Delta Air Lines is progressing ahead of schedule on an 81-airport project aimed at bringing efficiencies to domestic passenger processing and providing travelers with improved customer service.
The $30 million project, slated for completion by Labor Day, includes a mix of technological advancements and redefined roles for many of the airline's airport personnel. It already has been rolled out in 29 airports, including Delta's hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City and such other business destinations as Boston, Chicago, Dallas Ft. Worth, Houston Hobby, Los Angeles and New York JFK. The next wave includes Cleveland, Newark, San Francisco and Seattle. Meanwhile, Delta and new partners Continental and Northwest airlines soon will begin co-locating airport facilities.
"I had the task of turning airports upside down and putting them back together through the eyes of our customers," said Rich Cordell, Delta senior vice president for airport customer service. "Traditionally, airport service across the industry has not been great and there were specific areas in which we knew Delta could improve."
At each of the 81 locations—chosen because of earlier technology investments—the transformation includes additional self-service kiosks, direct passenger access to remote reservationists and roving employees tasked with proactively helping customers choose the most suitable checkin channel.
The genesis of the project was market research last summer in the Northeast corridor that found business travelers favor airlines that quickly move them from the curb to the gate. A precursor to the larger, ongoing initiative was completed at New York LaGuardia International Airport in August.
Once the projected is completed, Delta will offer more than 800 self-service kiosks nationwide. The self-service devices, similar to those deployed by other carriers, allow passengers to check in and print boarding passes, request upgrades and execute other simple transactions. New features soon will include international checkin, rebooking functionality and simple ticket reissues.
Delta, however, said it has not perceived sufficient value in making available ticket purchases through self-service kiosks, except in Northeast shuttle markets where corporate travelers for some time have had the ability to buy a ticket with their company's negotiated rate
(BTN, Aug. 3, 1998).Overall, Delta kiosk usage has soared, from 200,000 checkins in 2001 to 7.4 million last year. Officials said the airline is aiming for 20 million kiosk checkins during the current calendar year.
The airline is following the "80-20 rule," whereby kiosks handle 80 percent of all transactions and leave more complicated ones to other channels. Delta Direct phone banks, for example, are key to the carrier's airport initiative and bring reservations sales into the airport environment. The phones, which eventually will number above 400 across the 81 Delta stations, connect passengers from the airport to remote reservations agents specially prepared to handle complex ticketing changes and transactions. Passengers pick up their boarding passes at printers adjacent to the phone banks.
Delta has a list of specific transactions that it said are handled more quickly by remote reservations agents than agents behind airport counters. "Plus, it gives us more flexibility on staffing, and we increase the number of agents as needed," added Debbie Siek, Delta vice president of reservations sales and corporate customer care. Delta said it currently is averaging 3,000 calls per day through the Delta Direct channel.
The carrier has decided not to pursue dedicated corporate checkin facilities similar to those offered by competing airlines. "When we tried to carve out a specific corporate area, we found those lines tended to be longer," said Rob Maruster, Delta director of airport customer service, strategy, planning and development. "So we are doing mass customization and making sure no one has to stand in line."
To attain that goal, Delta has moved many employees from positions behind ticket counters into proactive roles around the lobby. Lobby assist agents and service excellence coordinators direct travelers to the appropriate checkin channel, answer questions and handle other customer service issues.
Maruster said such employees are getting the intended results. "We have seen an average 30 percent jump in usage of preferred channels—delta.com, curbside checkin, Delta Direct and kiosks—primarily a result of our airport agents directing travelers," he said.
The Delta airport project touches areas beyond the lobby, including enhanced gate readers at hub stations that provide updated itineraries and boarding passes for connecting passengers whose second flight was changed or canceled due to weather or other delays. "The gate readers are becoming mini-kiosks on the concourse, closely coordinated with reservations," Maruster explained. "Airlines historically have not handled severe weather events too well. With the enhanced gate readers, we have much more reservations capacity than we ever have had at the airport."
Meanwhile, Delta soon will integrate into airport processes certain aspects of the new alliance with Continental and Northwest. Kiosks, for example, later this year will allow checkin for codeshare flights. The three partners also will begin co-locating airport facilities—the first such move is scheduled for Delta's Cincinnati hub—and are considering combined city ticket offices.