Delta Air Lines debuts flight-booking page on Facebook

ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines Inc. said Thursday that it has launched a "Ticket Window" on Facebook that will allow passengers to book directly on the social media site.

It is the first time an airline has allowed customers to reserve flights on Facebook, although many use Facebook and Twitter to promote sales.

"Our customers are spending more time online and are looking for new ways to connect with us," said Bob Kupbens, Delta's vice president of eCommerce.

Delta's Ticket Window allows Facebook users to complete a full travel booking using a tab at facebook.com/delta without navigating to delta.com. Delta plans to expand the Ticket Window to other sites, including online banner ads from which customers could book directly.

Big airlines like Delta, the world's largest, have been slower than their discount counterparts in catching the wave of social media. JetBlue and Southwest were the first to use social media for communicating with customers - dedicating staff to promoting their brands across cyberspace and dealing directly with individual complaints or compliments on Twitter.

Delta, which is based in Atlanta, also plans to launch an iPhone application within the next few weeks that will offer customers the ability to check in for flights, check flight status, review schedules, set a parking reminder, review frequent flier account balance and use electronic boarding passes in select cities.

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