American Airlines passengers who dread languishing in a middle seat could now be moved to their preferred spots automatically before flights.
A new feature on the American app lets eligible AAdvantage members select the seat characteristics they want after they complete a booking.
Travellers can select their preference for a window, aisle, or middle seat in the app, and if a seat becomes available, their reservation will be updated automatically.
The seat monitoring feature is available up to 24 hours before flight departure times for single-passenger reservations with an assigned seat.
The airline said it built the software using “emerging technology talent around a real customer need”.
The result is the ability to monitor seat availability, preferences and eligibility behind the scenes, said American.
The airline operates more than 6,000 daily flights to more than 350 destinations.
American’s chief customer officer Heather Garboden said: “At American, we're always looking for ways to make travel easier and more personalised 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.”
Customers will face no additional charges for seat changes. However, the airline will not move customers into a higher-priced seat if one becomes available.
Ganesh Jayaram, American’s chief digital and information officer, said: “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.”
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