Delta Air Lines to Introduce Numbered Boarding Zones, Harkening Back to Past Practices
Starting May 1, 2023, Delta Air Lines passengers will experience a change in the boarding process that may evoke memories of the past. This shift marks a departure from the airline’s current method, which categorizes passengers based on cabins, status, and ticket types. Delta will instead board customers according to numbered zones.
Reverting to a Familiar Process: The New Numbered Boarding Zones
Delta will maintain the same boarding order but will refer to the categories as “zones,” numbered from zone 1 through zone 8. For instance, the “Pre-Boarding” and “First Class” categories will now be designated as zone 1. The “Comfort+” category is being changed to zone 3, whereas the “Main Cabin” groups will fall under zones 5 through 7. Lastly, “Basic Economy” passengers will be in zone 8.
Delta emphasizes that this change aims to offer customers more clarity about the boarding process, which will apply to all Delta flights. The numbered zones will be displayed on customers’ boarding passes.
A Five-Year Evolution: From Branded Fares to Numbered Zones
In 2018, Delta introduced branded fares in an effort to bring consistency, simplicity, and clarity to the gate and boarding experience. This transition came with colored gate screens and electronic boarding passes for easier identification of zones. However, Delta will continue using these color-coded implementations alongside the new numbered zones.
A Historical Aviation Standard: The End of Zone Boarding for Delta Customers?
Delta’s 2018 release stated, “Zone boarding, an aviation standard for decades, will soon be a thing of the past for Delta customers.” However, this change signifies a return to an established aviation practice.
The Continuous Pursuit of Time Savings and Efficiency in Airline Boarding
It is well known that boarding procedures can be chaotic, and no US carrier has perfected the process entirely. United Airlines recently adjusted its economy class boarding process by having window seat passengers board first, followed by middle seat passengers and then aisle seats, aiming to save up to two minutes of boarding time.
John Milne, a professor at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, previously told News Finder that even a single minute saved during airplane turn time can translate to significant financial savings for an airline, especially when it leads to offering an additional flight during the day.
American Airlines adopted a nine-group boarding system in 2017 and made adjustments to it in 2023. Regardless of the changes, optimizing boarding processes remains a crucial focus for airlines to save time and resources.
