Originally Posted by 1984SW

Do you mean like the rationalization of removing a Business Class F/A to match the lower number of F/As that AA/DL have? i.e. Aiming for the lowest common denominator rather than aiming to be better. After all, why have more functionality than DL or AA?

Originally Posted by CO FF

UA's website still haven't managed to match AA's ability to pre-order meals in premium cabins - which is a MAJOR positive for customer experience, IMO.

Originally Posted by dmurphynj

Originally Posted by narvik

I guess we'll hear shortly from someone at this event?

Originally Posted by EWR764

I'm not in panic mode, yet. I've informally discussed the updated app and its beta concepts with some people "in the know" and when feedback was solicited, I wanted to make very clear that I strongly value the scope of self-service options UA offers as compared to the competition. I also took care to warn that FFers, as a group, would react very unfavorably to any loss of functionality. I was assured, at the time, that the plan was not to remove any existing functionality, including Expert Mode (which had recently been added to the booking path). I have cautious optimism here, but the proof will be in the pudding.

My understanding is that the "immersive" aspect comes from using more location-based services in the graphical presentation to users. For example, I don't necessarily need ready access to an "Entertainment" button when I'm home or at my office, nowhere near an airplane. Likewise, I'm much less apt to use the check-in function when none of my linked reservations have a departure time within 24h. That's about 10% of the app's full-time main screen real estate I would only use on day-of-travel, and, in the case of Entertainment, only for a limited portion thereof, not to mention the useless empty space in the middle occupied by a cropped image of perhaps the most boring airplane in the UAL fleet. There's also redundancy, as other users point out, between the left-hand menu, the swipe-able main screens, and the upper right reservations button.

For instance, on day-of-travel, all I really need to see is ready access to my boarding pass(es), flight status, the check-in utility (including after check-in for IRROPS management) and the entertainment app, maybe enabled only when I connect to the aircraft's wifi. I might also find some use in shortcuts to airport maps (that load faster/update more regularly) and my MP/UC cards in the case of some partner lounges which require a credential in addition to a BP. A streamlined interface prioritizing those items, while still providing some access to the rest of the app functions, such as by scrolling farther down or through a menu, would be welcome changes

I think the plan is to clean some of these things up, present more relevant tools to the user depending on where they are in the travel/sales cycle (booking, approaching travel, day of travel). as well as where they are physically, and harmonize the visuals between the app and the new website. I don't think there is going to be a rework of the backend, or any reductions in the range of self-service options available to travelers. That would cut against pretty much everything United has done from a tech standpoint over the last few years.

Originally Posted by tuolumne

Originally Posted by DawgmanOH

Not sure if I am lucky or not but I can absolutely track bags after I land with the app. I have to go into the reservation but I just did this on Wednesday. No problem at all tracking bags on the app after I land.

Originally Posted by emcampbe

Originally Posted by COSPILOT

Kind of looks like the Hilton App.