Whether you arrive at O’Hare with a hankering for a Rick Bayless torta or need to squeeze a bathroom break into the mad dash to your gate, American Airlines' new app might help.
Travelers looking for “Advil” or “hot dogs” can type in a search and the app will suggest destinations, then provide estimated travel time and a blue line to guide them through the terminal. A blue dot moves as users walk, showing whether they’re in front of the Great American Bagel or the Harley Davidson store next to it.
The feature arrived on American's maps of airline terminals last week and will be familiar to users of Google Maps or Apple Maps — only the airline says it can pin users within a few meters of their location inside airports.
I found the app performed well in estimating travel time between gates — it told me it would take about four minutes to get from near the front of Terminal 3 to the furthest gate, K20. It took me about four minutes and 25 seconds to get there. My blue dot steadily crept along as I walked through the terminal, only lagging when I closed and reopened the app and it had to locate me again.
“Airports are stressful, especially for people who don’t travel all the time,” said Kevin McFarland, American Airlines’ director of online and mobile strategy. “It’s reassuring to know you’re not that far from the gate or not that far from security.”
And it could boost commercial activity within the airports, said Phil Easter, the airlines’ director of mobile apps. He said customers often head straight to the gate when they’re unsure whether they have enough time to explore other areas.
“These airports are becoming mini cities,” with various upscale shopping and restaurant options, Easter said.
The company is using Apple’s Core Location technology for “indoor positioning," which uses Wi-Fi signals to triangulate the location of a user.
Previously, the app could only provide navigation between two selected points on the map. The Blue Dot service is currently available at O’Hare International Airport, Miami International Airport and San Jose (Calif.) International Airport. Phones need to have Wi-Fi switched on, but don’t need to be connected to a Wi-Fi or phone network to navigate.
The move puts American a step ahead of United Airlines, which has less robust location services even after updating its app to provide estimated walking times, directions and dynamic search for customers in Chicago in August. The company is testing location technology using Bluetooth beacons in Newark.
