Delta Unveils New OOH Parallel Reality Signs and Robotic Exoskeleton at CES 2020

The airline has already made several announcements at CES 2020 so far involving its employees, the environment and potentially game-changing technology for advertisers. Bastian’s presentation showcased how Delta, the second-largest airline in the U.S. and routinely considered the most reliable, is constantly considering the future.

He also said free in-flight Wi-Fi is only a couple years away, shared a photo of his dog and hid first-class flight tickets on the seats of a couple of lucky attendees, which certainly earned Bastian some goodwill from the audience.

“The gift of flight is the ultimate innovation. It wouldn’t be possible to be here without flight,” Bastian said. “We see technology as the tool to advance our mission to connect people and opportunities.”

Here are some of the airline’s major CES 2020 announcements so far:

Crafting a Parallel Reality

In what aims to be the greatest thing in out-of-home marketing since the first highway billboard, Delta is introducing a technology it’s calling Parallel Reality that will show at least 100 different travelers targeted content on a single screen.

After scanning a passenger’s boarding pass, the screens use “multi-view pixels” and proprietary technology to display a personalized message as they walk past the screen. Messages may range from boarding time, the nearest Sky Club lounge or their departure gate.

In partnership with tech company Misapplied Sciences (Delta is an investor), the airline will begin an opt-in beta test this summer at Detroit Metropolitan Airport with a screen placed after security, near Delta’s Sky Club.

The Parallel Reality technology grew out of Delta’s own Innovation Center, the airline’s investment and research initiative which works alongside startups. If “multi-view pixels” can do what the company promises, CMOs and media buyers will be salivating at the thought of serving personalized ads to different people on one screen.

Delta’s app gets an upgrade to ‘digital concierge’

Delta also announced it’s in the process of turning the Fly Delta app into a “digital concierge,” an all-in-one resource that would include traffic, parking, weather and boarding information for a more seamless travel experience.

In pursuit of that goal, the airline will be “deepening” its relationship with Lyft, the ride-sharing company that it has partnered with since 2017, to reward Delta loyalty members with points for using Lyft.

“The stress of travel starts before you even leave your home,” Bastian said. “It’ll be a platform for the brands and services you use throughout your journey. … What if instead of taking your bags to the airport, they’re picked up at your home and brought to your hotel?”

While its plans for the partnership are currently vague, they could include testing features on the airline’s app that would show estimated arrival times to the airport via Lyft and an offer to pay for Lyft rides with Delta SkyMiles, its rewards program. Lyft’s co-founder and president John Zimmer also joined Bastian onstage.

For example, if traffic was particularly bad on the day of a flight, the Delta app will message a traveler, suggesting to order a Lyft earlier than intended.

$100,000 in carbon offsets for CES

For CES 2020 attendees feeling guilty about their carbon footprint, Delta has offered a bit of reassurance. The airline announced it would offset the emissions of every one of its flights to Las Vegas this week, starting Jan. 6. The effort will cost Delta about $100,000, which it will donate to a program that supports farmers in Kenya and Uganda to reverse the effects of deforestation.

Continue Reading