.
By using the Fly Delta app, customers can already track their checked bags in real time from the check-in counter to the aircraft to baggage claim. In an excellent piece of timing, Delta is one of the first few airlines to integrate Apple's new Share Item Location feature.
The Share Item Location feature can help reunite passengers with their bags more quickly when a bag is mishandled or delayed.
Delta customers can now easily and securely share the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with the airline's customer service, allowing agents to see the bag's real-time location to reunite customers with their bags as quickly as possible.
Rather than just telling customers what to do, Delta has gone the extra mile by educating them on the process involved.
The airline said that to share the location of their AirTag or Find My network accessory with Delta, customers can first generate a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Within the Fly Delta app, passengers can insert the generated link into the Share Find My Item Location in the delayed bag form.
They can also share the link with Delta customer service via the messaging feature in the Fly Delta app. Delta advised that:
- item location sharing is completely optional
- will automatically end as soon as a customer is reunited with their bag
- can be stopped by the customer at any time
- and will automatically expire after seven days
We hear this message all the time, but it is probably the easiest thing any passenger can do to help themselves, and enhancements on the Fly Delta app make it essential.
Before the flight, targeted app banner messages will share airport construction or changes that may impact how customers can get to the airport or navigate through the terminals.
For example, Delta said that in the rare instance the WiFi on your flight is not working, the airline will do its best to notify passengers at least four hours in advance so they can plan accordingly.
The app's Virtual Assistant also allows customers to get SkyMiles account information, seat changes/upgrades, flight changes, cancels, up-to-date flight information, refund eligibility, and rebook flights.
Customers traveling through Atlanta ATL, Washington DCA, Detroit DTW, New York JFK, New York LGA, Los Angeles LAX and Salt Lake City SLC can expedite their airport journey by using the Delta Digital ID.
This technology was developed in close collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and uses biometric facial matching to eliminate the need for an agent-facilitated document check, allowing travelers to easily move through the airport process.
At Security, Delta Digital ID gives customers access to a dedicated TSA PreCheck Touchless ID lane for the fastest experience. Passengers simply look into a camera at the checkpoint to gain access without showing a government-issued ID, with a similar process available at the designated bag drop area.
