Delta unveils new accessible flight map across global fleet

Policy

Rick Salanitri, V.P. - Cabin Interiors and IFE President, Delta Flight Products | Delta Air Lines

By Sky Industry News

Oct 29, 2024

Delta Air Lines is introducing a new flight map on its seatback screens, focusing on accessibility for travelers with low-vision disabilities. The updated map will be available on most of Delta's 165,000 seatback screens, making it the largest rollout of its kind in the industry.

The new map features high-contrast displays and other enhancements to ensure that more customers can use it independently. "No one better connects the world than Delta," stated Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Managing Director of Customer Experience at Delta. He added that Delta aims to enhance every customer's journey by making them feel valued and cared for through inclusive technology.

Flight maps are a significant part of Delta's in-flight entertainment, with 45% of passengers engaging with them during flights. The airline emphasizes its commitment to accessibility, having already implemented 100% closed captioning on movies and series content and increased audio descriptive content by 40% last year.

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Despite meeting all ADA and EAA standards, Delta collaborated with FlightPath3D to further improve the flight map's accessibility features. This included working closely with members of its Advisory Board on Disability for testing and feedback. Thomas Panek, Chair of Delta’s Advisory Board on Disability, expressed excitement about these improvements: "It's exciting as a visually impaired person that Delta is making the flight map more accessible for low-vision users."

The enhanced map includes high-contrast visuals, color-blind palettes using patterns and textures, large text and icons, streamlined information display, zoom and pan controls, and planned future voice narration features.

Delta's new flight map is being deployed across over 650 aircraft globally as part of their ongoing efforts to make travel more accessible for everyone.