United Airlines Begins Texting Real-Time Weather Maps Amid Flight Delays

United Airlines is making it easier for travelers to visualize how weather is impacting flight plans.

The carrier has announced that it will begin texting customers live radar maps when weather delays take place, in order to keep travelers up-to-date on issues affecting flights.

The airline said the new effort is part of its attempt to “give travelers as much real-time information as possible about their trip, especially if things don't go as planned.”

Up until now, United Airlines has relied upon teams of staff to write and send text messages to customers about everything from gate changes, to updated boarding times and aircraft swaps. The teams also use generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) tools to assist them in providing travelers with real-time updates during flight delays.

Texting real-time radar maps to customers is the latest addition to the airline’s communication program.

The maps “can help customers understand how inclement weather in one part of the country can impact a flight elsewhere,” the airline said in a statement today.

Here’s how the airline says the messaging of radar maps will work:

• Specialized customer service teams sitting in the network operations center alongside the flight operations teams will use generative AI to review flight data and write customer messages that tell travelers the complete story of a flight change. These messages will be sent to customers through text or email in order to provide relevant information about why flight plans are changing.
• During weather events, messages will include links to local, live radar maps showing weather details across flight paths. This will help inform customers about weather-related delays, including showing how weather in one part of the country can impact a flight elsewhere. In addition, customers on all flights will be able to access links to weather maps in the United app under flight status updates.

United is the only U.S. airline utilizing these types of specific messages.

"With more people traveling this summer than ever, we wanted to give our customers an easier way to stay connected to real-time information about their flight and texting was the simplest solution,” Jason Birnbaum, United's chief information officer, said in a statement. "We know customers appreciate transparency and by combining innovative technology-enabled tools with people power, we can give more people, even more in-the-moment details about their flight."

The airline released this new communications tool as it approaches what it expects to be its busiest July 4 weekend on record. More than 5 million passengers were expected to fly between June 28 and July 8. That’s an increase of 7 percent over the same time last year.

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