How United Airlines Is Helping Passengers Save Time During Busy Holiday Season

United Airlines is preparing for its busiest Thanksgiving travel period, expecting nearly six million passengers over the holiday period. Today, the airline announced all the ways in which it is making travel easier for passengers.

Improving the customer experience

It is no secret that United leads the way regarding technology and accessibility for passengers. Among American carriers, United has one of the best websites, and many would agree it has the best app. A few months ago, United became the first American airline to launch Live Activities features for passengers with iPhones on travel days. The features bring updates right to a passenger’s lock screen and even at the top of the screen if the phone is unlocked. Below is an example of what this looks like.

United’s facilitating the passenger experience does not stop there. In February, the Chicago-based airline announced it would seat families with children under 12 years old together without charging extra. The new policy also includes basic economy tickets and, since its launch, has helped more than 200,000 families be placed together at no extra charge. If a flight is booked last minute and seats next to each other are unavailable, passengers can choose another flight at no cost.

In the airport

The new ‘bag drop shortcut’ is also an excellent feature for those traveling with checked bags. During online/app check-in, passengers can add how many bags they will check. Upon arrival at some airports, bag drop shortcuts are available where passengers scan boarding passes at a kiosk that will print the bag tags, and the bags can be checked after verification of ID. Passengers using the shortcut take about 60 seconds on average to check their bags.

Food and beverage pre-orders are also available on certain flights from five days before a trip up until 24 hours before.

Airport experiences are also improved through the Live Activities mentioned above, airport maps, quicker connections, and smoother boarding processes. Thanks to technology, 3D airport maps with directions, like with regular navigation apps, are available. Maps are beneficial for passengers connecting through hubs who need to figure out the best way to get from one gate to another. But apps are not limited to that; passengers can see retail and food options and anything else available in terminals, like prayer rooms, nursing rooms, lounges, and more.

In 2019, United launched ConnectionSaver, a technology that has helped save more than two million connections in four years. The technology searches all departing flights for connecting passengers and analyzes if the flight can and/or should be held for connections. Late last month, United also introduced a new boarding process nicknamed ‘WILMA,’ for window-aisle-middle, which can save up to two minutes on boarding time.

Agent On Demand is another massive feature, allowing customers to speak to a live agent directly from their phones, bypassing airport customer service lines. Below is a video explaining how Agent On Demand works.

What do you think of United’s changes in the customer experience? Are you traveling this Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below.