Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has made the following announcement:

Delta is the first U.S.-based airline to allow customers to purchase tickets using Apple Pay, making the booking process even easier for iPhone users.

Delta customers can now book and pay for flights via Apple Pay, the easy and private way to pay that the company says is safer than credit cards, using the latest version of the Fly Delta app. Delta is the first U.S.-based airline to allow its customers to purchase tickets using Apple Pay, making the booking process even faster and easier for iPhone users.

Purchasing tickets using Apple Pay within the Fly Delta app is as simple as the touch of a finger and users will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by their credit and debit cards.

This latest feature to the Fly Delta app is just one of many digital improvements designed to elevate the overall customer experience.

“Our Fly Delta app has come a long way since it was first introduced in 2010. More than 18 million customers have now downloaded the Fly Delta app and we are excited to be the first U.S.-based airline to allow our customers to book and pay for their tickets with Apple Pay. By providing a way to pay for flights with just the touch of a fingertip, Delta continues to optimize our robust mobile channels and provide an easy-to-use and seamless digital experience for our customers,” said Rhonda Crawford, Vice President – eCommerce.

Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay. When customers add a credit or debit card to Apple Pay, the card numbers are not stored on the device or on Apple servers and each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

In other news, Delta has also announced a codeshare agreement with Aerolíneas Argentinas expands customers’ travel options to and from the U.S. to Argentina and Uruguay.

A new agreement between Delta and Aerolíneas Argentinas will provide customers from both airlines more travel options to and from the United States and South America. The agreement gives Delta customers access to flights from Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport to Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as to Mendoza and Cordoba, two important destinations in Argentina.

Likewise, the agreement provides Aerolíneas Argentinas with codesharing on Delta flights to 14 top business destinations in the U.S.

Delta will be able to codeshare with Aerolíneas Argentinas on two other important routes, connecting customers from Ezeiza to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Miami International Airport.

Delta will codeshare on Aerolíneas Argentinas’ routes from Ezeiza to Montevideo, Uruguay, and from Jorge Newbery Airport to Santiago de Chile’s Comodoro Arturo Benitez International Airport, providing connectivity to Santiago’s daily flight to Atlanta.

Image: Delta.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show: