Aug. 13--Chicago-based United Airlines on Thursday said it updated its mobile app with features to help customers navigate its hub airports, similar to driving directions from Google Maps. It also added more functions to rebook flights after delays and cancellations.
Also Thursday, United separately announced it will upgrade its free streaming video options for its regional-jet service and has added more HBO offerings, like "Game of Thrones" and "True Detective."
App updates are available for Apple's iOS devices now and are coming soon for Android devices, the airline said.
The United app's interactive indoor maps are currently available for its Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington hubs. It said it will add more airports soon.
Besides helping fliers find their departure gates and rental car facilities, maps allow them to search for nearby airport vendors and services, like restaurants, ATMs or family restrooms.
Apps from other airlines and travel companies often offer static airport maps, but United's will give directions, including estimating walking times. A search for "local" will bring up Goose Island Beer Co., Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless and Garrett Popcorn Shops at O'Hare.
However, United is not the first to offer such maps. American Airlines' app offers an almost identical airport map function designed by the same company, LocusLabs, a San Francisco-based tech startup that provides "information-rich" indoor maps.
If customers have a boarding pass stored in the app, the map will default to start navigation at that gate location. Otherwise, users can pin their current location on the map to get directions.
United is testing an indoor location function at its Newark hub, using Bluetooth beacons to identify a person's location to help guide them through the airline's Terminal C complex. United said it would expand the feature to other airports, based on customer feedback.
A new self-booking function offers more options for faster reticketing, the airline said. If a delay or cancellation disrupts a trip, customers can rebook using a variety of flight options including choosing alternate airports and adding themselves to a standby list for an earlier flight.
The feature could come in handy for United fliers, considering the airline has struggled with on-time rates, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. For on-time arrivals in June, United ranked second-to-last with just 66.3 percent of flights arriving on time.
United also said Thursday that by next week it will complete its rollout of personal device entertainment on its fleet of more than 120 Wi-Fi-equipped E170, E175 and CRJ700 regional jets.
It's a service for wirelessly streaming TV shows and movies to a laptop, tablet or phone and is already available on about 200 United aircraft.
The airline said it expanded HBO content on aircraft that offer personal device entertainment as well as on those with seatback on-demand entertainment. For example, full seasons of popular television shows like "Entourage," "Game of Thrones" and "True Detective" are available.
United also joined with Vevo to offer hundreds of music videos and concert performances for free.
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