United Airlines is in a completely different league than the competition when it comes to the quality of its customer-facing technology, and in particular, the app. The airline recently rolled out some positive app changes, and there’s one update I find to be particularly cool.
In this post:
United Airlines’ new boarding progress app feature
United’s app was already great when it came to showing boarding progress for a particular flight, but that has now been taken to the next level.
The airline has added a “virtual gate” feature for those booked on a flight, which gives customers real-time updates about which groups are boarding, along with a progress bar that shows how many people have boarded.
A Threads user shares a screenshot of this. The app status bar now shows “what’s happening” at the departure gate. You can see which groups are boarding, which group you’re in, when boarding ends, how many people are booked on the flight, and how many of those booked passengers have boarded.
View on Threads
United Airlines’ technology is on a different level
United’s app has gotten so good that the airline is at that point where it’s adding features that are arguably not even really necessary, but instead, they’re just cool and show such a high level of transparency.
It’s funny, because when I saw this feature, I couldn’t help but show it to Ford, and say “isn’t that cool?” He was a little confused… “okay, but what does one even do with that information?” I thought about it, and I struggled to actually come up with reasons that this is super useful. Instead, it’s more that I love this kind of stuff as an aviation geek. I guess there are a few potential uses:
- It’s cool to see how booked a flight is in general, and to get a sense of how close boarding is to being complete, what the odds are of an empty seat next to you, etc.
- I’m not sure there are all that many practical implications in terms of how one acts at the gate; most people want to board as early as possible to store their bags, and if you’re not worried about that, you can simply show up shortly before the time at which boarding ends
I know United is aggressively retrofitting its domestic aircraft with new interiors and larger overhead bins, but I was reminded of the United Boeing 737-900 flight I took early last year, where boarding was pure chaos, and the gate agent announced that the plane only had room for 65 carry-on bags, meaning only one in three passengers (roughly) could have a bag accommodated in the bin.
In a situation like this, I suppose that seeing the progress bar of the number of people who have boarded would almost make me nervous.
Bottom line
United’s mobile app has a new “virtual gate” feature, which shows an unbelievable amount of information about boarding progress. In particular, I think it’s cool that the app displays how many people are booked on a flight, and how many of those passengers have already boarded. I’m not sure it’s necessarily that useful, but it sure is fun!
What do you make of these new United app features?
I haven't heard if UA does this, but I assume it's pretty common. I was going on an Alaska Airlines flight and the gate agent started making announcement offering free gate check bags.
I was going stand by so I asked her if that meant they were nearly full and that I probably wasn't going to get on. She said, "Oh, no. We do that whenever the flight exceeds 80% full."
So if UA does...
I haven't heard if UA does this, but I assume it's pretty common. I was going on an Alaska Airlines flight and the gate agent started making announcement offering free gate check bags.
I was going stand by so I asked her if that meant they were nearly full and that I probably wasn't going to get on. She said, "Oh, no. We do that whenever the flight exceeds 80% full."
So if UA does something like that, it's a handy tool to know if you haven't boarded yet, you may A) be forced to check you bag, albeit for free or B) get to check your bag for free, all depending on how you see it.
Some passengers will mess themselves up with these data. UA might be still boarding Group 2 and you think you have plenty of time because you're in Group 4, but you have no idea there's only 2 people in Group 3.
Keep in mind that like much of the new data available to passengers, United is simply making available data that has been generated for ages for internal use. How many people have boarded, for example, is useful to operations to determine if the plane will be on time for pushback, or should the company plan on holding it and allowing another flight, say at the adjacent gate, to pushback first.
Classic United. 1/3 of the plane is on board and they're still boarding group 1.
It's not just UA. Accolade inflation is rampant.
It's not just UA. Accolade inflation is rampant.
Love it! It’ll make standby travel definitely more transparent, go U tied!
What UA needs to add to their app is the ability to see if Tim Dunn is on your flight.
Unmentioned benefit ?
Now the seated hoi polloi will be able to confidently boo / hiss / cheer the very last person to board - for delaying their gate departure.
Seriously, props to UA for providing some marginal info, which also promotes some transparency to seated passengers about why a flight may be indvertantly held at the gate.
