Delta to deploy 4500 iPads in airports

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Delta Enhances Travel Experience at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with iPads and Unique Restaurants
Delta continues to invest in MSP with local chefs and superior amenities

Delta Air Lines DAL +0.87%  today begins deployment of more than 250 iPads in three new restaurants on Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Concourse G. Delta continues to transform the airport experience by providing travelers a new level of access to high-quality food and hi-tech amenities.

"Delta is following through on our commitment to invest in our Minneapolis-St. Paul hub by improving the airport experience with these truly unique amenities," said Bill Lentsch, Delta's senior vice president - Minnesota Operations. "These enhancements on the ground coupled with our in-flight investments such as installing full flatbed seats in BusinessElite and Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft, make for a unique traveling experience on Delta that no other carrier can match."

New iPads located at each seat inside the restaurants will allow travelers to order catered and customized meals through an intuitive visual menu. Orders are then prepared fresh and delivered to their seat in 15 minutes or less.

The three new restaurants include: MinniBar - an upscale sandwich bar with a menu designed by celebrity chef/host Andrew Zimmern; Mimosa - a French country eatery and raw bar with Chef Russell Klein of Meritage; and Shoyu - a modern Japanese restaurant with Tanpopo's Chef Koshiko Yonemura. Delta is working with its partner, OTG, to help redefine how an airport concourse can feel and look.

In addition to customized food ordering from the iPads, a custom browser delivers entertainment by letting travelers easily log in to their Facebook, Twitter and personal email accounts. Travelers can also check their flight status, play games and watch the news through pre-loaded apps such as Bloomberg News. Once the customer is done using each iPad, personal information is securely removed the moment the home button is pressed and automatically deleted after two minutes of idle time.

"OTG and Delta are committed to dramatically improving a traveler's airport experience. This deployment is extremely exciting because it allows us to share our vision of how we're making the new airport experience a reality," said Rick Blatstein, chief executive officer of OTG. "We continue to expand our offerings around the nation and now to the millions of travelers that come through Delta's hub at MSP. Travelers flying through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be able to experience our customized technology along with quality, chef driven food."

By the end of 2013, MSP's Concourse G will have 12 new local chef-driven restaurants and fresh markets and more than 2,500 iPads for passengers to use in the restaurants and in the gate-house areas.

Previously, Delta and OTG have deployed iPads and local, chef-driven restaurant concepts in LaGuardia Airport Terminals C and D. The full deployment of more than 4,500 iPads at three of Delta's hub airports will occur over the next year.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/delta-enhances-travel-experience-at-minneapolis-st-paul-international-airport-with-ipads-and-unique-restaurants-2012-08-29

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