I’ve long been a huge fan of the Fly Delta mobile app on my iPhone. I personally find that the Fly Delta app is the best airline mobile app I’ve ever used. I’m not sure if the app is truly the best or if it just seems that way because I typically use the awful American Airlines app. Either way, the Fly Delta app makes flying with Delta so convenient.
My experience with the Fly Delta app is simply that it works as you’d expect it to. For starters you can book flights through the app regardless of payment method. Within the app you can search for flights and then easily switch between cash, miles, or a combination of both to pay. This makes it incredibly easy to see if using miles is a good deal or not. It also is incredibly easy to switch between classes of service when searching for flights.
In addition to searching for flights, the Fly Delta app is incredibly useful when traveling. The app pushes notifications to your device throughout the day. Usually I turn off push notifications, but the Fly Delta app’s notifications are actually useful. The notifications begin approximately 24 hours before your flight by reminding you to check-in for your flight (more on this later). A second notification comes a few hours before boarding and includes gate information and departure time. The final, and my favorite, notification comes at the exact moment of boarding. Literally as the gate agent announces first class boarding I receive a notification on my phone. I absolute love this feature!
Fly Delta Update (Sort Of) Eliminates The Check-In Process
In the past, and with most airlines, customers must manually check-in for each flight. Early Bird Check-In and A-List status from Southwest Airlines are notable exceptions. Usually 24-hours before a scheduled departure, customers need to open an airlines mobile app or visit their website to check-in for their flight. The process usually involves clicking a few buttons and potentially selecting seats.
I’ve always understood the importance of checking in early when flying Southwest, but it doesn’t really make sense when flying on a legacy carrier. It’s always confused me because at T-24 my seat is already selected and there’s very little benefit of checking in at T-24 instead of T-5 hours for example. Apparently upgrade priority depends on check-in time, but I’ve never noticed much of a difference.
Apparently Delta agrees with my confusion and has eliminated the online check-in process. Except, they haven’t exactly. In the past on the “today” screen of the Fly Delta app you’d see your upcoming flight and a big “check-in” button appear at T-24. You’d then have to click the check-in button and acknowledge the hazardous materials page to receive a mobile boarding pass.
This process changed with the most recent update to the Fly Delta app. With this new update if at any time within 24 hours prior to departure you launch the mobile app, you’ll automatically check-in to your flight. The process seems simple enough, you just open the app, acknowledge the hazardous materials page, and receive a boarding pass.
Why I’m Confused By This Change
I’m afraid I don’t quite understand how this change is an improvement. Delta says they’ve “eliminated the check-in process” with the most recent Fly Delta app update, but they really haven’t. The check-in process is more or less the same, it just now automatically happens when you launch the app. I’m confused because I don’t understand how this new process is really any better. Essentially Delta eliminated one click yet leads you to believe the whole check-in process is eliminated. You still have to check-in and still have to open the app to do so. However, now just opening the app initiates the check-in process instead of making you click an extra button.
Is This Really An Improvement?
This brings me to another concern with the most recent Fly Delta app update. What do you do if you don’t want to check in to your flight? For one reason or another there are times where it’s better to check in at the airport check-in counter. Maybe you’re hoping for a specific seat assignment (blocked seats) or want to change your flight, who knows. Either way there are instances were it makes sense to wait to check in. I’m not sure how you’d handle these situations. At the time of writing there isn’t an option in the Fly Delta app to turn this feature off.
Final Thoughts
For 95% (if not more) of travelers this is another minor improvement to the already fantastic Fly Delta app. I personally check in for nearly every flight at as close to T-24 as possible. I do this because this is the same time period a few elites get upgraded and great seats become available. For me, I guess I like this feature because it makes checking in just a little bit easier than it already is.
However, I see a few issues with this update that could cause trouble. There are potentially a handful of situations where it’s beneficial to not check-in before arriving at the airport. This could be a concern because there isn’t a way to turn this feature off. Since you can’t turn it off you’d basically have to avoid opening the app for the 24 hours leading up to your flight. Obviously this isn’t an ideal solution. Hopefully we’ll see Delta introduce an option to turn this feature off in the future.
