Delta gives customers first-ever map view of bag's journey

Fly Delta 4.0 brings upgraded mobile experience to customer fingertips

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Oct 25, 2016, 08:00 ET

ATLANTA, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Maps are an integral part of travel, but for those taking to the skies with checked bags, visibility to a piece of luggage and its journey through the belly of the airport and from one plane to the next is lacking. That's changing for Delta Air Lines [NYSE: DAL] customers who now have a map view of their bag's last scanned location on the Fly Delta mobile app.

Screenshot of map view on the Fly Delta app

"We're the first carrier to offer this level of visibility," said Bill Lentsch, Delta's Senior Vice President – Airline Operations and Airport Customer Service. "From the moment our customers drop off their bag, we want them to know we're looking out for it every step of the way and working to take the stress out of flying one innovation at a time."

The new map enhancement builds on Delta's industry-first, system-wide launch of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) bag tags and the roll out of RFID tracking technology at 84 airports in the U.S. All domestic stations now offer map view of the bag's journey and international stations will receive this technology in the coming months.

When a customer wants to see the location of their bag on the map, the display starts by showing a zoomed out map of the U.S. as the bag travels from one airport to the next. The map then automatically zooms to airport view and users can follow their bag along its journey via pins, with the last known location identified by a suitcase icon. Tapping any of the pins or the icon will provide additional text information about the location of the bag.

Push notifications will sync with the app later this year and offer Delta customers down-to–the-minute updates on their checked baggage.

"We listen to our customers and know they want a simplified mobile experience that puts the control back in their hands," said Rhonda Crawford, Vice President – Global Distribution & Digital Strategy. "Fly Delta 4.0 automatically updates when your flight details change, keeping customers informed."

In addition to an enhanced map view for baggage, the Fly Delta app update seamlessly integrates the "Today" view and the customer's boarding pass into one screen, and the color of the "Today" screen now reflects each customer's current SkyMiles® Medallion status. Electronic boarding passes now automatically update, that includes seat, gate and flight information.

For those purchasing tickets on mobile, Delta created a more user-friendly experience to make purchasing even faster by eliminating the need to re-verify each leg of the trip while shopping. The airline also fixed bugs and enhanced overall performance of the app.

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 319 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/delta.