Where Delta Air Lines Sees Promise in AI and Machine Learning

Have you chatted with an airline bot? Tracked bags on your phone? Airlines continually experiment with new tech tools but the growth of artificial intelligence in aviation is likely to focus on the customer experience and operational fronts, a Delta Air Lines executive said. 

In the past, travelers’ interactions have been marked by distinct points that are separated, such as ticket purchasing, check-in, security, and boarding. New generative AI technologies can coordinate customers’ data to allow for travel that should become less cumbersome for travelers, Eric Phillips, Delta’s chief digital officer, said Wednesday at the Skift Global Forum conference in New York.

Artificial intelligence should allow for travel that’s “much more seamless, much more intuitive,” Phillips said. The airline’s goal? “Don’t make the customer deal with the complexity that the airline is managing.”

The aviation industry has been managing oceans of data for decades, from the historical data that underlie most revenue management systems, to the data that help meteorologists and dispatchers plan flights. Delta has various systems to manage these but new AI and machine learning tools can improve the processes, Phillips said.

Artificial intelligence also helps to plot the routes baggage drivers use on airport ramps to move luggage from planes to terminals and to transfer bags. That improves efficiency and Delta’s bag-handling performance, he said.