Delta Adds Check-In Feature to Facebook Page

Delta Air Lines passengers can now check in for flights on Facebook. The airline is the first in the U.S. to offer the feature.

The Atlanta-based carrier began offering interactive booking through Facebook and other websites in the fall, with its Ticket Counter application. Passengers can also now view their SkyMiles frequent flyer accounts on Facebook. The new interactive links went live last week.

In addition to the airline's Facebook page, customers can link to Ticket Counter through banner advertising or through websites with various hotel partners, like the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.

"We are putting forth a number of different initiatives to be where our customers are on the (online) channels they feel comfortable," Delta spokesman Paul Skrbec told AOL Travel News. "It's more of a focus on the customer experience and the ease the technology can bring to that."

While many carriers use Facebook and Twitter to promote deals, Delta sees Facebook as a full travel booking platform. Users don't have to navigate to the airline's website.

Delta declined to say how many people have used the new features, but analysts said it made sense that Delta would be proactive in turning to Facebook to reach its customers.

"Delta's gone to Facebook, the world's largest water cooler community," said Henry Harteveldt, vice president at Forrester Research, a leading firm that analyzes travel technology trends. "Facebook is the world's largest town square."

Like other so-called legacy carriers, Delta has also promoted the use of its own website and mobile applications for booking tickets, check-in and mileage updates, as a means of reducing operating costs and targeting customers with specific marketing data.