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.
Will it also track Kirby’s private jet when shit hits the fan again at EWR?
Do you have something better to do with your life than these comments
Kirby talked about this on his interview on The Air Show. I think it’s great.
Would have loved it on Southwest last week when they broke a thru flight, made the second leg 2 hours late, and the answer from the agent was “What does it matter why? It’s late.” Subsequent email to Southwest said “operational considerations.” I just need something to support filing an insurance claim (or get them to give me something) because the delay caused me to have to rent a car.
I like United above other airlines specifically because I have always found they do the best job communicating flight delays. This matters to me a lot, there is nothing more irritating than being gaslit about departure times by an airline (sitting at a gate at 5:00PM with a 4:30 departure time still listed is a big pet peeve).
I’m fine with delays, because I understand they happen, when an airline is transparent and punctual in their communication of the issue and the expectations. United’s ability to do this well has done a lot for my loyalty to them (though I live in Boston, so fly JetBlue and Delta more frequently for route availability).
United is probably the most underrated airline these days, given their reputation still lags from their current level of service.
Anecdotal as well… but I’ve found they also seem to apologize or take ownership too. I have had a handful of lengthy delays with United in the last couple years. Two of them went until the wee hours of the morning… and people didn’t really get upset. The same agent (and in ORD the same customer service manager) stayed with us, made announcements, handed out snacks and drinks. They gave us info so detailed (like one at IAD that well, they got a spare plane towed over but it’s been sitting for 4 days and has a birds nest they have to clear….) that at least there was transparency.
One of those lengthy delays I give a lot of respect for the poor pilot who got tagged at the end of his one-leg-home day arriving at ORD at midnight to run our flight to CLT. “I’ve been brought up to speed on the history of this flight… and I am sorry. This has been an absolute disaster. This has been United at its worst. I hope I can start making this up to you by at least getting you there as fast as I can from this point…”
I hope someone influential at AA is reading this and clones this over to them.
I guess the more we know the better? Maybe. The important thing is for the pilots to AVOID IT for less turbulence.