United Airlines is investigating new ways of alerting business and other premium passengers in flight if they are likely to run into problems such as missed connections or delayed baggage. Possibilities include sending updates to an on board computer and giving passengers print outs.
The move is part of a continuing drive to counter the deterrent effects of events which are often beyond airlines' control, such as security and air traffic delays, but Graham Atkinson, the airline's executive vice president and chief customer officer, admits that the introduction of such a service is still "some way down the road".
"We have done a tremendous amount of work on pro-active communication when things go wrong. Our self-service machines can pretty much update people already. If there is a cancellation, for example, they are programmed to book you on the next available departure and we can have someone at the aircraft door to help passengers as soon as they arrive.
"But what we would like to do ideally is pre-arm customers when things go wrong – to let them know before they land that there may be a delay and if they are not going to make a connection in time, that they have been booked on the next available flight - or perhaps tell them that their bags weren't loaded but will be on the next departure."
One potential means of conveying such information would be via entertainment system screens but this would necessitate the provision of in seat broadband communications. Mr Atkinson thinks a more likely conduit could be a computer in the galley, allowing cabin staff to print out updates and pass them to affected passengers.
"We are operating in a tremendously challenging environment. Apart from issues surrounding Heathrow the air traffic control system in the US has become seriously dysfunctional. The skies around JFK are close to gridlock and Chicago, being at the crossroads, is caught up in it all.
"Travellers in the premium class target market are pretty savvy in terms of knowing pain free ways to get through airports. Where they still need more help is notification of problems and what we are doing to surmount them".
Airlines can already provide information via flight deck communications but it is not routine procedure. It is most likely that passengers whose connections are threatened by delays, for example, would be met at the aircraft door by ground staff and hurried through the airport.
Report by Roger Bray
