Fly Delta

Review by eFreeware

Most airline apps do one job well and leave the rest to a browser. Fly Delta tries to cover the whole arc of a trip: choosing a flight, checking in, getting through the airport, watching your bag and collecting the small extras along the way. Delta Air Lines describes it as an award-winning app, and with more than 10 million installs and a 4.8 average from over 607,000 ratings, plenty of travelers have taken it up. It has been on Android since February 2011, which makes it one of the longer-running airline apps around.

The app is built for people flying Delta. That includes frequent business travelers juggling several bookings, families checking bags together, and occasional flyers who want a boarding pass on their phone instead of a printout. If Delta is your airline, this is the natural place to manage the trip. If you fly a mix of carriers, its usefulness rises and falls with how often Delta appears in your plans.

Planning a trip before you leave

Booking sits at the front of the app. You can shop and book domestic and international flights directly, which saves a trip to the website when you already know roughly where you want to go. Once a trip exists, the app becomes a place to manage it: travel preferences, payment methods and a saved companion can all live in your profile, so repeat bookings involve less retyping.

SkyMiles members get more from this stage. The app lets you track and pay for upgrades using your miles, and a saved companion makes it quicker to book for two. When something needs a human, Live Chat messaging connects you with an agent without a phone call. I'd expect that to matter most when plans change at short notice and you want a record of the conversation.

Getting through the airport

The Today screen is the center of the app on a travel day, gathering what you need for that specific flight. Check-in produces a digital boarding pass, which is the detail I appreciate most here. Notifications keeps flight updates and gate changes in one list rather than scattered across messages.

Around the airport, Airport Maps helps you find your way between gates and terminals, and you can scan your passport during check-in instead of typing the details. Seating is handled in the same place: view, change or upgrade your seat, and reserve a Preferred Seat in the bulkhead or aisle if you want to pay for the position. If you are waiting on an upgrade or flying standby, the app shows your place on the list. Checked bags can be paid for and tracked from the phone, and Trip Extras such as a Wi-Fi pass or a Mileage Booster can be added when you want them.

While you fly and after you land

In the air, the app maps your flight en route, so you can follow progress rather than guessing from the window. Flight status and background on Delta's fleet and partners are available for reference, and Sky Club information is there if you want to find a lounge. Mobile drink vouchers can be stored and used from the phone, which is a small convenience that removes one more piece of paper.

After landing, bag tracking continues with real-time alerts, so you know when your luggage is on the belt. If a flight is canceled or you miss a connection, rebooking happens in the app rather than at a counter. That combination of live updates and self-service rebooking is what makes the app worth keeping installed between trips, not just on the day you fly.

What it costs

The app itself is free to download. Where money does come in is the travel itself: fares, seat selections, checked bags and extras like a Wi-Fi pass are purchases you make as part of flying, handled through the app but separate from it.

That distinction matters when you are deciding whether to install it. The costs you meet are the ones Delta charges for the flight and the options you choose.

How it compares with other options

The obvious alternative is Delta's own website, which covers much of the same ground on a larger screen. The app's advantage is the parts built for a phone: gate notifications, airport maps and bag alerts that reach you while you are moving. For booking a complex itinerary with several travelers, I would still expect a browser to feel more comfortable.

A third-party flight tracker can tell you where a plane is, and a general travel organizer can hold reservations across airlines. What neither does is act on your Delta booking: checking in, changing a seat, paying for a bag or rebooking a canceled flight. The app's value comes from that direct connection to your reservation, which is also why it is tied to one airline rather than being a universal travel tool.

A practical companion for Delta flyers

Fly Delta is a sensible app to keep on your phone if you fly Delta with any regularity. It covers the whole trip rather than one slice of it, and it costs nothing to keep installed. The 4.8 average from a large body of ratings suggests that approach lands well with travelers.

The app is at its most useful when Delta is your airline and you want your reservation, your seat, your bags and your updates in one place. Travelers who split their flying across several carriers will find less here, since the features revolve around Delta's own bookings and programs. For everyone else, it is a straightforward install before the next trip.

What's new in version 7.16.2

What's New 7.16.2: • Minor enhancements and bug fixes to keep things running smoothly.