American Airlines has added a genuinely useful feature to its mobile app that aim to answer a simple question passengers always have when flights are delayed or cancelled: what exactly is happening right now?
American Airlines Adds Real-Time Disruption Updates To Its Mobile App
American Airlines has rolled out a series of new mobile app enhancements designed to provide clearer, real-time communication during delays, cancellations, and irregular operations. Rather than forcing customers to refresh gate screens, wait in customer service lines, or guess what comes next, the app promises new contextual banners that explain what’s happening with your flight and what options are available.
The new features include prominent in-app notifications that appear when a flight is delayed, at risk of cancellation, or impacted by crew, maintenance, or weather issues. These banners are meant to explain the cause of the disruption in plain language and guide customers toward next steps, whether that’s rebooking, monitoring the situation, or waiting for further updates.
American says the goal is to reduce uncertainty during irregular operations and give travelers more transparency. In practice, this is less about adding flashy tools and more about surfacing information that already exists, but is often poorly communicated. Heather Garboden, American’s Chief Customer Officer, explained:
“We strive to make every customer’s travel as smooth as possible, but we recognize things don’t always go to plan. When that happens, customers deserve transparent information and real-time tools to get their travel back on track. Our new app enhancements are unlike anything else in the industry because they don’t just explain why travel was disrupted, they help customers take action. We’re giving travelers real-time options, real control and real peace of mind when they need it most. With personalized choices that fit individual needs, these tools empower customers to take charge of their journey.”
This is not a radical concept, but it is an important one.
Anyone who has flown during a major delay knows that silence is often worse than bad news. When an app simply says “delayed” without context, frustration builds quickly (rolling delays are even worse). American’s new banners attempt to bridge that gap by explaining what is happening behind the scenes, even if the outcome is not yet resolved.
To its credit, American is not pretending this is groundbreaking. In fact, United Airlines has been doing something similar since 2018. United’s app already provides contextual messaging during disruptions, including explanations for delays, automated rebooking options, hotel and meal voucher access when applicable, and clear prompts about what to do next. I wrote about United’s rollout of these features when they were introduced, and they remain one of the strongest examples of how airline apps can actually reduce stress instead of adding to it.
> Read More: United Mobile App Tells You Exactly Why Your Flight Is Delayed
American is clearly playing catch-up here, but that is not a criticism. If anything, this is an acknowledgment that the bar has been raised and I commend AA for this investment.
Of course, an app can only be as good as the data behind it. If updates are vague, delayed, or overly sanitized, customers will see through it immediately…I’ll put it to the test soon. The real test will be how transparent American is willing to be when the reasons for disruption are uncomfortable, such as crew availability or cascading operational failures.
Airlines often talk about “empowering customers,” but let’s see how seamlessly and easily rebooking actually is when irregular operations hit…
CONCLUSION
American Airlines’ new app enhancements will not prevent delays or cancellations, but they may make them easier to endure. By adding real-time disruption banners that explain what’s happening and what comes next, American is acknowledging that communication matters just as much as recovery. This is a long-overdue update and a positive one.
United still sets the standard in this space, but American is closing the gap. If these features are rolled out consistently and paired with honest messaging, this could be one of the most passenger-friendly improvements American has made in years.
This is a significant improvement if it is actually utilized and loaded with accurate information. AA has long been the worst of the 3 majors in truthfully communicating delays. I can’t count the number of times I have walked to the gate, seen “Boarding in 3 minutes” on the board, and quickly discovered that the inbound aircraft won’t land for 40 minutes. Once delays are undeniable, they are also notorious for the rolling 15 minute delays, even when circumstances make it obvious that it will be an hour or more. Delays happen and thats OK. Bad weather, sick pilots, and mechanical problems will happen. Airlines owe it to customers to truthfully communicate accurate and realistic information to the extent possible. Hopefully this is a big step in that direction.
Nice step forward. But none of those screenshots explains WHY a flight was delayed or cancelled. It’s that kind of transparency—real or just perceived—that makes the UA app experience so much better.
Some would say… a great leap forward… *cough*
Rely on FlightAware the day of travel. Gives me an idea of where the jet actually is.
In the past, have been told of a “minor delay” while the jet was still sitting at the prior airport.
Airlines love to fib…it’s in their genes!!
What Doug said. This is great and all, but AA continues to be hot garbage when it comes to truthfully posting delays. Just on Saturday, my son and I woke up to a delay notification due to an inbound aircraft delay. They insisted on an 11:29 departure time, when the incoming flight wouldn’t even arrive until 11:14. I told my son it would probably about 12 before we left, and sure enough, we pushed back at 12:07.
As with above commenters this is great in theory but talk is cheap, whisky costs money. American is almost inherently dishonest about delays so I’m not sure that this new update will – or even can – solve the problem.
My favorite is the screen shot of “you’ve been rebooked on the next available flight” – which isn’t for another 15 hours and isn’t what you would have selected anyway, if you had a choice.
The real rebooking will be in 48 to 72 hours, anyway . . .
I never believe the status from the app. Always go look at the inbound aircraft. I believe and start walking to the gate when the plane arrives at the gate.
This approach saves a lot of needless walking/train rides when your terminal and gate change every 10min (like at DFW).