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You can feel it the moment you open the Fly Delta app. Lines move faster, bags drop quicker, and connections through Atlanta stop feeling like a sprint. Delta’s 2025 updates are practical, not flashy, and they change what your travel day looks like hour by hour. Think biometric ID that speeds you through security, a tag-and-go bag drop, and international arrivals that no longer send you back to baggage claim. Here’s how to use the new tools and what to expect when schedules tighten in winter.
Touchless ID Widens Across the Network
Delta is expanding TSA PreCheck Touchless ID to all hubs and select stations by year’s end. If you’re a SkyMiles member with TSA PreCheck, a stored passport, and a Known Traveler Number in your profile, you can opt in at check-in and clear ID checks in seven to ten seconds. Early rollouts report up to 60 percent faster screening than standard PreCheck. You still keep shoes on and keep moving, which is the whole point.
App Bag Drop Cuts the Counter Line
Checked a bag in the app and only need tags? Head to App Bag Drop zones and skip the general counter. The service is live at Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, and Seattle, with more hubs coming. Print your tags, attach them, and go. It’s the same airline handling your bag, just less waiting around. If you like to arrive early and breeze to security, this is the new habit to build.
Atlanta Connections Get Smoother from ICN and LHR
If you arrive from Seoul Incheon or London Heathrow and connect in Atlanta, you no longer reclaim and recheck bags. They flow to your final destination, saving up to 25 minutes. On select LHR arrivals, Global Entry or Mobile Passport Control also lets you skip a redundant security screening and head straight to your gate, saving roughly 45 minutes. It’s a small change that removes the most stressful part of a tight layover.
What Delta’s AI Pricing Actually Means for You
You saw the headlines about “individualized pricing.” Senators asked tough questions, and Delta responded: no personal-data targeting, no pain-point fares. The airline says AI supports analysts with aggregated data and human oversight. Translation for you: shop normally, compare across sites, set alerts, and book when a fare fits. Delta insists the tech is a tool, not a lever aimed at you.
Fewer NYC Flights in Deep Winter, Same Route Map
Plan ahead if you fly in or out of New York from Nov. through Apr. Delta is trimming frequencies at JFK and LaGuardia in the quieter months, including reductions around 16 percent at JFK and 19 percent at LGA in Jan. and Feb. Routes stick around; there are just fewer daily departures. The FAA’s slot waiver through summer 2026 makes this possible. Recheck times as your trip nears.
How to Turn Touchless ID On, Step by Step
Enroll in TSA PreCheck. In your Delta profile, save your passport details and KTN. Update to the latest Fly Delta app. When you check in, the app prompts you to opt in to Touchless ID for that trip. At the airport, look for the Touchless ID lane at bag drop and security. Bring a physical ID anyway. Officers can ask for it, and they have the final say at screening.
Make the Most of App Bag Drop
Check in on the app, confirm the number of bags, and pay if needed. At the airport, go straight to the App Bag Drop area, print tags at the kiosk, and hand the bag to an agent. Keep your claim receipt handy in the app’s Trips tab. If you’re connecting internationally, the new Atlanta flow means you won’t see that bag again until your final carousel. That’s the real time saver.