United also added a feature indicating how long until TAKEOFF. I saw it on my app last week. That is also pretty cool!
Air Canada have had a similar thing for a while now, shown as a percentage though, not a number. Is very handy.
Some potential uses I could see for the number of passengers boarded feature:
1) Tight connection, percentage of boarding complete would give you a good sense of whether you really need to high-tail it or if you have time to hit the restroom, grab a bag of chips from the newsstand, etc.
2) To get a sense of whether your incoming flight is actually going to push back on time or is going to...
Some potential uses I could see for the number of passengers boarded feature:
1) Tight connection, percentage of boarding complete would give you a good sense of whether you really need to high-tail it or if you have time to hit the restroom, grab a bag of chips from the newsstand, etc.
2) To get a sense of whether your incoming flight is actually going to push back on time or is going to be delayed and potentially mess with your departure.
3) Kid: "are we going to be moving soon?" Me: "there's still 78 passengers to board, we'll be here for a while." (He also likes to play this game where we set a timer to see if we push back before it hits zero; that would make it easier to set the correct amount of time.)
Anything that reduces the gate lice is a fantastic idea.
It will also prevent turning up to the gate 10-15 minutes after the flight is showing as boarding, to find that they haven't actually started boarding.
I think it's useful and cool tech for United to add - if you are somewhere else in the airport (lounge, bathroom, shopping, still in security, etc. you can feel more confident about how soon you need to get to the gate). And yes - also handy to get a sense for how full the flight is
Until the day when it happens that the app drank too much egg nog and screwed up. And when you finally got to gate, your flight is closed. And your first response is to, sue UA. Bet on it.
This info is probably mostly meant for crew. They can see how many passengers are left vs. how much overhead bin space they still have. Great touch nonetheless!
@Ben, your imagination seems a bit limited if you can't imagine why people would find this useful. I understand you always want to be first on the plane, but I often like to sit in the lounge and board at the last possible moment. This is extremely useful for those purposes.
For customers it's fun, but it's also great for flight attendants to see the real time numbers so that they can better gauge the boarding process, the time until last passenger arrives, and overhead bin space, etc.
This was useful when I was on the landside train at SFO and saw 30 people had already boarded, so I decided to skip a quick trip to the lounge and head straight to the gate lest the full flight run out of overhead bin space.
Scoop: The next app update will include a new feature telling you when an emotional support animal is boarding that will take up your foot space.
Can be useful if you're doing a carry on bag and want to make sure you have an overhead place versus no bag.And you don't care if you get on last
This is very useful if you are in an airport lounge or getting some food, drinks, or shopping before your flight. You can now look at the app and feel safe finishing your meal, getting coffee, or whatever and time your walk to the gate in time (instead of stressing about it). It helps you maximize your time at an airport before your flight for those of us who don't necessarily have a ton of time to kill airside.
I like to be last on if I am checking luggage so this is perfect.
This is another area where Delta needs to improve. United definitely has the premium tech!
There is a big difference between providing lots of information and in doing functions that should be doable in an app.
UA has long been at the far extreme among airlines worldwide in providing information that other airlines simply do not provide. As noted other airlines, including DL, have provided app users information on the boarding process for their flight but they do not provide the specific number of passengers boarded or booked on the...
There is a big difference between providing lots of information and in doing functions that should be doable in an app.
UA has long been at the far extreme among airlines worldwide in providing information that other airlines simply do not provide. As noted other airlines, including DL, have provided app users information on the boarding process for their flight but they do not provide the specific number of passengers boarded or booked on the flight.
For all kinds of reasons, including as noted below, that information can be very confusing and create angst for passengers. For instance, if you are on standby - revenue or non-revenue, does the number of passengers in the total count include cleared or cleared standbys?
There is a point where providing too much information is not helpful, such as UA's policy of allowing anyone on their website - not just passengers on a specific flight - to see not just the standby list but also the seat map after departure. There are a million reasons why that can create customer service issues.
