3DE 9^th grade students participated in their fifth and final case challenge on March 9, 2020 with Delta Air Lines, and were able to conduct a site visit to the Atlanta Campus of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Delta Air Lines is the U.S. global airline leader in products, services, innovation, reliability and customer experience. Powered by its 80,000 people around the world, Delta continues to invest billions in its people, delivering a world-class travel experience and generating industry-leading shareholder returns. With its constant drive to invest, innovate and expand, Delta today is the world’s No. 1 airline by total revenues. Delta serves nearly 200 million people every year, taking customers across its industry-leading global network to more than 300 destinations in over 50 countries. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta offers more than 5,000 daily departures and as many as 15,000 affiliated departures, including the premier SkyTeam alliance, of which Delta is a founding member.

Delta uses data that they obtain through customer satisfaction surveys about the customer’s recent experience. Sometimes the surveys focus on the overall experience, and sometimes they are more specific, looking at one aspect of the journey. For Delta, a customer’s journey begins the moment they begin searching for airfares and considering Delta as their air travel partner. The journey does not end until the customer arrives at their destination and has left the airport with their luggage in hand. Delta strives to make each segment of a customer’s journey as enjoyable, painless, and stress-free as possible.

One challenge Delta faces thousands of times each day is getting 100+ passengers and their carry-on luggage from their arrival at the gate for departure, onto the plane, seated, and ready for take-off. Most of the boarding process happens within 45 minutes or less. The gate experience can be one of the most stressful parts of the entire journey, from ensuring your seat assignment, getting on board the aircraft, having room to stow your personal items, and getting into your seat while everyone around you attempts to do the same thing. Over the years, Delta has innovated and iterated their gate experience. Delta is looking to improve the queuing portion of the gate experience.

Recently, Delta has been focused again on their next iteration of the queuing portion of The Gate Experience and is looking to the 3DE students for their insights and innovations. Using data from surveys, observations, and utilizing creativity, Delta wanted help to find a way to make The Gate Experience a crowd-pleaser, and yet another reason to Fly Delta.

The Challenge

How can Delta improve The Gate Experience by humanizing data?

The Solution

The winning team’s first solution was to have current Delta employees add passengers’ carry-ons onto the plane before boarding to decrease boarding time and to provide employment opportunities. The downside to this would be an unexpected amount of carry-ons or a potential technology glitch. They also developed the C3M Method, which stands for "Carpet Color-Coding Method". This is an adaptation of the Flying Carpet Method, which has been proven to be one of the best boarding methods with the lowest boarding time. It is a simple airplane boarding system designed to save airlines money and enhance passenger experience. It enables passengers to arrange themselves in row order easily with a minimum of fuss before proceeding to the airplane, so each of them can go directly to their seats unrestricted.

10th Grade

Competency: Self-Direction

Provides capabilities to set priorities and execute with integrity and initiative to accurately achieve maximum productivity. Students are inquisitive and resourceful with a confident understanding of the role in which they play and responsibility to effectively meet their goals.

Challenge Theme: Tackling Adversity

This challenge reinforced the importance of grit and perseverance. When dealing with adversity, it is important to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a potential approach or overall business. Through this evaluation, students better identified and analyzed options for dealing with obstacles.

3DE 10^th grade students participated in their fifth and final case challenge on March 10, 2020 with Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (BLRG) and conducted a site visit to the Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Pano Karatassos did not set out to build a dynasty. Yet, starting with a passion for food, a pioneering spirit, and a now-famous hideaway in the heart of Old Buckhead, he would launch the company – and culinary renaissance – that put Atlanta’s restaurant scene on the map. More than 39 years and 12 (9 in the Atlanta area and 4 in South Florida) internationally renowned restaurants later, the name Pano Karatassos rings synonymous with upscale Atlanta and South Florida dining of every flavor. While Chops, Pricci, Buckhead Diner, and Atlanta Fish Market mirror the dark-wooded, traditional sensibilities of forebear Pano's & Paul's, nouveau concepts such as Corner Café , Kyma, and Bistro Niko dazzle with super stylish surrounds and chic, modern vibes. For business or pleasure, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group offers a destination perfect for any appetite, mood and occasion.

Pano is so well-known in the restaurant industry that Buckhead Life does not have to recruit for talented chefs or servers. Chefs and servers are referred to Buckhead Life by someone that was (or is) part of the Buckhead Life family. Pano has trained many chefs that have gone on to open their own restaurants, and they send talented young chefs to Buckhead Life to learn just like they did.

Buckhead Life's guest demographic is an older crowd. They've been coming to their favorite restaurants for years. While they are used to what makes Buckhead Life fantastic, the group is constantly innovating. Buckhead Life aims to remain fresh and on top of trends. Like good bread, Buckhead Life does not go stale quickly. Buckhead Life wanted to refresh its brand and attract a new and recurring clientele while maintaining their current patrons. Buckhead Life aims to begin to attract the demographic known as Generation X and older millennials. They aim to serve 30- to 40-somethings that have gotten a few promotions in their career and are financially secure.

The Challenge

As a member of the Buckhead Life Marketing Team, students were asked to create two recommendations on how to refresh the brand to attract a younger clientele.

The Solution

The winning team contacted a local social medial influencer blogger, Eating with Erica, and she helped by providing insight on how to improve BLRG’s presence with their posts, including photography of menu items, hashtags for pre-events, and utilizing Snapchat Geo filters. They also thought that offering incentives, such as gift cards for guests who participate in their events would increase traffic. They shared information on millennials and how they enjoyed food and drink tastings, and determined bringing in guest chefs would drive in and retain a younger crowd. Another suggestion was to build partnerships with businesses that offer healthier organic options. Millennials are changing their eating habits given the movement to being environmentally-conscious. By partnering with local community businesses, BLRG can provide healthier options, gain a new targeted audience, and increase their public image.