Delta Adding Seattle to London Flights

Delta Airlines announced that it is launching a non-stop daily service between Seattle and Heathrown airports beginning in March 2014. The route will be operated by a 210-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft featuring 35 full flat-bed seats in business, 32 seats in premium economy and 143 economy seats. The outgoing flight departs Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 6:40 p.m. and arrives at London Heathrow at 12:05 p.m. the following day. The return service leaves Heathrow at 12:20 p.m. and arrives at Seattle at 2:40 p.m. on the same day.

Currently, only British Airways flies on the non-stop Seattle to London route with a daily service which code shares with joint business partner American Airlines. Tickets for the route, which begins on March 29 (March 30 for the return service), will be available to purchase from July 27.

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Self-Boarding Trial at Heathrow Airport

Passengers in London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 1 are being invited to take part in a two-month 'self-boarding' trial in partnership with South African Airways in an attempt to improve the passenger experience through the use of technology. The self-boarding gates use biometric data to help passengers board their flight faster and more efficiently. When passengers reach the 'self-boarding' gate, they pass through an automatic electronic barrier which takes an infrared scan of their face. This information is checked against the biometric data that was taken at the check-in stage. When the two sets of data scans are successfully matched, the barrier opens and the passengers can pass through and board their flight.

The technology means that a passenger's identity needs to be checked by airline staff only once in the whole departure process, reducing the time it takes for passengers to get to their seats and ready for take off. It also allows airline staff to spend more time with those passengers who require greater assistance. The personal data is stored securely and will be destroyed at the end of the trial. So far over 300 South African Airways passengers have chosen to use the technology as part of their departure journey.