Delta Is Upping the Airport Experience

25.08.2023 - 14:36 / skift.com / Delta Air Lines / North America / Allison Ausband / Dennis Schaal / Rashaad Jorden / Sean Oneill / Tom Lowry / Amelia Deluca

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, November 17. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts

Airlines often devote significant resources to improve the on-time performance of their planes, but Delta Air Lines is going a step further by using survey results to enhance travelers’ overall airport experiences, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.

Allison Ausband, Delta’s executive vice president and chief customer experience officer, said at Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas on Wednesday that the company is obsessed with improving its standing with customers. She added, during her discussion with Editor-at-Large Brian Sumers, Delta is using technology like biometric identification across airports to speed up travelers journeys. Ausband described shortening the time of the airport process as a major goal for Delta.

Ausband also mentioned that Delta was paying significant attention to its net promoter score, which measures how likely consumers are to recommend the company to other people. She said the score was Delta’s way of knowing what it’s doing well in the eyes of travelers.

Next, aviation is under target from environmentalists who believe the industry is failing to take concrete steps to reduce its carbon emissions, but what can airlines do to fly more sustainably? Three industry leaders discussed at Skift Aviation Forum actions that airlines can take for greener travel, reports Senior Hospitality Editor O’Neill.

Marion Chivot-Legris, Air France-KLM’s head of sustainability in North America, said, in discussion with Editor-in-Chief Tom Lowry, that switching fleets to more fuel-efficient aircraft is one option. Chivot-Legris also described hydrogen-powered aircraft as a promising technological solution, but acknowledged it wouldn’t be delivered to airlines until 2035. Amelia DeLuca, Delta’s vice president of sustainability, said she believes hydrogen and or electric-powered aircraft could cover most regional flying.

O’Neill writes aviation may be easier in some ways to decarbonize than other travel sectors. However, Danielle Bozarth, senior partner at consulting firm McKinsey, said leisure travelers are largely unwilling to pay for low-carbon flight alternatives, hindering the industry’s ability to reduce emissions.

We wrap today with big news from Airbnb. The short-term rental giant announced on Wednesday that it’s easing the process of onboarding new hosts and adding new search categories, among other changes, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.

Airbnb has launched a program named Airbnb Setup, in which the company will automatically match new hosts with experienced superhosts. The superhosts would help the