a person holding a cellphone with a map on the screen

United Airlines now texts passengers links to local, live radar maps during weather delays in an effort to provide as much real-time information as possible about their trip and uses generative AI to produce flight-specific updates on the nature of delays or cancellations.

United Airlines Now Texts Radar Maps During Weather Delays, Uses Gen AI To Keep Passengers Updated

Since 2021, United has used dedicated teams to write and send text messages to passengers that give near-instantaneous details about a given flight – everything from gate changes and boarding times to more specifics regarding aircraft swaps, crew rescheduling, weather events, and other delays. As AI develops, these teams now use generative artificial intelligence tools to “assist” in giving more travelers real-time updates during flight delays.

Today, United Airlines will include real-time radar maps via text message to “help customers understand how inclement weather in one part of the country can impact a flight elsewhere.”

Here’s how it works:

  • Specialized customer service teams sit in the network operations center alongside the flight operations teams and tap gen AI to review flight data and write passengers messages that “tells the complete story of a flight change”
  • These messages are sent to passengers through text or email in an effort to provide more helpful and relevant information about why flight plans are changing
  • During weather delays, messages will include links to local, live radar maps showing weather details across flight paths

Jason Birnbaum, United’s Chief Information Officer, explained:

“With more people traveling this summer than ever, we wanted to give our customers an easier way to stay connected to real-time information about their flight and texting was the simplest solution. We know customers appreciate transparency and by combining innovative technology-enabled tools with people power, we can give more people, even more in-the-moment details about their flight.”

Passengers on all flights can already access links to weather maps in the United app under flight status updates. United also displays radar maps in the gate area when a flight has been delayed due to weather.

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