Delta Air Lines has announced changes to the boarding process of its planes, which will take effect on May 1st. This should be no surprise, as Delta changes its boarding process almost as fast as Taylor Swift releases albums.
Here’s a brief history of the changes since 2018:
- Delta changes to branded boarding matching zones to their new color palette
- In 2020, Delta started boarding planes from back to front because of COVID
- Then, in 2021, they boarded Delta One, Comfort+ & Sky Priority first, then the back 1/2 of the plane before the rest
- Towards the end of the year, they went back to the pre-pandemic Branded Boarding zones
Giving Delta some credit – they’ve kept the same process since the end of 2021. We fly with Delta often and have noticed that the Branded Boarding zones don’t work well in practice.
Problems with Delta’s Branded Boarding Process
While the marketing department that came up with the idea was proud of the idea, the shortcomings were immediately obvious to travelers who’ve waited at a gate for their flights.
Delta’s gate agents relied on a combination of video monitors and announcements to alert passengers when it was time to board. However, PA announcements in airports are often difficult to understand, and not everyone has a clear view of the monitors, particularly if they arrive in the middle of boarding. This led to passengers trying to board at the wrong times, clumping close to the gate or missing their zone altogether.
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