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The global health crisis continues to affect the aviation industry this year. As a result, several airlines have introduced new tools to help passengers travel amid changing conditions around the world.
Mapping the situation
This week, Delta Air Lines announced the launch of an interactive travel requirements map to assist passengers with travel planning. According to a press release seen by Simple Flying, the Atlanta-based airline offers an “at-a-glance peek at travel requirements, COVID testing, and additional features to facilitate travel planning.” The carrier emphasizes that this feature is the latest way it is using technology to address passenger feedback and leadership when it comes to industry recovery efforts.
The tool offers information on the following aspects in a desired destination:
- Quarantine and testing requirements
- Local health information
- Local COVID-19 Guidelines
- Travel forms and procedures
- Links to the necessary forms and applications before flying
Rhonda Crawford, Delta Vice President – Global Distribution and Digital Strategy, spoke about how the initiative helps the company’s customers. Together, it helps passengers have more control over their trips.
“We are focused on the ways we can make planning your next trip as simple and personalized as possible.” Crawford said in the statement.
“As we shared at CES, Delta’s future is rooted at the intersection of technology and customer experience. We want customers to have full control over their trip, and that starts with a digital experience that is easy to navigate and contains the information they need to know before they travel. “
In good company
This move follows United’s launch of its interactive map feature powered by Google’s enterprise flight search technology. In September, United highlighted that its customers can use the system to easily compare and buy flights, depending on departure airport, budget and type of location. Together, planners can simultaneously compare options for multiple destinations in a single search.
According to a press release seen by Simple Flying, the United feature currently offers filters to view areas that are popular for the following attractions:
- Beaches
- Beer and breweries
- Culture
- National Parks
- Kitchen
- Hiking
- Outdoor
- Romantic
- Snorkel and Diving
- winter sports
Linda Jojo, United’s executive vice president of technology and chief digital officer, shared that the airline had reinvented the way people search for flights and introduced something new that delivers better results and is easy to use. In particular, the airline leveraged Google’s flight search technology innovation to offer a comprehensive solution that streamlines the search process and enables travelers to find suitable flights more easily.
United has been rolling out similar features across all of its platforms. For example, it also offers advice on national and global conditions through another interactive feature.
Industry efforts
Also in September, American Airlines shared that it is making planning easier for passengers who are eager to reconnect with loved ones around the world. Subsequently, the Texan group released a new travel tool, powered by Sherpa, to help travelers quickly see current travel guidelines for the pandemic for domestic and international destinations. When a destination is entered through the tool, the results will display updated guidelines, along with travel requirements.
Above all, conditions are constantly changing around the world and it can be difficult to keep up. Therefore, initiatives such as those being implemented by these airlines could go a long way in helping the industry recover for 2021.
Collectively, what do you think of airlines introducing new tools to help guide travelers in today’s climate? Do you think that more carriers should place similar measures? Let us know what you think of the initiatives in the comment section.
