Article from BTNews 31 JULY 2017
Delta's high-tech boarding plan
Phase one of a three-month Delta Air Lines test programme designed to improve gate use and streamline the boarding process for passengers in T Concourse at Atlanta’s Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport took off last week.
Passengers using the T1, T2 and T3 gates will be able to use mobile podiums with a smaller footprint than traditional gate counters to open up space for more efficient boarding and additional customer seating.
Gate agents will also be equipped with hand-held Nomad devices that allow them to make seat changes, check bag status and other tasks and make them more available to help passengers rather than standing behind traditional gate counters.
Boarding pillars are also being installed to create four parallel lanes to improve traffic flow by providing passengers with a clear path to boarding, and “E-Gates” will enable passengers to self-board by scanning their smart phones or boarding passes.
Phase two of the programme coming in later this year will focus on increased agent mobility, the passenger’s digital experience at the gate and how to integrate biometric boarding now being tested at Reagan Washington International Airport.
The enhancements are the latest examples of Delta’s moves to improve customer handling with developments like replacing ID checks with fingerprint scanning and introducing a biometric-based self-service bag drop.
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