Dive Brief:
- United Airlines’ strong operations and frontline employees have made the airline’s CX a differentiator, executives said on a Q2 2024 earnings call last Thursday.
- United achieved the highest second quarter NPS score since the pandemic and the lowest second quarter cancellation rate in the company’s history, according to United’s earnings release.
- “Our strong operation, underpinned by our safety culture, is translating into an even better customer experience and driving efficiency benefits to the bottom line,” CEO Scott Kirby said. “This would not have been possible without the commitment to operational excellence from our frontline employees.”
Dive Insight:
Despite bearing the brunt of customers' concerns about flying safety this spring, United has been able to maintain operations to boost customer experience.
Kirby highlighted United’s investments in technology, beginning with its app.
The airline boasts the most downloaded airline app, according to its earnings release. Nearly 9 in 10 customers engage with it on the day of their trip.
The carrier also launched an app feature that automatically reseats customers to their preferred seats when they become available. Roughly a third of users have been moved to their preferred seat, according to United.
United leaned into automation and self-service to better assist customers. Nearly half of passengers in the second quarter who were rebooked did so through United’s automated service or through self-service.
In July, the airline began texting customers live radar maps during weather delays for increased transparency. Specialized customer service teams sit in the network operations center and send the messages with the assistance of AI tools.
The texts help customers “stay informed about how inclement weather in one part of the country can impact their journey,” Kirby said.
In June, the airline also jumped into the retail media network space with the launch of Kinective Media by United, which uses travel behavior insights drawn from first-party data to create personalized offers.
“Investment in our leading product and customer experience will remain a key priority to United and will continue to differentiate us as a premier global U.S. carrier,” Kirby said.
