AA’s Redesigned Mobile App Focuses Heavily on Personalization
Originally published on APEX
All images via American Airlines
American Airlines (AA) has rolled out a comprehensive redesign of its mobile app to enhance the user experience. The update includes numerous new features and improvements, showcasing how the carrier is leveraging technology to meet evolving passenger needs.
A More Personalized, Intuitive App
AA’s redesigned app will boast a slew of new features that make it a one-stop shop for all its customers’ travel needs. As passenger expectations continue to evolve in the aviation industry, the carrier has listened to travelers’ demands to create a smarter and faster mobile experience, which is scheduled to be rolled out by May 2025.
American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden stated, “Over the last year, our team has been taking feedback from customers to understand their pain points and wish lists to make sure we’re tailoring the next evolution of the app to deliver what they want most.”
As a result, the redesigned app will feature a more personalized home screenthat will provide users with immediate access to their upcoming trips and AAdvantage account information, ensuring that essential travel details are readily available and enhancing convenience for flyers.
The intuitive layout will feature easy-to-use navigation similar to other popular mobile apps, reducing the learning curve for new users and improving the overall usability. Recognizing the diverse device preferences of travelers, the airline has optimized its app for iPad use, ensuring a seamless experience across different devices.
Additionally, a new section dedicated to AAdvantage members will allow users to easily track their mileage, understand their status, and access account details. This simplifies the management of loyalty rewards and status progression for travelers in accordance with AA CEO Robert Isom’s statement that American’s loyalty program is a priority for the carrier at the SKIFT Aviation Forum in November 2024.
Furthermore, the app will support Live Activities for iOS users, allowing real-time flight updates to be displayed directly on passengers’ iPhone lock screen. This sees AA follow in the footsteps of United, which in May 2023 became the first US airline to support Live Activities for iOS. Without opening the app, the feature will keep travelers informed about gate changes, boarding times, and other important flight information.
There will also be a new “trips” section that will allow users to see upcoming and future itineraries and intuitive options to review flight status and find a trip. The new iteration of the app will still include current app features such as the ability to choose seats on flights, check-in, check luggage, rebook flights, check security wait times at certain airports, and many others.
According to Garboden, the airline has indicated that the current redesign is “the first step in giving us a base that will allow us to continue to build and release new features so we can always deliver what customers value most.”
Airline Apps: The New Frontier for Brand Differentiation
American Airlines’ app redesign reflects a broader trend throughout the aviation industry towards personalization and digitalization. In February 2025, Etihad Airways rebranded its website and mobile app and added features to make them more user-friendly. These features include an improved seat map, pre-populated data to save time, and the integration of content and features pertaining to the carrier’s Etihad Guest frequent flyer program. “At Etihad, we are constantly evolving and innovating the digital experience in line with customer preferences and industry trends,” stated Etihad’s Chief Digital Officer Frank Meyer.
In March 2024, United Airlines launched a new feature in its mobile app, allowing passengers to set seat preferences and receive notifications if their desired seat becomes available. Passengers can specify preferences such as aisle, window, exit row, or bulkhead seats while booking or managing their reservations. Then, in December 2024, the Chicago-based airline integrated Apple’s new Share Item Location feature for AirTags into its mobile app.
