Delta-designed Airport Lobby & Gate Safety Barriers on the Way
Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO
Wednesday, May 20th, 2020
To add another layer of safety at airports for Delta customers and our people, Delta turned to its Delta Flight Products subsidiary to design and manufacture a custom plexiglass safety barrier especially for airport check-in lobbies, departure gates and Delta Sky Club counters.
The Delta Flight Products team quickly created a thoughtful design, worked with Airport Customer Service teams to test installation at Delta's Atlanta Hub and is now manufacturing up to 150 barriers every day.
"This is yet another testament to Delta's nimbleness, ingenuity and our relentless commitment to keeping our people and our customers safe in our airports as we all manage the impact of the ongoing pandemic," said Eric Phillips, Delta's Senior Vice President – Airport Customer Service and Cargo. "We appreciate the agility of our Delta Flight Products colleagues to so quickly and expertly produce these safety barriers, which will add another level of safety as our customers check-in, visit a Delta Sky Club and board their flight."
Full outfitting of the safety barriers at all check-in lobbies and departure gates is expected at Delta's U.S. hub airports by June 1 and at all U.S. locations in the weeks following. Delta Sky Club installations are expected to be complete this summer and Delta also intends to install at airports outside the U.S. in the weeks ahead.
Delta has committed to its new clean standards for the long term, during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, bringing the same rigor to cleanliness that it used to redefine industry on-time expectations for customers.
Delta Flight Products has quickly shifted its industrial manufacturing capabilities during the pandemic to create face shields for medical professionals and worked with Delta TechOps to produce a military transport pod for the U.S. Air Force.
Delivering on Delta's New Standard of Clean
Delta will continue evaluating our practices and new opportunities to support personal safety. Requiring customers and employees to wear face coverings throughout their journey is one of many steps Delta has taken to protect their health and safety, while providing an essential service to the communities we continue to serve. These efforts and our new standard of clean include:
- Expanding electrostatic sanitizing spraying – to all aircraft and adopting extensive pre-flight cleaning practices that disinfect high-touch areas – on top of existing cleaning measures and the use of state-of-the-art air circulation systems with HEPA filters that extract more than more than 99.99% of particles, including coronaviruses, on most Delta aircraft and circulating 100% fresh external air on all other Delta aircraft.
- Taking steps to give customers and employees more space for safer travel on the ground and in the air by blocking middle seats, reducing the number of customers on each flight and pausing automatic Medallion Complimentary Upgrades
- Adjusting the boarding process to encourage more space for safer travel by boarding all flights from back-to-front — reducing the instances of customers needing to pass by one another to reach their seats
- Streamlining onboard food and beverage service on all flights and encouraging customers to pack their own food and beverages to decrease touch points
- Providing supplies directly to customers when available, including hand sanitizers, amenity kits and other protective equipment to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses
- Connecting with health experts, partners and healthcare industry leaders on best practices.