Delta plans self-service bag drop

Delta plans self-service bag drop

Delta is spending $600,000 to introduce four self-service bag drop machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this summer. It is hoped the technology will help customers to quickly, securely and easily check their own bags. One machine will be equipped to test … Continue reading

Delta is spending $600,000 to introduce four self-service bag drop machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this summer.

It is hoped the technology will help customers to quickly, securely and easily check their own bags.

One machine will be equipped to test facial recognition technology to match customers with their passport photos through identification verification, which the airline claims is a first for U.S. carriers.

“We expect this investment and new process to save customers time,” said Gareth Joyce, Delta’s senior vice president – Airport Customer Service and Cargo. “And, since customers can operate the biometric-based bag drop machine independently, we see a future where Delta agents will be freed up to seek out travelers and deliver more proactive and thoughtful customer service.”

The airline’s introduction of self-service bag drops and facial-recognition technology follows its introduction of self-service  ticketing kiosks and check-in via the Fly Delta Mobile app. It says the moves have transformed congested lobby areas and drastically improved customer satisfaction scores.

 

The airline will collect customer feedback during the trial and run process analyses to ensure that this lobby enhancement improves the overall customer experience. Delta says studies have found that self-service bag drops have the potential to process twice as many customers per hour.