United now texts customers links to local, live radar maps during weather delays, as part of its industry-leading effort to give travelers as much real-time information as possible about their trip, especially if things don’t go as planned.

For the past few years, the airline has used dedicated teams to write and send text messages to customers that give near-instantaneous details about a given flight – everything from gate changes and boarding times to more specifics regarding aircraft swaps, crew rescheduling and weather events – and the teams now use generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) tools to assist in giving more travelers real-time updates during flight delays.

United’s latest innovation – real-time radar maps – can help customers understand how inclement weather in one part of the country can impact a flight elsewhere.

United is the first and only U.S. airline currently providing its customers these kinds of specific messages, and the airline is sending them with assistance from gen AI tools.

“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,” said United’s Chief Information Officer, Jason Birnbaum.

“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.”