Seamlessness is the goal
American Airlines is the first U.S. airline to step up and actually try to do something about the rash of mobility problems and complaints that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has had to fight. Its doing it by using a new automated tag for mobility devices, which will replace the airlines manual tags.
The airlines says that the beauty of this development is that its system-wide, enabling the device's information to be more easily shared across frontline team members applications, ensuring each team members has the right information at the right time.
American is committed to improving the travel experience for our customers who use wheelchairs and mobility devices, said Julie Rath, Americans senior vice president of Airports, Reservations and Service Recovery. Streamlining the check-in and tagging process is an industry-leading effort that will help us further improve how we handle wheelchairs for our customers who entrust us to transport their devices on their journey.
Americanfeels good about its chances. Even without the new technology, things have been improving for the airline. Its handling rate for mobility devices improved nearly 13% from the first half of 2023 to the first half of 2024.
What they look like, how they work
The new tags replace the previous manual tags and feature customer- and device-specific data like itineraries, delivery points, device weight, battery type, and the number of items removed and taken on board.
In addition to providing improved visibility throughout customers' travel journeys, this additional information will ensure more accurate and consistent information for team members handling the devices.
The new tags look like this:
As technology roll-outs go, American probably expects some hiccups, but it says its planned for those and are conducting hands-on training for team members, investing in airport infrastructure so theres fewer foul-ups and damaged devices.
If youre traveling anytime soon, the add-on might not be available, but American said that by this fall, everything should be in place and functioning like it should.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-07-24 12:41:46
