Delta Air Lines Soar to new heights
Problem
In 2009, air travel was analogue. Passengers relied on paper tickets and call centres. For Delta, this wasn’t just friction; it was a growth ceiling. The industry was changing fast and the advantage would go to whoever moved first.
Background
Delta brought AKQA in to rebuild the Fly Delta app. One core insight shaped the next 15 years: giving passengers control built confidence, peace of mind, and loyalty. The partnership never stopped.
Ambition
To shape what comes next for air travel. To build a digital experience that anticipates what passengers need. To make Fly Delta the standard by which the industry measures itself.
IDEA Your journey, in complete control
A boarding pass on a smartphone changed how flying felt. In control. Confident. Loyal.
That discovery became the idea behind 15 years of Fly Delta. Every generation built around one principle: give passengers more control. The latest goes further still, anticipating what they need before they ask. From reactive to predictive.
What if a boarding pass could change how flying felt?
Role
15 years of constant reinvention
Set the strategic north star before every redesign, ensuring each new generation of Fly Delta moved the experience forward rather than simply keeping pace.
Prepare for take-off
Conceived and built the Fly Delta app from the ground up in 2009, making Delta one of the first airlines to put self-service tools directly in passengers’ hands.
Boarding pass
Designed the industry’s first in-app boarding pass, giving passengers control over check-in from the palm of their hand.
Pay with a tap
Made Delta the first airline to offer in-app payment with a tap by integrating Apple Pay into Fly Delta.
Travel light
Made Delta the first airline to give passengers real-time visibility of their luggage by building RFID baggage tracking into the app.
An elevated travel experience
Reduced the need for call centre queues and third-party booking by turning Fly Delta into the brand’s primary self-service channel.
At your fingertips
Redesigned navigation, surfacing boarding passes instantly, no matter which screen a passenger is on.
The next destination
Introduced the Explore screen, turning Fly Delta from a travel utility into an inspiration platform for planning what comes next.
Result
Fly Delta is now the standard by which the airline industry measures digital travel. Fifteen years of not settling, in numbers.
1B
visits in 2023
4.8
stars in the App Store
35%
In-app purchasing
10%
increase on mobile bookings
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