Updated United app aims to make flying less stressful

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January 28, 2019
United updates app
United's updated app provides a slew of new features. Photo: United.

Continuous updates for each step of a journey, a “My Trips” tab and an inbox with important push notifications are some of the features on an upgraded  United Airlines app that has been more than a year in the making.

The refreshed app was introduced January 24 and aims to give passengers a more dynamic, less stressful experience that will see the home screen start updates starting 48 hours before a flight.

The app will continue updating throughout various phases of travel all the way through until arrival at the final destination.

This includes a screen that allows easy access to airport maps so passengers can easily navigate to their gate.

Other changes include a navigation bar that gives passengers quick access to popular tools, on-screen recognition of recently passed loyalty milestones and dynamic boarding times that are updated throughout the app to give passengers the latest information and any changes.

A My Trips tab in the navigation bar allows customers to easily access information about their upcoming trip and stores boarding passes for those who have checked in.

United’s in-house digital team spent more than a year designing the updated app, including eight months during which customers and more than 18,000 employees provided feedback to create the final version that recently rolled out worldwide.

READ: United unveils its new rhapsody in blue

The airline issued seven releases during the beta test and made numerous changes based on user feedback and more than 13,000 check-ins during the beta test period.

It plans to roll out additional features later this year and continues to take user feedback.

“Every day we are using technology to improve our customers’ experience and making more information available to our customers at the swipe of a finger,”  United chief digital officer Lindo Jojo said in the app announcement.

“With this updated app, we set out to bring improvements that are meaningful to all our customers, whether they travel every week or only once a year.”