Clayton News Daily

Spanish speakers will soon be able to understand important travel-related information distributed by a major U.S. airline, using a social media web site.

Delta Air Lines is offering a rapid and convenient way for their Spanish-speaking passengers, in the U.S. and Latin America, to receive assistance with their holiday travel itineraries, by connecting with @DeltaAssist_ES, through Twitter.com, according to Delta officials.

This pilot program is a dedicated Twitter channel –– twitter.com/deltaassist_es –– on the web site. It provides Spanish speakers with real-time travel assistance, and is one of the first of its kind provided by a U.S. airline, the officials said.

“Since launching @DeltaAssist en Español, we’ve received very positive feedback from our Spanish-speaking customers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, who’ve taken advantage of the service and view it as an essential tool for managing their travel plans,” said Allison Ausband, vice president of reservation sales and customer care for Delta Air Lines.

A group of Delta agents who speak Spanish,officials said, are on hand Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m., to 10 p.m., to quickly respond to Spanish tweets from customers concerned about their flight information, rebookings, baggage tracking, weather delays, flight cancellations, airport check-in, and other topics.

In general, the Atlanta-based airline recommends that travelers check in online 24 hours before their departure time. Checking in can also be conducted through a web-enabled mobile device, in certain cities.

Passengers should arrive to an airport at least 90 minutes before a domestic flight, and three hours before an international flight, airline officials said.

For more information and travel tips, visit Delta’s web site, www.delta.com.