This United App Feature Saved Thousands From Dreaded Middle Seats — What to Know for Your Next Flight

Getting out of a middle seat on your next flight may be as simple as a tap away.

United Airlines introduced a feature this spring that automatically moves passengers to a preferred seat when it opens up before departure, and now there is new data showing it’s working. 

“In July alone, United switched 18,000+ passengers to their preferred seat – that’s nearly 40% of eligible customers,” United shared in a release to Travel + Leisure. 

The seat-switching feature is available to passengers who utilize United’s mobile app. Within their reservation, they can select a preference of moving to a window or aisle seat, and the app will work in the background to accommodate the request and make the switch when a seat opens up. 

This feature removes the dread of constantly opening up a seat map on the airline’s website hoping something better will become available. United’s example shows how a passenger who was assigned a window seat in the last row was moved to several rows up in an aisle seat. 

“We’ll automatically assign it to you and update you with your new seat info,” United says about the feature on their website. 

United has been on the move with other ways to automatically help passengers and accommodate requests. For example, during severe weather or operational difficulties, the airline takes proactive steps to rebook passengers. During the last three months, 47 percent of passengers who needed rebooking were rebooked through the automated service or through self-service options, according to the airline’s recent earnings report. 

United’s Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo previously shared with T+L the steps the airline was taking to enhance technology to become a time-saver for passengers. The executive shared how travelers who use the airline’s app save an extra 30 minutes at the airport, on average, by utilizing features such as bag drop shortcut, and turn-by-turn directions within the airport itself.