1 week Ago
The statue of one of a handful of legendary golfers is a constant at Augusta Regional Airport (on April 8, it was Raymond Floyd, “Master of the short game” and 1976 Masters champion). But what’s not a constant is walking a simulated Augusta National golf course while deplaning, the words of sportscaster Jim Nantz giving his welcome while swearing that was the azaleas you’re smelling. From in-flight Masters coverage to Nantz’s voice echoing through the jet bridge to that walk under the magnolias and past the holes to Floyd and then to baggage claim, Delta Airlines is making sure that anyone flying into Augusta Regional over Masters Week will be immersed in the big tournament from the start.
Deplaning at Augusta Regional Airport this month will have you walking through a simulation of the golf course at Augusta National, thanks to Delta Airlines. Delta's expanded flight schedule into Augusta for April 6-14 represents both a 15% increase in the number of seats offered and direct connections with other nine cities, including three never added to the list before: Minneapolis; Austin; and White Plains, New York. “We wanted to make sure that we analyzed the data of the customers we had last year, where they were really coming from and then look at it and make sure we brought in that scope this year to make sure that we’re capturing all of customers and bringing them closer to the tournament itself,” Andrew Wheatley said.
Photo ops in front of the 16th hole can be had just before hitting baggage claim at Augusta Regional, thanks to Delta Airlines' first "immersive Masters experience." Wheatley is ACS Field Director at Delta Airlines and was in Augusta to promote the airline’s partnership with the Masters Tournament — and the passenger experience into Augusta. Others from Delta’s Atlanta office were also in Augusta for Masters Week, working the photo booth set up between arrivals and the baggage claim and helping with snapping the pics for anyone who wanted the 16th hole — Redbud — as their backdrop.
“We wanted to make sure that it was alive and interactive,” Wheatley said. After walking the first 12 through the boarding area (a Delta plane flying overhead), the final six can be found there at the photo booth. The flowers and shrubbery — azaleas included — might be fake, but the scent packs buried into the planters waft their aroma.
It all comes together with a touchscreen map of the course at Augusta National, just before the baggage claim and just before what might just be a day at The Masters..
