Tourists will flock to window seats while others will prefer a comfy aisle seat, and passengers with long legs will yearn for the bulkhead or emergency exit row. But we’ve all opened an airline’s seating chart and found that only cramped middle seats are available. But thanks to a new seat-switching feature on United’s mobile app, you don’t have to settle for a cramped flight.
First introduced on select flights in March and now available across United’s schedule, the seat change feature can automatically assign you a seat of your choice if it becomes available before your departure.
Photo: Courtesy of United
When booking, passengers select their preferred seat type, such as window, aisle, bulkhead and emergency exit row. If a seat in the same class of service becomes available before departure, the passenger will be assigned that seat free of charge.
“We will automatically assign you (the available seat) and notify you of your new seat information,” United’s website states.
The rebooking window runs until 12 hours before departure.
Effects of the seat change function
United said the seat-switching feature has already been a huge success and has saved thousands of United passengers from claustrophobic middle-seat flights.
Photo: Courtesy of United
The airline said that during the busy July period, 40 percent of participating travelers successfully rebooked a seat of their choice. A total of 18,000 passengers were rebooked.
This feature not only makes for happier customers, it also reduces the burden on gate agents, who often have to process many requests to rebook travelers to cheaper seats just minutes before departure.
Seat availability alerts are nothing new, and savvy travelers have recently started using third-party programs like ExpertFlyers Seat Alerts and TripIt Seat Tracker to keep track of airplane seating maps.
These services notify users via SMS or email when a seat of their choice becomes available, but they must act to claim the seat before another picky traveler does.
United’s most advanced app features
United is the first major airline to offer its own service, which is another incentive to download United’s app, which is often hailed as the best in the industry and is accessed more than 100 million times a month.
Photo: Courtesy of United Airlines
Last year, the airline introduced dozens of new, cutting-edge mobile features. The star is Live Activities, an Apple widget that appears on the iPhone’s lock screen or, when unlocked, on “Dynamic Island.” It displays real-time information about the traveler’s flight, including their boarding pass, gate, seat number and the countdown clock to departure.
According to United, 65 million travelers used live activities during their trips in 2023.
Increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty
If cancellations or delays affect their trip, United travelers can manage their rebookings through the app. There’s a feature on the home screen that lets them select their rebooking options, track their luggage, and request meal and hotel vouchers.
Photo: Courtesy of United Airlines
The airline also automatically rebooks passengers and notifies them of changes via the app. In the spring quarter, nearly half (47 percent) of travelers with flight delays were rebooked automatically or via self-service options in the app, avoiding thousands of long waits at ticket counters or on hold with customer service agents.
United also uses generative AI to provide travelers with explanations of disruptions, including in-app links to live weather radar maps.
Thanks to the new app features, United’s customer satisfaction and loyalty scores reached post-pandemic highs at the end of 2023. The airline says two-thirds of its travelers now manage their trips through the mobile app.
