Delta gives customers map view of bag’s journey

MAPS are an integral part of travel but for those taking to the sky with checked bags, being able to see a piece of luggage and its journey through the airport and from one plane to the next has been lacking. That’s changing for Delta customers who now have a map view of their bag’s last scanned location on the Fly Delta mobile 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 US. 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 US 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.