United Airlines seems to be one of the only major carriers out there that understands that airline apps all too often promise the world but rarely live up to the hype. Thankfully, United has been busy building an app that actually addresses the needs of customers.
It seems strange that so many airlines have such basic, bug-ridden apps with incredibly limited functionality. In many cases, these apps do more to frustrate passengers than to serve them in a way they would want.
That’s why what United has been doing with its mobile app is so exciting, and its latest update will go a long way to relieve the stress felt by passengers with a connecting flight.
United has just launched a new personalized experience within its app for connections, displaying helpful information like real-time flight updates, a countdown timer, and turn-by-turn directions to the next gate, all in one easy-to-read page.
“We know that giving people more information, in a transparent and easy-to-understand way, can help de-stress the connecting flight experience,” explains David Kinzelman, United’s Chief Customer Officer.
“Our award-winning mobile app is a game-changer during travel, and with these new features, our customers will have even more real-time details about their flight and, as a result, have an even better experience flying United,” Kinzelman added.
The app also builds upon United’s industry-leading ‘ConnectionSaver’ tech that holds flights for a few minutes to give customers with a tight connection more time to reach the gate.
ConnectionSaver utilizes AI to work out whether holding a flight will realistically give customers with a tight connection time to make their flight, while also working out how long the flight can be held without delaying the arrival of the plane at its destination.
Launched in 2019, ConnectionSaver has proven to be a huge hit, saving 3.3 million customer connections in the last six years.
This information is now displayed within the United app, but should passengers fail to get to their next gate in time, they can automatically rebook on the next available flight for free within the app.
United tested out its new connections feature in its app during the Spring, and more than 350,000 passengers utilized the feature. 98% of those passengers made their connection.
Back in 2023, United became the first U.S. airline to make use of Apple’s new ‘Live Activities’ feature on iPhone, displaying relevant live information about their flight right from the lock screen or dynamic island.
The United widget provides a slew of information, including on-time status, departure countdown, inbound aircraft status, estimated departure and arrival times, flight number, and baggage carousel number.
Also built into United’s app are real-time weather delay maps, as well as personalized updates on why a flight is delayed and what the airline is doing to fix the issue.
Despite the fact that these features all make so much sense, United remains the only US airline to tout these benefits.
Matt’s Take
United stands out as an airline that understands investing in technology isn’t just about finding new ways to sell flights but about improving the passenger experience and its operational reliability.
What’s interesting is that across the Atlantic, British Airways keeps on boasting about the millions of dollars it is investing in its website and mobile app. What customers might not realize, however, is that nearly all of this money is being spent on software to better monetize the flight selling process, such as more dynamic pricing and ancillary fees.
Years after promising a new mobile app, there is still no progress, and customers complain that the only change they see on a near-daily basis is yet more bugs.
