• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  Travel Technology • United Airlines  >  United ConnectionSaver Tool Has Serious Potential
Travel TechnologyUnited Airlines

United ConnectionSaver Tool Has Serious Potential

Matthew Klint Posted onJune 12, 2019June 12, 2019 11 Comments

United Airlines is rolling out “ConnectionSaver” technology across the board after successful trials in Denver and Chicago. The new tool has great potential.

Gate agents often will not hold a flight because of the unknown ripple effects of doing so. Say you hold a flight for five minutes to allow for a group of delayed connecting passengers to board. That five-minute delay may cause a 20-minute delay in takeoff due to a missed takeoff slot. Suddenly, instead several passengers faced missed connections and the next flight on that aircraft also faces delay.

But what if gate agents could know with high certainty if holding the fight would negatively implicate take-off time and connecting passengers onboard? What if gate agents knew that six extra minutes was okay, but not eight? That technology is now here with United’s ConnectionSaver tool.

What is ConnectionSaver?

United explains the multi-faceted nature of its ConnectionSaver technology:

ConnectionSaver is powered by new technology that automatically identifies departing flights that can be held for connecting customers, while ensuring those who have already boarded the aircraft arrive at their destination on time. ConnectionSaver also sends personalized text messages to every connecting customer (who has opted in to receive notifications) with clear directions to the gate for their connecting flight and information about how long the walk will take.

United’s ConnectionSaver technology automatically scans flights for customers who are making tight connections to determine if the connecting flight can be held without inconveniencing other customers. The ConnectionSaver tool takes into account factors such as the time it will take for late connecting customers to travel gate-to-gate as well as the impact the hold may have on other flights and customers.

United created a couple of videos to explain the new technology, which I think do a great job of doing so:

For the seasoned traveler, United wants to soothe your anxiety over missing your onward connection so a straggling family can make a flight. Toby Enqvist, United’s Chief Customer Officer stated:

ConnectionSaver only works if it allows us to care for as many customers as possible – without inconveniencing others – and that’s exactly what this technology has shown it can do. We’re determined to capitalize on as many opportunities as possible to better serve and care for our customers and that’s part of what sets United apart from our competitors.

United makes clear that most flights will NOT be held for delayed passengers.

CONCLUSION

Tools like ConnectionSaver show the upside to modern technology. Guiding passengers on their mobile phones via the United app to their next gate and carefully balancing the ripple effect of even a small delay are now possible. But many things sound nice in theory. Now we have to wait and see if this technology actually works in practice.

Previous Article Suicidal Man Held Without Bail After Chasing Estranged Wife Through Airport With Fake Bomb
Next Article Review: Etihad Lounge London (LHR)

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • United Polaris Lounge LAX Review

    Review: United Airlines Polaris Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)

    March 24, 2023
  • JetBlue Paris

    Irrefutable Proof The JetBlue-Spirit Merger Hurts Consumers

    March 12, 2023
  • Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg

    Intolerable Inaction of Secretary Of Transportation Buttigieg

    February 26, 2023

11 Comments

  1. Howard Reply
    June 12, 2019 at 10:03 am

    Maybe they should do away with the ridiculously short minimum connection time. Like seriously, 50 minutes to get off the plane and change terminals (including going through immigration and security again)?

    • Adam Reply
      June 13, 2019 at 11:10 pm

      Whole heartedly agree, I often make bookings without checking connection times and get the sweats when I find out I’ve locked into a 30 min. connection. I’ve missed too many flights and lost too many bags due to this. However, hopefully this means that they’ll no longer lock us out of connections by mere minutes while the plane is still at the gate.

  2. Edwin Reply
    June 12, 2019 at 10:13 am

    Missed “takeoff slots” is a common misnomer in the industry. The only there becomes a “slot” is when there is a Traffic Management Program in effect which ATC meters traffic due to weather or other restrictions like runway closures. When you call clearance delivery, they’ll give you an EDCT also known as a “wheels up” time. If you miss, you get a new time.