I love having any and all extra information United is willing to share. If giving customers more details were confusing or created customer service issues, they would dial it back. Being able to view seat maps from previous flights has been one of my favorite features for years—it helps me identify which routes, days, or flights are more likely to have open seats. I’ve even tracked specific seat numbers over the course of a year...
I love having any and all extra information United is willing to share. If giving customers more details were confusing or created customer service issues, they would dial it back. Being able to view seat maps from previous flights has been one of my favorite features for years—it helps me identify which routes, days, or flights are more likely to have open seats. I’ve even tracked specific seat numbers over the course of a year to estimate the likelihood of a seat being available in a particular row. It’s been incredibly useful and fun, and I love it!
Of course customers want the most information available.
But sometimes some things are best kept to crew.
There is no doubt about where another airline is in the boarding process by providing the zone numbers that are boarding.
Information is fun but it isn't necessary in a company's best interest to provide more than their competitors.
As long as a company has the mindset that trying to be sexy w/ technology is more important...
Of course customers want the most information available.
But sometimes some things are best kept to crew.
There is no doubt about where another airline is in the boarding process by providing the zone numbers that are boarding.
Information is fun but it isn't necessary in a company's best interest to provide more than their competitors.
As long as a company has the mindset that trying to be sexy w/ technology is more important than providing information which is necessary and mutually helpful, they will not see the downside of what they do.
and, again, having superior technology comes down to being able to do things that other airlines can't do, not just more information that other airlines do not choose to provide.
No one has yet to show me a list of things UA's app can do that AA and DL's apps can't do.
Maybe you should use the UA app. I will name one. I can see a seat map of a flight during boarding. Wow this is great to see if the seat next to you is empty.
again, other airlines cut off the seat map during boarding.
I personally prefer to be able to see the seat map but I totally understand why airlines don't want to share information w/ passengers during boarding. As long as there are passengers still boarding, it is very possible that someone could be seated next to you. You can't possibly control the standby list and what the gate agent does.
@Tim:
A true statement. The difference, maybe the only difference, is that they have done it.
Merry Christmas, Tim, while sipping a glass of rose on the Ms Renoir, as we get set to cruise the Seine for five days. Some things done better by slower.
@Tim:
A true statement. The difference, maybe the only difference, is that they have done it.
Merry Christmas, Tim, while sipping a glass of rose on the Ms Renoir, as we get set to cruise the Seine for five days. Some things done better by slower.
And there we have it folks, ANYTIME ANYONE dare besmirch the DL alter it’s TD time to swoop in and provide some lame rebuttals.
Face it TD UA’s app tech is far superior to DL’s app tech and it shows you how advance they are when they can roll out app improvements like this without breaking a sweat, that is what DL needs to be concerned with. Wasn’t it DL who out of all...
And there we have it folks, ANYTIME ANYONE dare besmirch the DL alter it’s TD time to swoop in and provide some lame rebuttals.
Face it TD UA’s app tech is far superior to DL’s app tech and it shows you how advance they are when they can roll out app improvements like this without breaking a sweat, that is what DL needs to be concerned with. Wasn’t it DL who out of all the US majors took the longest to recover from the Crowdstrike meltdown??? As far as UA compared to AA…UA light years ahead of AA’s app tech which I believe AA is still running on Windows 3.1.
Can you for all of us just give credit where credit is due without whataboutisming DL. Does DL have areas that out performs UA, sure but, do you need to be that kid in class that everyone hated when the teacher forgot to assign homework on a Friday???
More concerning is the number of airlines that abuse the last call on the status panel, especially with security at gate airports like SIN. No one wants to be in a holding area inside the gate for an extended duration without toilets, crowded and often without a seat for a widebody boarding.
SAS has had something similar in their app for years. I really like the feature as it lets me know whether to run to the gate, or if I'm already on the plane how much of pax we're missing. All airlines should have this :)
This is actually very practical in some situations. If your flight is delayed, sometimes the posted departure time is not accurate. They might end up delaying further or sometimes they fix/resolve an issue and end up boarding sooner than the original delay would imply. If you like to wait out delays in the United Club or Polaris Lounge instead of the gate area, you might worry about missing your flight. Knowing not just when boarding...
