There's something peculiar going on at United Airlines[1].
The airline once known for its penchant for bloodying passengers' teeth[2] has suddenly evinced an enterprising, yet oddly human attitude toward its customers.
Where other airlines have suffered from a myriad of cancellations, United seems to have flown by relatively unscathed.
And then there are the little touches. I'm not merely talking of its insistence that all employees get vaccinated[3] -- heartening though that was. The airline has also used the pandemic moment to constantly consider what might add, even slightly, to customers' satisfaction.
United's latest idea is so blindingly simple, yet disarmingly thoughtful.
As the Points Guy revealed[4], the airline's app will now send notifications to customers who find themselves booked in the worst seats.
Yes, the dreaded middle seats, where you must confront the doubled possibility that someone next to you will open their laptops, elbow you, and attempt to take over the armrest.
There's also the odor thing, too, but let's not get too sniffy about that.
Instead, let's focus on the idea that when you get your notification, you can go back into your booking and attempt to grab the better seat that's come available.
This idea does, of course, enjoy its limitations. Presumably, everyone booked in a middle seat will get the notification. What will follow is an unseemly grab for a better seat. The fastest fingers will win.
I am, though, impressed with the attitude behind the idea.
If a brand wants to make even the slightest thing easier for you, it shows that it grasps some of the fundamentals of customer service. Even if the idea itself isn't entirely new.