For those who find air travel to be an experience guaranteed to ignite stressful pulses, Delta Airlines wants to let you know that it has your interests at heart. The carrier announced innovations to help passengers become more at ease about flying and assist company staff in delivering customer service in a stress-free manner.

Reduce stress

"We want to combine tech and the human touch to reduce the stress of flying and increase enjoyment of the experience," said Sandy Gordon, Delta's Senior Vice President - Airport Operations, Domestic Stations.

"We found that stress occurs before you even get to the airport and then there's the stress of simply being away from home," she continued.

Upgrading Delta app

Gordon explained they conducted an experiment involving Delta patrons and staff who wore Fitbits that allowed Delta to pinpoint the stress trigger points during all phases of the flying experience.

Variations in heart rates throughout phases revealed one aspect that Gordon was most eager to share, namely that customer interaction conducted in a warm, friendly, and engaging manner cuts down mounting stress.

Part of that research will be put towards developing the Fly Delta mobile app, designed to place a greater focus on consumer requirements. Features that will be added to the app include the availability of rides to and from the airport, as well as notifications of other additional services specific to customer needs.

Adding more features

Delta is also anticipating that the app will include wait times for ground transportation services at each airport, notifications of delays announced by the Transportation Safety Administration, pre-select in-flight meals, and auto check-in services for international trips.

“Customers tell us they want Fly Delta to become their ‘home base’ for managing their travel day,” commented Delta CEO Ed Bastian at the CES event. “That’s why we’re evolving the app to become the ultimate travel companion for all points of your journey.”