  3. Jack Reply
    June 12, 2019 at 11:04 am

    I like how UA really plays this up. They should always be doing this. The reason why people are missing connections is because the MCT is to tight and their operation isn’t as good as they think.

  4. Stuart Reply
    June 12, 2019 at 11:06 am

    American will do this, umm, never. And they need it the most. Dallas is a hot mess in this with sold connections at 30-40 minutes that are virtually impossible to make. Add in the AA gate agents being militant about closing the doors 10 minutes before departure and vanishing down the jetway with no agent left at the counter. Can’t tell you how many times I was there 8-10 minutes before published departure due to a late inbound and could do nothing but stand and look at a closed door with 20 other people.

    So I wonder about United. Will this be a decision based on actual departure time or the 10 minute door closing rule. If actual departure time I think this is an amazing tool.

  5. Dick Bupkiss Reply
    June 12, 2019 at 3:31 pm

    Good for them. This is a good idea, at least in theory, and they deserve kudos for thinking and being innovative (I mean beyond making the entire travel experience shittier by mindlessly cutting costs anytime they can, and charging for things that once were part of the price of a ticket). So good for them for trying this, credit where credit is due.

  6. Bobby Reply
    June 12, 2019 at 10:24 pm

    So when UA’s on-time performance tanks, I can see them blaming this new software.

  7. Daniel T Nelson Reply
    June 13, 2019 at 9:55 am

    Over fifty years of flying, I have been “saved” only once where a plane was held for me and that was with Alaska Airlines. We were a late night arrival into Seattle with a connection on the last plane of the night to Portland. Alaska had a golf cart waiting for us at the gate and took us to the waiting plane, where we were the last to board. We were astonished, and Alaska Airlines forever holds a special place in our hearts because of it. They went way beyond normal for us, and we were grateful. If United can provide some saves like that here and there, it will spread a lot of very needed goodwill.

  8. Steve P Reply
    June 13, 2019 at 11:04 am

    This is nothing new. Seeing late arrivals has always been available. I was a gate agent for 21 years, and know how the game is played. It’s good advertising in my opinion. There is plenty of padded flight time to adjust for holding a flight for a few minutes. No big deal.

  9. JBM Reply
    June 13, 2019 at 11:44 pm

    Didn’t United just roll out a bonus program encouraging on-time departures? That bonus program seems counterproductive to this system.

  10. MeanMeosh Reply
    June 14, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    While I like the idea, as others have noted, the real problem is how the airlines (not just UA) shoehorn passengers onto impossibly short connections these days. A 45-minute connection at DEN or IAH leaves you basically no margin for error, given that you have at most 10 minutes to get from your plane to the connecting gate before boarding starts. (Trust me – with a 50-minute connection at SLC last month and a seat in the very back, even with a connecting gate directly across our arrival gate, we didn’t make it until 5 minutes after scheduled boarding. Luckily the connecting flight was delayed.) And as JBM and others note, given Scott Kirby’s obsession with D0, I have a hard time believing GAs will really feel empowered to hold flights even a few minutes.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Faroe Islands Trip Report
    Introduction: A Journey To The Magical Faroe Islands On Star Alliance March 30, 2023
  • United Airlines Wants Flight Attendants To Create “Wow Factor” Onboard March 30, 2023
  • Homeless Man Steals Luggage
    Homeless Man Helps Himself To Luggage In Atlanta Airport March 30, 2023
  • Delta SkyMiles Schedule Change
    UPDATE: Delta Air Lines Strands Senior Citizens In Middle East After Absurd Schedule Change March 29, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Kayleigh Scott United Airlines
    The Tragic Death Of A United Airlines Flight Attendant March 21, 2023
  • Delta SkyMiles Schedule Change
    UPDATE: Delta Air Lines Strands Senior Citizens In Middle East After Absurd Schedule Change March 29, 2023
  • Southwest Airlines Wife Slap
    Enraged Husband Attacks Man On Southwest Airlines Flight After He Bumps Wife March 8, 2023
  • United Polaris Lounge LAX Review
    Review: United Airlines Polaris Lounge Los Angeles (LAX) March 24, 2023

Archives

March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.