by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:21 PM ET, Thu June 14, 2018
Delta is investing in innovative new approaches to reunite travelers with lost bags.
The airline is expanding the functions of its app and partnering with an Atlanta-based start-up.
"At best, any delayed bag is a hassle for a customer," Gil West, Delta's chief operating officer, said in a statement. "We get that, so we've made investments and developed some out-of-the-box partnerships to take some of the stress out of that hassle by making the process of getting that bag easier."
As part of that effort, Delta has expanded the Fly Delta app's functionality, allowing passengers to skip the bag service office visit when luggage is missing.
The airline says it has integrated everything a customer needs to file a delayed bag claim into its app. The claims can be filed when a passenger reaches their final destination.
To power the new feature, the airline has linked Mobile BSO to its RFID bag tracking technology, proactively notifying customers if their bag will be delayed, and provide a link to complete a delayed bag file in the app.
The new tool is already available to many Fly Delta app users and all users are expected to have access by the end of June.
"This is one more way we're putting the power for a customer to control their experience in the palm of their hand," West said. "The last thing a customer wants to do when their bag is delayed is to go in person to do something that can be done with a few taps on their phone, knowing that we'll deliver their bag directly to them when it arrives."
So what happens once the delayed bag is found?
In 2015, Delta began partnering with Roadie, an Atlanta-based startup that built the first "on-the-way" delivery service by connecting businesses and everyday people with nearby drivers to make local, regional and long-haul deliveries faster and more efficient.
The airline is expanding the use of the Roadie service to more than 50 cities by June.
"The response from customers and employees has been overwhelmingly positive," West said. "We knew we were on to something when we saw delivery times drop by around 65 percent compared to traditional delivery services, and baggage service customer satisfaction scores jump dramatically."
In addition to faster deliveries, customers in areas where Delta and Roadie partner receive real-time status updates and the ability to track their bag once it leaves the airport.
By tapping into unused space in passenger vehicles already on the road, Roadie provides faster, more efficient delivery for senders and rewards drivers for making deliveries on trips they're already taking with cash and roadside benefits.
"Delta has been a true partner in expanding our delivery network nationwide," said Marc Gorlin, founder & CEO of Roadie. "We're proud to work with them not only to make significant, measurable improvements to their customer experience but also to reimagine the future of logistics."
West said the key to Delta's startup strategy is to partner with nimble companies to solve a specific customer or business need.
"Working with a startup like Roadie gives Delta the flexibility to try new and creative ways to solve customer pain points," he said. "We get to think big, start small and learn fast, as new technologies and processes emerge and actually solve for a real need."
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