Starting Jan. 23, on Delta flights around the globe boarding zones will be renamed to reflect the branded fare purchased, while still prioritizing customer loyalty.

The new branded boarding order introduces additional boarding groups, encouraging fewer customers to line up in the gate area at any given time and easing crowding during the boarding process. This marks the latest evolution in Delta’s multi-year work to bring consistency, simplicity, clarity and less stress to the gate and boarding experience, efforts that have driven all-time high customer experience scores.

Here’s what customers can expect on day one:

Customers will see the branded fare purchased, or Sky Priority, on their mobile or printed boarding pass – this indicates their boarding group.

At the gate:

Instead of featuring numbered zones on gate screens and signs, and in boarding announcements, customers will see and/or hear the branded fare they purchased or Sky Priority, letting them know it’s time to board.

For most customers, their place in the boarding order doesn’t change – the new name simply makes it easier to recognize. SkyMiles Medallion Members* and eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Credit Card Members will continue to receive priority boarding.

Customers will also see new color accents distinguishing each of Delta’s fare products and Sky Priority on screens and signage at the gate.

On the Fly Delta app and delta.com:

Those same new colors associated with each branded fare will be visible to a small number of customers in the digital shopping experience to start. A gradual roll out to all customers on delta.com and the Fly Delta app in 2019 is in accordance with best practices for large digital changes. And, this phased approach will allow Delta to gather customer feedback for continuous improvements.

Branded boarding builds on Delta’s latest boarding enhancement, the addition of zone 4 in 2018 for Basic Economy customers. This change resulted in better customer satisfaction scores in every zone, with dramatic improvement for the reduced number of customers in zone 3 and double digit improvement for Main Cabin zones.

Delta continues to put boarding under the microscope, looking at new ways to organize and test concepts – such as the use of digital screens instead of static boarding signage, like pillars. To help keep customers informed, the airline has also been a leader in adding larger display screens above the door to Jetways and pushing boarding notifications from the Fly Delta app.

*Learn more about boarding as a Medallion Member here.