This is actually very practical in some situations. If your flight is delayed, sometimes the posted departure time is not accurate. They might end up delaying further or sometimes they fix/resolve an issue and end up boarding sooner than the original delay would imply. If you like to wait out delays in the United Club or Polaris Lounge instead of the gate area, you might worry about missing your flight. Knowing not just when boarding started but exactly how far they’ve progressed would let you comfortably wait in the lounge — if you get a notification that boarding started and you see more than half the plane has boarded then you know you need to hustle to the gate immediately. But if there’s 250 people still waiting to board you can make a quick stop in the restroom to freshen up, etc. head over more comfortably.
If you’re in the United Club there are usually attendants who can let you know how far boarding she progressed when you leave for your flight for this exact reason. But now even folks who wanted to wait in say a restaurant rather than the club or who are still going through security will have this at their fingertips. It helps everyone rush when you really need to rush but also relax a little longer when there’s still plenty of time before your flight willl actually leave.
I think this feature could be very helpful for those of us who fly standby, whether rev or nonrev, so we can have a better sense of likely no shows at :15 out.
It is useful for doing the mental calculations on the probability of the empty seat next to you remaining empty as the passengers board.
Kudos to UA on this one.
What do I do? Get a shift on to the gate or run out of overhead bin space.
I am flying DL tomorrow, and as I check the DL app, I realize how much further ahead UA is in this area.
Delta's app looked like it was developed by a third grader.
Sorry Tim
I can't stand how they named their app "Fly Delta" so it shows up under F instead of D. Morons.
So if I am making a tight connection, I can see how much I have to rush to the next gate.
It's probably info for UA to help monitor how efficient their boarding process is, how long it takes different groups to board etc. It costs them nothing to share it publicly.
In theory you could use this to push back against gate agents when they say all bins are full and show them it's impossible when only like 20 people have boarded, not that you'd win...
You can't push back on gate agent. Open mouth, and you lose.
I'm not sure how useful that information is. If you're traveling with a second bag and you don't board with your class or group forget about having that bag anywhere near you.
Never a problem on LH. Two days ago we had flight from HEL-FRA. Absolutely sold out. Not a single person had to gate check.
Thats actually an improvement and useful due to how the actual gate announcements often justy seem to be timed rather than relevant. Final call, but the plane hasnt arrived yet etc
I like this......will probably result being confident I have time to get an extra drink at the lounge.
Why?
To show what groups are currently boarding, how many passengers have boarded already, and how many are left to board.
VS -
Coming from someone who seems to take issue with Philipppine Airlines for unarticulatable reasons, I'm not surprised to see you asking such a moronic question here....
So if I am making a tight connection, I can see how much I have to rush to the next gate.
Delta and Air Canada have had this. It will actually show you percentage boarded
When did you see this in the Delta App?
The main purpose of a feature like this is to subtly communicate that United has invested in the technology and processes to be very much in control of your journey
If I had to guess, there’s a population of passengers that tend to board late, and perhaps United is trying to create a greater sense of urgency among this group. I could be totally wrong, but I don’t think they would have spent resources on this unless they had identified a problem that this would solve.
How is this 'fun'?
Because it is a unique innovation and is pretty cool to be able to view boarding status in real-time?
although I just refresh the seat map as of now but going forward it'll help me confirm if the middle seat next to me will stay empty .
Not at all an “innovation” just a repeat of info the GAs and FAs already have.
Some people and most crows love shiny things.
Gotta agree with @TD on this one.
This would be great to see when I should leave the lounge so I don’t miss the flight, boarding start is good but percentage complete to tell me just how close we are to the end is very nice
Exactly, I'm perplexed by the fact that this isn't mentioned in the post. I'm perennially sick of leaving my drink unfinished and dashing across the terminal with 'FINAL CALL' plastered across the monitors only to be met with an enormous queue which has barely started moving (and boarding by group makes it even worse when I have priority due to status or cabin, as they don't tend to keep the priority lane open after the initial boarding call)
Perhaps United should pay more attention to how clean their aircraft is before spending more on that useless feature.
Won't this just create more gate lice, not less?
I suspect there's a certain number of people who want to be first and certain number of people who want to be last.