Delta Air Lines is introducing several initiatives aimed at making the travel experience more efficient for its customers. The company has partnered with government agencies and invested in new technology to improve processes such as bag drop, security screening, and international connections.
Greg Forbes, Managing Director – Airport Experience at Delta, stated, “No one better connects the world than Delta, and we want to make your connections – and travel experience as a whole – smoother, smarter and more efficient at every step of the journey. These initiatives rolling out and expanding this summer are big steps towards delivering on that promise.”
Delta now offers a faster bag drop process for customers who check in using the airline’s app at airports including Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Detroit (DTW), and Seattle (SEA). This expedited service allows travelers to print bag tags and drop their luggage without waiting in line.
The airline is also expanding its Touchless ID program—previously called Delta Digital ID—to all Delta hubs by the end of 2025. This technology enables enrolled customers to move through security and bag drop areas without showing a physical ID. Currently available at ATL, DTW, Los Angeles (LAX), LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Salt Lake City (SLC), Washington National Airport (DCA) and SEA—with security-only access at Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS) and Portland (PDX)—the program uses facial matching for identity verification. To participate, customers must have the Delta app, be TSA PreCheck members, be SkyMiles members, and have their passport information along with a Known Traveler Number stored in their profile.
According to Delta, Touchless ID can speed up bag drop by up to 75%, reducing transactions to about 30 seconds on average. At security checkpoints, enrolled travelers can pass through up to 60% faster than standard TSA PreCheck users.
For international travelers connecting through Atlanta from Incheon (ICN) or London Heathrow (LHR), Delta has eliminated the need for passengers to reclaim and recheck bags before proceeding to their next gate. This change saves up to 25 minutes per trip. Additionally, some customers arriving from LHR who use Global Entry or the Mobile Passport App can bypass redundant security checks in Atlanta—a process that saves an extra 45 minutes.
These improvements result from collaboration between Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as government agencies from Korea and the United Kingdom.
Delta plans further expansion of these streamlined services on additional international routes in the future.
The Mobile Passport Control app remains available for expedited entry into the United States at 23 airports served by Delta.
