Detroit's new personalized flight information board is straight out of a sci-fi novel
Delta Air Lines passengers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) can now access innovative technology that seems straight out of a sci-fi novel.
The technology — which is appropriately named Parallel Reality — makes it possible for one giant digital screen in the terminal to display personalized travel itinerary details for up to 100 people at a time.
No one sees a big jumble of information, though. Instead, each person looking up at or walking by the screen sees a message addressing them by name, with their mileage program status, flight information and the estimated time it will take them to get to their gate.
"The technology does sound like science fiction," said Albert Ng, CEO of Misapplied Sciences, the company that created the Parallel Reality product. However, after more than five years in what he described as "stealth mode," the company worked out a propriety method of getting the pixels of a display board to send different content to each viewer.
Delta passengers can opt in to the experience by scanning their boarding pass once they are through the security checkpoint in Concourse A of DTW's McNamara Terminal. Customers enrolled in Delta's biometric digital identity program need only show their faces to a camera at the kiosk.
Then, motion sensors installed in the terminal ceiling go into action.
Once a customer logs in, they are identified by the motion sensors as a specific moving object tied to a specific customer record. "And then the display knows to direct specific information to that moving object even as that object is moving around," Ng said. "In this demo, as soon as you walk out of the viewing area of the display, the system forgets everything, and all of the data is purged."
Passengers who don't opt in to the Parallel Reality flight information display experience will see generic content and branded Delta messaging on the digital screen, which is 21 1/2 feet by 6 1/2 feet.
Delta first announced its partnership with Misapplied Sciences for the Parallel Reality flight information board back in 2020 at the Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES. The launch of a beta display board experience at DTW was planned for that summer. Then, COVID-19 and the pandemic delayed the rollout by two years.
In operation since late June, the new high-tech, personalized FID is already generating positive feedback from passengers who think it's a useful tool, Greg Forbes, Delta Air Lines' managing director of airport experience, says. However, he does not see the Parallel Reality FID replacing all existing, general-purpose, flight display boards anytime soon.
"But we think in certain instances, where people are on the move, that they would be better served by being able to cut to the chase, see their information and have this convenience," he said.
Forbes told TPG that Delta intends to leave the Parallel Reality FID in place "as long as it's providing value" and that the carrier has a growing list of other spots in the airport where this technology could be beneficial.
"Specifically, we are looking at applications in the Delta Sky Club to make visits more personalized and in security checkpoints where mobile device use is not allowed," Forbes said. "Even in its current form, I can think of other airports that would benefit from installing 'super FIDs' like we've put in Detroit."
Of course, airports are not the only places where personalized Parallel Reality technology could be useful.
"While we are really excited to launch this in the airport scenario, the airport is just the start," Ng said. "Parallel Reality has the ability to provide more seamless, magical, intuitive experiences for any out-of-home venue, such as shopping malls, stadiums, theme parks, hotels and even casinos."
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.