Dive Brief:

• Delta is expanding its Digital ID program, which allows customers to move through the airport without showing a physical government ID, the airline announced last week. The program is now available at the Los Angeles International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
• The Digital ID program uses biometric facial matching during bag drop and check-in process, eliminating the need for an agent to examine passengers’ physical IDs. 
• “We know a frictionless airport experience is integral to your satisfaction with your overall journey,” Allison Ausband, Delta’s chief customer experience officer, said in a prepared statement. “With Digital ID, our customers spend less time hassling with their wallets, and our agents spend less time checking documents.”

Dive Insight:

Delta’s expanded Digital ID program aims to provide passengers with a “frictionless airport experience” and arrives in three major hubs just in time for the busy holiday travel season.

The Digital ID program was first introduced in 2021 at Delta hubs in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Detroit Metro Airport. Delta is the first airline to have a TSA partnership for biometric recognition, a spokesperson for Delta told CX Dive.

The Digital ID program will expedite the airport experience and alleviate customer stress during the peak holiday travel season, during which Delta expects to welcome more than 9 million passengers, according to the spokesperson.

Customer response has been overwhelmingly positive, with a large majority of eligible customers opting into the program. Those enrolled in the program noted more satisfaction with the check-in and security experiences than other Fly Delta app users “by double-digit margins,” according to a company announcement.

It also saved passengers nearly 1.5 minutes dropping off bags, and saved passengers between 10 to 18 seconds at security checkpoints — not to mention the time saved by being in a different line, according to the spokesperson.

The technology — which Delta stresses is completely optional and can be opted out of at any time — is available to customers who have TSA PreCheck, passport information as well as a known traveler number stored in their Delta profile, a Delta SkyMiles membership and the Fly Delta app.

Passengers who enroll can navigate to a new line in participating airports’ bag drop and security sections, which are identified by a green “Delta Digital ID” icon. There, they can look into a camera to have their face matched to the biometrical data held by TSA, thus using their digital identity in place of a physical ID. Only if the technology cannot match a customer’s face to their digital ID will an agent need to inspect physical government ID.

A spokesperson for Delta said the airline does not store biometric data and that it all resides with the TSA.