A Delta Air Lines customer reported spending two days trying to get help after the airline discontinued its Apple Messages service.
Missed notifications and chats that timed out turned the customer's attempt to get help through Delta's app into a frustrating ordeal.
Here's what to know
Delta has discontinued customer support through Apple Messages and now points travelers toward its app, which has spent recent months introducing the AI-powered Delta Concierge, according to Inc.
Customers had been able to use the messaging channel for support without opening Delta's app. That option is no longer available.
Chat sessions had already expired when one customer discovered agents' replies, according to a Reddit account cited by Inc. The customer said Delta's app had not reliably alerted them to those responses.
Other travelers also expressed frustration at losing the familiar service.
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"Noooooo. Idk why they would do this — having support right in iMessage was so convenient," one Reddit commenter wrote, as quoted by Inc.
More background
Reaching customers through channels they already used was Delta's stated reason for adopting Apple's Business Chat in 2019, Inc. reported.
Support exchanges stayed alongside travelers' ordinary text messages. That made it possible to revisit conversations while navigating airports and managing travel plans.
Skipping phone menus and hold times was part of the appeal for Inc. writer Jason Aten, a longtime Diamond Medallion traveler. He described Messages as particularly useful for customers who needed to pause a support exchange and pick it up again later.
Aten beta-tested an earlier version of Concierge and found it fell short of what Messages offered.
Two representatives handling an app conversation needed an explanation of Global Upgrade Certificates from a Diamond Medallion customer, according to that customer's Reddit account cited by Inc.
Delta also said app conversations remain available for 24 hours, compared to Apple Messages, which kept exchanges available indefinitely.
What's being done?
Cancellations of qualifying flights, rebooking assistance, luggage tracking, and answers to reservation questions are among Concierge's capabilities, according to Delta. Inc. reported that the airline made the assistant available to every SkyMiles member in July.
Those capabilities could help travelers handle routine requests.
The airline says human help remains available whenever travelers need it, according to Inc.
A Delta spokesperson told Inc. that the airline aims to deliver "the richest service experience possible within the channels where customers are already managing their travel. Delta Concierge provides a more advanced, personalized way for customers to get answers and manage common travel needs directly in the Delta app, with seamless escalation to a live representative when needed."
The airline also said more customer interactions are taking place in its app.
One traveler quoted in Inc.'s coverage of the Reddit discussion questioned the decision outright.
"Why would they take this away? Seems like a silly move; if they think I'm going to use their AI bot, they are very, very mistaken."
Where can I learn more?
Customer complaints about chatbot support extend beyond Delta, while AI is also finding new uses in aviation.
• A DoorDash customer says its chatbot promised a full refund, then denied one after cancellation.
• Former Spirit workers oppose Google's $10 million bid for airline data to train AI.
• A California woman says Delta made her clear rotten food before she developed an infection.
• AI is helping manage Washington air traffic as the rollout moves unusually fast.
• U.S. travelers may face harder paths to compensation for flight delays after Oct. 19.
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