This week it has been announced that United Airlines is expanding its ConnectionSaver program to more of its hubs. Originally rolled out in June to Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles, United Airlines will now be rolling out the tool to its remaining hubs. Let's take a look at what ConnectionSaver is and where it will be rolling out next.

United 777
The ConnectionSaver tool was first introduced in June. Photo: Tom Boon/Simple Flying

According to Live And Lets Fly, expansion of ConnectionSaver is rolling out as follows:

  • Houston (IAH) – July 23, 2019
  • Newark (EWR) – July 30, 2019
  • San Francisco (SFO) – August 6, 2019
  • Washington (IAD) – August 13, 2019

What is ConnectionSaver?

ConnectionSaver is a new technology that automatically will identify departing flights that can be held for connecting customers. At the same time, it ensures that those who have already boarded the aircraft will arrive at their destination on time.

Furthermore, ConnectionSaver will send unique text messages to every connecting customer (as long as they have opted-in) with clear directions and timings to the gate of their connecting flight

Beyond passengers

In a memo to employees acquired by Live and Let’s Fly, United explains that this technology will be a powerful tool for gate agents and other airport and flight personnel. Here's what the memo had to say about it:

It’s designed to take the guesswork out of deciding whether to hold a flight by a few minutes for connecting customers while taking advantage of planned, early-arriving flights. Our goal is to make the most caring decisions for our customers and employees. The automated system helps our airport teams look at a potential delay with factors from across the board.

United Express E175
Airlines that operate under the name United Express use aircraft like the Embraer E170 and E175. Photo: Embraer

Furthermore, the memo goes on to say that it automatically considers the following factors before determining whether to hold and for how long:

  • Arrival times,
  • Crew legality,
  • Downline delays,
  • Airport curfews,
  • How long it takes for customers to travel from gate to gate,
  • Bag transfers and more.

The memo ends by saying "in addition, ConnectionSaver is sophisticated enough to tell us the expected ripple effects of delaying any one of our flights at any given location. It’s also highly configurable to meet the changing needs of our airline and designed to integrate with our existing technology systems."

Paris Air Show
Houston, Newark, San Francisco and Washington are benefiting from this latest expansion. Photo: Wikimedia

Conclusion

In conclusion, we're very excited about this new tool and how it will benefit passengers and airlines. With every aspect of travel being digitized and connected to the cloud, it makes sense that this data can be analyzed to look for efficiencies. It looks to be the future of passenger management and we'll expect that other airlines are watching closely to see if there are any bugs that need to be ironed out with this new tech. Furthermore, it makes sense that other airlines will follow suit in the near future.

Have you had an encounter with ConnectionSaver yet? Let us know how your experience went by leaving a comment! We'd love to hear about it.