In January, United Airlines rolled out a redesigned version of its smartphone app designed to cater to not only frequent fliers but those who fly with United once a year, Linda Jojo, the airline’s chief digital officer, told Business Insider in a recent interview.
Such consideration is crucial, considering roughly 85% of the airline’s customers fly with United once or not at all in a year, United Airlines President Scott Kirby has said.
According to Jojo, the new app is keenly focused on transparency and helping alleviate travelers’ stress and anxiety by providing them with useful information without overwhelming them.
One feature of the app is groundbreaking: the flight-delay notification.
From the outside, it might not seem particularly interesting, but seeing it in action is pretty impressive.
The apps of almost all major airlines will tell you if your flight has been delayed or your gate has changed. But United’s app takes things one step further.
It explains to travelers why there’s a delay and what’s being done to rectify the situation. For example, United’s app could tell you not only how much a delay is likely to affect your arrival time, but where your plane is and why it’s being held up.
This notification feature, which was available last year at a few United Airlines hubs around the US, is now available across United’s network.