United Debuts Feature That Notifies Passengers If Their Preferred Seat Becomes Available

Image: United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. (Photo Credit: MKPhoto/Adobe)
Image: United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. (Photo Credit: MKPhoto/Adobe)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 12:05 PM ET, Sat March 23, 2024

If you ever gazed longingly at an empty seat on an airplane that you really wanted to sit in, United Airlines has a solution for you.

United has introduced a new feature on its mobile application that will notify passengers if their preferred seat becomes available.

The new wrinkle went into effect on Friday.

Now fliers will be able to sign up for seat notifications and be automatically moved if their preferred seat is not available at the time of booking. The app is perfect for passengers who want to move from back to front, or vice versa, and not engage in what could become a hassle with a gate agent or flight attendant.

It is also convenient for those who get stuck in a middle seat and would like the opportunity to change to a window or aisle.

Just look for any open seat or your preferred seed on the plane while looking at the seat map on the mobile app. If a new seat is available, the app will automatically reassign your seat and notify you that it processed the seat change.

You will receive an alert of a new seat three days before your flight leaves. United is generally regarded as having one of the best apps in the aviation industry.

United is believed to be the only airline to offer this feature so far, although there are third-party online applications that offer the same service. 


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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