Boston, MA 08/25/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) continues to set the pace in the airline industry shown by its 10 Passport kiosks at the Los Angeles International Airport compared to none from its competitors. The renovation of the project is expected to cost about $229 million according to Forbes.
Delayed Government Funding
The kiosks have already had a positive impact on Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)’s as passenger customs and passport clearance times, which have dropped by 29% to 45%. The Kiosks could have been up and running earlier than expected had the airline not experienced delayed funding from the government according Delta Managing Director, Ranjan Goswami. American and United airlines have reportedly delayed installation of their kiosks at LAX awaiting the completion of similar projects in other airports.
Installation of the Kiosks by Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) was necessary, heading into the summer travel season where the airline industry is known to enjoy increased traffic in terms of passengers. The Kiosks are expected to boost the airline’s 142 per day departures of up to 48 destinations. The opening of the Kiosks also coincides Delta’s plans to start an LAX-London Heathrow flight starting Oct 26. The LAX-London flight is set to compensate Virgin Atlantic, which will be operating only one flight from LAX to London.
Delta Airlines Reducing Waiting Times
The unveiling of the kiosks is part of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) larger plan to reduce the waiting time in terms of passport and customs clearance for its customers, as competition heats up in the aviation industry. The airlines plans to reduce customs wait time and the time a passengers get luggage on international arrival, to 20 minutes.
Plans are already underway to install up to 200 kiosks in Atlanta, JFK, Detroit and Seattle. United Airlines has, on the other hand, installed a total of 20 automated passport kiosks at the Newark hub, with plans underway to install ten more.
