Delta Arms Flight Attendants With In-Flight Phones

delta air linesMore than 19,000 Delta Air Lines flight attendants have started using new Windows Phone 8 handheld devices that Delta says will streamline on-board purchasing. Delta says the phones are part of its continued investment in technological innovation to improve the customer experience. In the future, Delta said it  expects to provide flight attendants with certain customer-specific information to enable more personalized service.

"Delta's 19,000 in-flight professionals are there for the safety and comfort of our customers, and equipping them with innovative solutions means they can better meet our customers' needs on board every flight," said Joanne Smith, senior vice president – In-Flight Service. "This is yet another way we're investing in technology to improve the customer experience."

The Windows Phone 8 device, a Nokia Lumia 820, enables Delta flight attendants to offer:

Near real-time credit card processing for on-board purchases, including upgrades to Delta's  Economy Comfort seating. On-board Economy Comfort upgrades will begin on transcontinental and international flights before being offered on flights across Delta's system.

Convenient eReceipts that can be emailed to customers.

Customers' use of pre-paid credit cards for on-board purchases.

Quicker transaction processing times.

In the near future, the ability to read coupons displayed on a customer's mobile device.

More efficient service recovery.

On August 26, flight attendants on Delta Connection flights also will begin using the device.

The Windows Phone 8 devices will include a Delta-specific customer experience developed by Avanade on the Microsoft Dynamics for Retail mobile point-of sale platform and will operate over Wi-Fi and AT&T's 4G LTE Network. The agreement includes plans to expand the solution over the next three years to the newest Nokia devices, Delta said.

Delta's investment in technology includes the Fly Delta app for iPad, the launch of the new delta.com in December 2012 and revamped self-service kiosks in September 2012. Delta also offers its Fly Delta app for iPhone, Windows Phone, Android and Blackberry smartphones, and today offers in-flight Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft.

Visit www.Delta.com