Delta Wins Industry Accolade, Thanks in Part to Biometrics Innovation

Delta Air Lines has been named the “Best Long-Haul Airline” in the 24th annual Business Travel Awards, thanks in part to its pioneering work with biometric technologies.

In a statement announcing the award win, Delta said that Business Travel Awards judges, a mix of industry experts and the Buying Business Travel magazine’s editorial team, “called out Delta’s innovation in biometric and facial recognition,” along with its timeliness and profitability, in their decision.

Delta has been something of a trailblazer among airlines in its embrace of biometric technologies, having partnered with the CLEAR program to enable members of its loyalty program to access Delta Sky Club lounges with a fingerprint scan. The program was expanded nationwide in the US last year, with Delta calling the move an operational highlight of 2018.

Delta’s recognition in the Business Travel Awards comes just about a week after Dallas Fort Worth International Airport was named the 2019 Airport of the Year by Air Transport World. That accolade, too, was prompted in part by the airport’s innovation in biometric passenger screening, the airport having been selected as a TSA Innovation Task Force site in early 2018. The accolades signal that biometric technology can offer a competition edge to air travel interests, and may help to spur further enthusiasm for biometric technologies in this sector.

The Business Travel Awards were presented at a gala ceremony in London on Monday.

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January 22, 2019 – by Alex Perala