Delta Airlines has launched its Fly Delta app for iPad that features a “Glass Bottom Jet” option and the ability to connect to social networks while in the air. The company has also released an update to its iPhone app with support for Passbook. These releases were part of a phased rollout that the company hopes will “significantly improve online and digital customer experiences”.
With the Fly Delta app for iPad, once in the air and connected to the in-flight WiFi, passengers will be able to enable the “Glass Bottom Jet” feature which will give them the ability to view the ground below them. The app also features maps, social networking tools, and other Internet content.
While one of the most interesting features of the iPad app, the “Glass Bottom Jet’s” appeal is mostly when passengers are in-flight and connected. Delta says that it has more than 800 aircraft that are WiFi-enabled. However, its iPad app can still be used on the ground as it also includes travel planning tools, destination guides, flight check-in, an interactive trip map, and a “What’s Next” guide to help users navigate from one gate to another.
Delta also released an update today for its iPhone app. Available in the Apple App Store in 2011, the Fly Delta app for iPhone is everything you get from the iPad version, except for the “Glass Bottom Jet” feature and also that the iPhone came first. The airline says that it has been downloaded more than 5.5 million times. With version 2.0, users will be able to find, compare, and book flights right from the device and even add their eBoarding Pass to Passbook.
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Other updates to the iPhone app includes the option of managing trips, profiles, and transactions; iPhone 5 display support, and the ability to purchase Economy Comfort, other seat products, and Delta’s Trip Extras such as in-flight WiFi, Priority Boarding, and more.
The release of an iOS app is because Delta wants to simplify the digital experience across all the many devices and platforms. Glen Hauenstein, the airline’s executive vice president of network planning, revenue management, and marketing, said in a statement that “the incredible functionality and innovation found in the new iPad app embodies all that we’re doing to further improve the digital experience customers have with Delta. All of this represents the largest investment to delta.com and digital technology in more than a decade.”
Photo credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images
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