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Dive Brief:
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United Airlines’s app enhancements have boosted customer satisfaction, President Brett Hart said on a Q4 2024 earnings call Wednesday.
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The airline in December integrated Apple AirTag data into its mobile app to help customers track delayed or lost baggage. In August, it added a feature that allows customers to select their preferred seats and automatically reassigns them to their preferred seat if they become available.
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“Over the last several years, our culture of innovation has fueled countless advancements in technology that empower our employees and improve customer experience,” Hart said on the call. “Our industry leading app has led to happier customers who have more control over their travels and employees who have more time to help customers who most need it.”
Dive Insight:
Hart credits improved app capabilities with growing customer usage, leading to more satisfied travelers.
The airline’s app is the most downloaded among carriers, with an 8 percentage point year-over-year increase of customers using it on their day of travel, according to the earnings release.
Customers used the app at a higher rate after United translated the entire app to Spanish in November. The airline also unveiled a Basic Economy digital check-in experience that increased digital check-ins, according to the earnings report.
The airline increased the amount of customers providing a perfect score of 10 on the net promoter score by 6% year over year in the fourth quarter, according to the earnings report.
The app and digital investments can pay off by saving customers and employees time.
Nearly 90% of customers use United digital channels on the day of travel, according to Hart.
About half of United customers who experienced a cancellation in 2024 used self-service or another automated method to resolve their issues — a 28% year-over-year increase.
“We’ve found that, on average, customers who use the United app on the day of travel can save up to 30 minutes and report higher satisfaction than those who don’t,” a United spokesperson told CX Dive earlier this month.
The airline has also invested in its generative AI capabilities, using the technology to expedite customer search on its website and in its flight status notification system.
United has integrated generative AI into its process of writing and sending text and email messages to customers about the details of their flight. The process, which has been in place since 2018, was previously completed by employees known as “storytellers.”