AI in the Skies: Airline Exec Praises Robo-Texts for Flight Delays
United Airlines has taken an innovative leap forward in keeping air travelers informed about delays with its advanced use of artificial intelligence (AI). When United’s Chief Information Officer, Jason Birnbaum, sat down with the Wall Street Journal to discuss the airline’s flight update texts, he touted the AI’s ability to mimic human interaction to an impressive degree. According to Birnbaum, the AI has reached a level of sophistication where it’s often hard to distinguish between a message generated by technology and one crafted by a human being.
Flight delay notifications are hardly new, but United Airlines has set itself apart by delivering messages that are both more detailed and more frequent than those from other airlines. Key to this effort are the “Storytellers,” a team of employees based in call centers. Interestingly, these storytellers are hired from non-industry backgrounds to avoid the use of aviation jargon, ensuring that communications are clear and conversational. Initially rolled out before the pandemic, the system was adapted to inform customers about COVID-19 precautions in 2020. As air travel picked up again in 2021, United expanded its flight update system, and these messages began to take on a more transparent, sometimes humorous tone.
Veteran travel analyst and frequent United flyer Henry Harteveldt has noted the airline’s penchant for transparency, even to the point of sharing overly detailed explanations. Harteveldt recounted instances where United’s messages included such specifics as a crew member having a toothache and visiting the dentist. Such candor, while occasionally amusing, underscores the airline’s commitment to keeping passengers fully informed, no matter how trivial the details may seem.
United’s AI isn’t just about replacing human effort; it’s designed to assist human employees in delivering these updates. The “Storytellers” are responsible for reviewing AI-generated alerts before they reach passengers, adding a layer of human quality control to the process. Only when a flight is delayed by more than an hour do these messages receive a personal touch, ensuring that the information is as accurate and meaningful as possible. For less severe delays, passengers typically receive more generic messages, such as “Your flight is delayed because an earlier delay impacted your plane’s arrival.”
This blend of AI efficiency and human oversight represents a significant advance in customer service for United Airlines. By leveraging technology to generate timely updates and employing storytellers to infuse these messages with a conversational tone, United ensures that passengers are kept well-informed without feeling overwhelmed by technical jargon. In an industry where delays are often an unavoidable part of the experience, United’s approach offers a refreshing level of transparency and customer engagement. And who knows? The next time you get a flight delay notification, you might just find yourself chuckling at the unexpected honesty of it all.
