US. Delta Air Lines and restaurateur OTG today (29 August) announced the introduction of more than 250 new iPads across three new restaurants at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The additions come as part of the joint venture’s commitment to install a total of 2,500 iPads at the airport.
Mimosa and Shoyu have iPads located at each seat inside the restaurants, and MinniBar will soon have the tablets too. The technology allows customers to order meals, which are prepared fresh and can be customised to cater for special dietary requirements. Meals are delivered directly to seats within 15 minutes, and customers can pay with credit cards on each iPad.
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“Making the new airport experience a reality”: restaurants like Shoyu will feature iPads |
OTG Chief Executive Officer Rick Blatstein said: “OTG and Delta are committed to dramatically improving the traveller’s airport experience. This deployment is extremely exciting because it allows us to share our vision of how we’re making the new airport experience a reality.
“We continue to expand our offerings around the nation and now to the millions of travellers that come through Delta’s hub at MSP. Travellers flying through Minneapolis-St Paul International
Airport will be able to experience our customized technology along with quality, chef-driven food.”
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Innovative designs to the fore: chefs at Shoyu prepare fresh dishes in a glass kitchen |
MinniBar is an upscale sandwich bar designed by celebrity chef and television host Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods. Mimosa is a French country eatery and raw bar designed by Chef Russell Klein of Meritage, and Shoyu is a modern Japanese restaurant with Tanpopo’s Chef Koshiko Yonemura. The unique design of the Shoyu concept features a glass kitchen that juts out into the terminal space, where a chef can be seen making fresh noodles daily for the restaurant.
Delta Air Lines Senior Vice President – Minnesota Operations Bill Lentsch commented: “Delta is following through on our commitment to invest in our Minneapolis-St. Paul hub by improving the airport experience with these truly unique amenities.
“These enhancements on the ground coupled with our in-flight investments such as installing full flatbed seats in BusinessElite and Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft, make for a unique traveling experience on Delta that no other carrier can match.”
The OTG custom iPad browser also allows passengers to browse the internet and use Facebook, Twitter and personal email accounts. Travellers can also check their flight status, play games and watch the news through pre-loaded apps such as Bloomberg News. Once the customer stops using the iPad, personal information is securely removed when the home button is pressed, and is automatically deleted after two minutes of idle time.
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Upscale dining: MinniBar is a sandwich bar designed by celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern |
Previously, Delta and OTG deployed 400 new iPads in LaGuardia Airport Terminal D, with hundreds more to be installed throughout the terminal. The full deployment at two of Delta’s major airport hubs will occur over the next year. As reported, OTG will deploy more than 2,000 new iPads at LaGuardia Terminals C and D, and an additional 2,500 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
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