Delta will align the names of its boarding groups with its
branded fare products, beginning Jan. 23.
With the move, the airline will no longer refer to its
boarding groups as "zones."
Under the new process, Delta will have eight boarding groups
on its three-cabin international flights and seven boarding groups on other
flights rather than the six groups it currently has on all flights.
On a three-cabin flight, the first boarding group will be
called Delta One. That group will be followed by Delta Premium Select, Delta
Comfort Plus, Sky Priority, Main Cabin 1, Main Cabin 2, Main Cabin 3 and Basic
Economy.
The groups will mostly go by the same name on a standard
Delta domestic flight, except that the first group to board will be First
Class. Delta doesn't sell Delta One or Premium Select on medium-haul or short-haul
routes.
In Delta's current six-group process, all Delta One, First
Class and Premium Select ticket holders board first in a group called Premium.
That group is followed by the Sky Priority group, which also includes Comfort
Plus ticket holders. The final four boarding groups are called simply Zone 1,
Zone 2, Zone 3 and Zone 4.
"This is the latest evolution in Delta's multi-year
work to bring consistency, simplicity and clarity to the gate and boarding
experience, efforts that have driven all-time high customer experience scores,"
Delta said of the change. "SkyMiles Medallion Members and eligible Delta
SkyMiles American Express credit card members will continue to receive priority
boarding."
In conjunction with the boarding process adjustment, Delta
will introduce a color scheme designed to distinguish its fare products from
booking to boarding. Eventually, the airline will display the appropriate color
next to each fare product during online shopping, on boarding passes and on
jetway screens and boarding signage at the gates.
Delta said it will begin displaying those colors at boarding
gates on Jan. 23 but will deploy the color-coding gradually on its website and
app in an effort to ensure a smooth integration.