United Airlines Talks Strategic Growth Plan

United’s recent announcements could signal a new trend in the air passenger experience.

The airline is making significant investments in improving airlines/19-unique-in-flight-experiences.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>the customer experience, from upgraded planes, added amenities and technological enhancements that are aimed at helping passengers navigate airports, customize their in-flight experience and problem-solve when things go wrong.

United recently made a series of announcements about its plans to focus on a strategic growth plan that is focused on customer care.

“2020 is about changing how customers feel about flying United,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Joshua Earnest.

There airlines/united-airlines.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>are a number of ways United plans to boost the overall flying experience in the coming year. Some changes have already begun and others are coming online soon.

One of the most exciting is United’s deepening investment in sustainability.

The airline is deeply committed to using cleaner fuel and investing in carbon offsets.

“The only way to drive carbon impact towards zero is sustainability. The only way to get to zero is to get alternative fuels,” said United president, Scott Kirby. “United is a leader in this technology and is funding startups that are taking us, hopefully, someday to net-zero carbon. It’s more expensive but we are doing it so that these entities can work on the R&D so it can become more viable.”

United has also taken strides to streamline the customer experience through its app.

One of the improvements is a passenger rebooking tool. When flights are delayed, United suggests the best options for flyers and alerts them through the app where all they have to do is approve the new itinerary, and they are set to go, eliminating the need for prolonged waits at a customer service desk or the gate. Passengers who don’t like the selected option can view all of their flight options and rebook themselves through the app as well.

Soft Landing is another in-app tool that provides United passengers stranded in destination access to book a hotel.

United is also improving the gate experience on the ground as well in 2020, starting at its hub in Chicago. The airline has reimagined what gates will look like with several types of seating, charging stations and workspaces to meet the needs of both business and leisure travelers.

They want comfort space and ample access to power,” noted Toby Enqvist, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer.

United’s mileage program will also transform in 2020. Miles will no longer expire but accrual will be based on spend rather than miles flown to more consistently reward the airline’s most loyal patrons.

Aircraft Improvements

United continues to upgrade its fleet with newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft that can also fly farther. This means that they will be able to fly to more destinations around the world.

Money is also being allocated to reconfigure planes to meet the needs of the modern-day traveler. One of the key upgrades drawing a lot of attention is added bin space. United is aiming for a larger bag-to-passenger to significantly reduce the number of passengers who will need to gate check bags or who will have to stow their bags far behind or in front of their seats.

The hope is that this additional space will have other benefits such as reducing congestion at boarding gates, where passengers currently create a bottleneck to ensure they board the plane early enough to score some space near their seats.

United has also just launched its new regional aircraft, the CRJ-550. The reconfigured plane has just 50 seats that allow a much more spacious onboard experience.

There are 10 first-class seats in a two-by-one configuration, 20 economy plus seats and 20 economy seats in a two-by-two configuration. There is plenty of bag storage with small overhead bins as well as ample closet space, one in first class and two in economy. They are big enough to hold rollaboards and other items.

These jets also have a self-serve snack bar and are now equipped with Wi-Fi access from Gogo–addressing a major complaint of passengers flying these small, regional jets.

737 Max Return

United also addressed the many questions and concerns that travelers have about the 737 MAX plane, which is expected to be re-certified before the end of the year.

United executives stressed that they understand the need to rebuild both staff and consumer confidence in the aircraft and made clear that customers will not be forced to fly on the planes.

We are anxious to get the plane back in the air, certainly, but first and foremost the safety and security of our employees and are customers is paramount,” said Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer at United. “We will be very transparent. You should know that you are flying the MAX and if you don’t care to do that, we will rebook you accordingly.”

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