With more than 180 million passengers carried each year and 302 destinations served, Delta is one of the largest airlines in the world. With an identity focused on the traveler experience and innovation, the American group continues to invest to improve its performance and customer satisfaction rate. “Each year our ambition is to be among the best airlines in the world and that is why we allocate a significant investment in new technologies and service”, says Steve Sear, director of sales at Delta. – After several years of research, the group inaugurated the first biometric terminal in Atlanta, the largest airport in the world in terms of air traffic with more than 1,000 departures every day. Equipped with a facial recognition system, terminal F allows travelers, throughout their journey, to identify themselves through their face.
It all starts when checking in via the Delta terminals. All passengers traveling internally or internationally on a direct flight with Delta and its partners (Aeromexico, Air France KLM, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Korean AIr …) can now use a facial recognition system to check in, add luggage or reserve your seat. To validate the check-in, the customer must then scan his passport via the terminal where the information will be directly recorded. They can then go through security and board using the same device without needing to present their passport or boarding pass (except for international destinations). An ultra-fast process which aims to improve the journey of the traveler, to save him time and to make traffic flow in terminal F.
– This new system is the result of a partnership between Delta, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). When asked why the Delta company, John Wagner of CBP declares that “it was the first to have given the green light to test this new device”. The goal is now to deploy it in many airports in the United States and around the world, “In the long term, we would like our passengers to be able to have access to this system at all the airports where we operate flights, including with our international partners”, explains Gil West, COO of Delta. “Whether in Europe, Asia, Minnesota or New York, we want to connect airports together in order to create a real network”, he adds. The next terminal to benefit from it will be the McNamara in Detroit by mid-December. Tests will also be carried out at New York John F. Kennedy Airport and Menneapolis-Saint-Paul. At the same time, the group has deployed a biometric registration system in all Delta Sky clubs via fingerprints. For club members, there is no longer any need for a card or proof, just place your fingerprints on a small machine placed on the counter to validate your identity.
Regarding data protection, John Wagner ensures that all passenger information, including photographs, is stored in a secure cloud system. Several works also focus on blockchain technology, but still remain at the brainstorming stage. At the same time, during a visit to the Delta Hub, the company’s technological laboratory, the teams confided that their research is currently structured around 4 main themes: improving the animal travel route, an application that helps pilots to better predict and anticipate turbulence, an e-cabin for on-board personnel (total elimination of paper) and blockchain.
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