Food for Thought (and Pre-Order): Delta Rolls Out Version 5.1 of its Fly Delta App.

Delta recently released Fly Delta version 5.1 of its app.

Two changes are notable:

• First class passengers may now pre-select meals via the app (though that feature seems to have some glitches)
• Enhanced (but in a good way!) seat maps

Let’s dig in!

Pre-Ordering Meals with the Fly Delta App

Within the past year, Delta gave first class passengers the option to make selections beginning 72 hours before their flights.

But improvements were needed. And meals could only be ordered once passengers received an email inviting them to do so or through the good folks at @Delta.

The Fly Delta app now allows passengers to pre-order meals.

Kind of.

Reader C.T. sent me these pictures of his pre-ordering experience.

C.T. and his companion are flying MSP-ATL-GCM.

At the time he sent me these pictures, C.T. hadn’t been upgraded for his MSP to ATL flight. Only ATL to GCM.

Here’s the weird thing. He was shown the meal selections for MSP to ATL:

Obviously, he couldn’t select them.

He clicked “Next Flight” and saw this screen.

“The problem,” he told me, “is there’s nowhere to save the selections. No ‘apply’ or ‘save’ or ‘accept’ or anything like that. The only thing I can do is press ‘cancel.'”

Now, what a terrific, first-world problem.

Have you encountered a similar issue?

Seat Map Fix

René wrote about the seat map color blast that came with Fly Delta 5.0.

Things now are a little better. The Fly Delta seat map isn’t quite so reminiscent of a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Plus, trips with multiple passengers now specifically denote who’s who on the seat map. Here’s an example from an upcoming itinerary involving a friend (“RE”) and me (“CC”):

Improvements Still Needed

I rebooked a flight because of this week’s Minneapolis weather,

My Fargo to MSP flight was delayed by over two hours. So I used the Fly Delta app to snag a later departure from MSP to LAX just in case.

Well, my new trip to Los Angeles disappeared altogether from my trip’s itinerary.

Yikes.

I completely signed out, then signed back in, and my trip reappeared.

But my original flight’s 5:19 PM boarding time was still listed.

Many of us know that Delta actually boards flights +/- 40 minutes before departure. I wasn’t too worried and knew to bop over to gate G15 around 7 PM. Still, people who rarely travel may be confused about the actual boarding time if it. y’know, doesn’t update. If my flight departure and arrival times, numbers, and seating assignments can quickly be changed, why can’t the boarding time?

That aside, Fly Delta 5.1 has been much faster than its predecessors.

Does Fly Delta 5.1 Strive for 5?

Please share your thoughts in the below Comments section!