Delta will launch PARALLEL REALITY™ tech to serve up airport messages tailored to individual travelers – on a single screen, at the same time

• press release
  
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• This new, opt-in technology allows multiple customers to see personalized content tailored to their unique journey on a single digital screen – at the exact same time and in their preferred language.
  
• First-ever PARALLEL REALITY™ experience coming mid-2020 for customers departing Detroit.
  
• Announced from CES keynote stage, mind-blowing technology will make it easier to traverse the airport, reduce stress and create engaging moments in unexpected places.
  
• Watch video here.
  

Delta Air Lines, in partnership with Misapplied Sciences, will launch the first-ever PARALLEL REALITYTM beta experience for customers departing Detroit Metropolitan Airport this year – the first step toward a future where the airport environment itself is tailored to each customer.

This new, opt-in technology allows multiple customers to see personalized content tailored to their unique journey on a single digital screen – at the exact same time and in their preferred language. At a glance, the category-defining technology will provide wayfinding and personalized travel information, like directions to your departure gate, or the closest Delta Sky Club.

"This breakthrough technology has to be seen to be believed – it has the potential to make even the

busiest airports much easier to navigate, even if you don't speak the language," said Delta Chief Operating Officer Gil West. "Not only will Parallel Reality reduce stress and save time for our customers, but when combined with the warmth and thoughtfulness of our Delta people, the possibilities are endless."

For the beta experience in Detroit, nearly 100 customers will be able to simultaneously view personalized content tailored to their individual travel on a single large-scale digital screen located just after security. Customer and employee feedback from this opt-in trial will be critical to shaping the future experience.

At CES and want to see the Parallel Reality experience for yourself? Stop by Delta's booth (#14035) in Central Hall where the experience will be center stage.

 

How the beta experience will work:

• After moving through security at Detroit, travelers will see a Parallel Reality display near the Delta Sky Club (Concourse A, McNamara Terminal).
• Delta customers departing from Detroit who want to participate can scan their boarding pass on the boarding pass scanner and select the language they want to use.
• Leveraging multi-view pixels and proprietary technology, this innovation enables each customer to see personalized, in-language messages – tailored just to them – as they walk past the digital screen.
  • For the trial, tailored messages may include personalized wayfinding, flight information or updates, boarding time, the nearest Delta Sky Club or even upgrade/standby status.
• This experience will always be opt-in, and customer information is not stored.

"We are looking forward to bringing this to life with Delta. The team there quickly saw the value the Parallel Reality experience would bring to its customers and had the vision, brand and resources to help bring it to market," said Albert Ng, Misapplied Sciences CEO. "While we will start with Delta customers in Detroit, eventually Parallel Reality technology can be used to create seamless, engaging and personalized experiences in nearly any out-of-home venue–ranging from stadiums to theme parks to convention centers and more."

The Parallel Reality technology first caught the eye of innovation experts at The Hangar, Delta's innovation center. From there, Delta identified an opportunity to leverage this groundbreaking innovation to transform the airport experience. Teams across the company have since worked hand in hand with Misapplied Sciences to develop and hone the beta experience launching in mid-2020. Delta also made an equity investment in Misapplied Sciences in 2019.

"At Delta, we foster an innovation ecosystem that allows us to think big, start small and scale fast as technology and consumer expectations evolve – whether it's with our own solutions or in partnership with leading startups like Misapplied Sciences," West added.

The partnership is just one part of Delta's work to transform travel to be less stressful and more enjoyable. The possibilities are endless for integrating information into the Parallel Reality experience from the Fly Delta digital concierge experience and Delta's Operations & Customer Center's new AI-driven machine learning platform.

About Delta

Delta is the U.S. global airline leader in products, services, innovation, reliability and customer experience. Powered by its 80,000 people around the world, the airline serves nearly 200 million people every year on more than 5,000 daily departures across its industry-leading global network to more than 300 destinations in over 50 countries. Over the past several years, Delta has led the airline industry in transforming the customer experience by introducing the first end-to-end biometric terminal in the US at Atlanta's international airport, real-time RFID bag tracking and automatic check-in via the Fly Delta mobile app, an alliance that will empower customers with seamless in-cabin connectivity experience, more efficient and high-tech automated screening lanes, and a groundbreaking app that helps Delta pilots avoid turbulence for a more comfortable flight. The global airline is also empowering its employees – Delta's greatest competitive advantage – by arming them with handheld platforms that allow for more personalized service delivery and more meaningful interactions – not just transactions – with customers. All of this has resulted in Delta being named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Worldwide two consecutive years, and Fortune's Most Admired Airline for eight of the past nine years.