American Airlines have launched an app feature that can monitor availability and move customers to their preferred seat automatically.
Available to eligible AAdvantage members, passengers can list seat preferences (including aisle/window, and position in the aircraft) and let the app update their reservation when such a seat becomes available.
American’s Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden praised the initiative, saying:
At American, we’re always looking for ways to make travel easier and more personalized for our customers. This latest innovation proactively addresses customer preference. It is a simple experience that gives customers more control while asking them to do less.
Passengers can only request to move seats within their ticket class. Although the new service is free, American will not allocate customers more expensive seats that what was originally paid for.
The airline say the project came about as a result of its two-year ADEPT programme, which recruits and develops tech talent. ADEPT identified the seat map as a key friction point, with many customers checking back often to find the perfect seat. By adding this latest app enhancement, American let the technology do the work while giving passengers greater peace of mind and experience satisfaction.
Chief Digital and Information Officer Ganesh Jayaram commented:
This latest technology launch shows what can happen when we give talented technologists a meaningful customer problem and the space to solve it. The ADEPT team paired fresh thinking with the scale and experience of teams across American to build something practical: technology that removes work from the customer and makes the travel experience feel more seamless. The project also reflects how we’re using AI to help our teams work smarter, accelerating development and allowing technologists to spend more time focused on innovation and delivering value for customers.
The developments to the app join other AI-powered initiatives designed to simplify the passenger experience, including American’s connection saver tool for customers on stopover flights.
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