In a country as big as the US, air travel is essential and each year millions take to the skies for business and leisure trips. In fact, between 2004 and 2024, the number of passengers carried by airlines in the US increased from 700 million to almost one billion.
As one would expect, however, passenger satisfaction does not always follow the same upward trajectory. J.D. Power’s annual survey on air passenger satisfaction has confirmed some strong peaks and troughs decade-to-date; in 2022 the average satisfaction score across all airlines dipped to 798 on a scale of 1,000. But things have picked up since; in the 2025 study fewer than 10 percent of passengers reported problems and of those who did, flight delays were the most common across all segments.
At United Airlines – which carried a record 173.6 million domestic and international passengers in 2024 – a consistent rise in Net Promoter Scores (NPS) in recent years has been credited to a multi-million-dollar investments in technology, employee training, and operational improvements. United’s NPS highlights include a seven percent year-on-year increase summer 2024-2025, a five-point year-on-year increase in Q3 2024, and an overall 24-point increase between 2019 and 2024.
But staying ahead in a highly-competitive – and emotive – industry where success is at the mercy of everything from the weather to the economy, is no mean feat.
Following her panel discussion at All Access: Future of CX, United’s head of Innovation Lab, Jorie Sax, tells CX Network about building trust, scaling intimacy to build loyalty, and how the balance between tech and human-led experiences will change to 2030.
The evolution of “experience” in aviation
While air travel started as a luxury, it has now become a part of everyday life, with aviation infrastructure used by millions of passengers across North America every year. But what does that mean for the definition of experience?
“Flight is still awe-inspiring for many people – myself included,” says Sax. “Because the average adult in the US flies only a few times a year, we have limited chances to make a strong impression, and a single experience can shape perception.”
Unlike private aviation, Sax says, in the world of commercial airlines there are many touchpoints and many customers. “A traveler might interact with more than 10 United Airlines employees in the airport before the flight even departs, and each flight carries 50 to 350 passengers,” she says.
“We serve the general population, so we can’t know the level of personal detail others in the travel industry know about their guests,” she adds.
Previously, customers had to explicitly tell airlines what they wanted, through surveys and other methods of direct feedback. Today, with fewer customers engaging in surveys – and those who do using them primarily as a quick way to air a grievance – airlines, like other businesses, are turning to behavioral data.
“As we approach 2030, purchasing patterns and travel habits will play an even larger role in shaping the experience, meaning [this] indirect feedback will drive product evolution,” Sax says.
“By understanding these behaviors – like whether someone values a lounge visit over an onboard cabin upgrade – we can deliver more timely, relevant, in-the-moment offers,” she adds.
Building trust while collecting data
Learning about customers from inferred and behavioral data is an effective way to bypass the fact that many customers do not want to share huge amounts of their data. In aviation, the fake names and burner email accounts that plague e-commerce present less of a challenge, but brands must still build and maintain customer trust when collecting and using data, particularly for personalization. After all, the established rules of personalization feeling like “assistance rather than surveillance” still apply.
“Personalization is one of today’s biggest business challenges,” says Sax. “You can’t tailor an experience without knowing the customer, yet customers understandably want to protect their data. Companies can anticipate broad trends, but understanding each person’s needs in a specific moment is much harder – and businesses aren’t mind-readers, even if customers sometimes expect them to be.”
The key, she says, is to understand – and respect – the fact that customers share data when the value is clear: biometrics for app or security access, password managers, saved payment methods. “None of this is risk-free, but customers weigh the tradeoff and choose convenience,” she says. The airline’s role is to “honor the trust” the customer has bestowed in it.
“At United, our Core4 values start with safety – physical, emotional, cyber, and the like. Ultimately, transparency and giving customers control are essential to making personalization work without compromising privacy,” she says.
The co-existance of tech and human in future CX models
As digital and AI-powered experiences become more common, conversations around how to balance human and machine are becoming more common.
United is moving toward a “seamless” handoff between digital and human touchpoints, and it’s as much to do with operational excellence as it is CX. United is using a combination of mobile apps, AI, and real-time platforms, using AI for better communication and to proactively manage disruptions, it has created a seamless self-service journey for real-time updates, turn-by-turn airport directions, baggage tracking, and rebooking options through its mobile app, and it is using customer data to adjust preferences, recognize its most frequent flyers, and personalize and tailor interactions to both the customer and the specific scenario they are in.
The idea is to deliver human-centered digital scale, but as we move toward 2030, how will this balance develop and what factors are considered to know when a human vs. a machine should step in?
“This is my favorite topic—no surprise coming from someone who leads a tech innovation lab,” says Sax.
“People often assume I want machines to take over, but the opposite is true. It’s all about control. Employees should stay in command, understand what’s happening, and make the final decisions, with automation serving only to enhance their role and the customer experience.”
Looking toward 2030, she says, customers increasingly want control as well. “They know what they need and prefer to have choices. That means a mobile-first journey where everything connects: guidance from home to the airport, the fastest queue, how much time they have for coffee, the quickest route to the gate or customized seat-back entertainment screens. And for travelers who need it, that guidance should work in any language and accommodate any mobility requirement.”
While technology can provide this support, the option to reach a live agent should always be offered, both on the ground or in the air, in person or via video, “whenever personal help is needed,” Sax says.
“And in my view, customers won’t care who or what delivers that service – as long as the experience is transparent and they remain in control,” she adds.
The scaling with intimacy paradox
Many businesses – particularly in travel – face a paradox around how to scale while delivering a one-to-one, almost white glove service that will nurture and maintain the loyalty repeat sales depend on.
For an organization as big as United, Sax says loyalty in built on the key memorable moments and small touches that help a customer feel seen by a huge brand – and consistent delivery. In short, it’s the product of trust plus relevance at every opportunity.
“Customer segments that were once distinct – private vs. commercial, land vs. air – are increasingly blending. Just as casual restaurants now borrow from fine dining to meet evolving tastes, transportation providers must adapt to customers whose preferences shift with life stages and occasions,” says Sax. “Even airlines are offering more flexible, niche options, like dog-friendly charter-style flights.”
“Meeting these fluid expectations requires anticipating needs while still delivering on core services,” Sax adds. For example, if a MileagePlus member is at risk of missing a tight connection, she says United may hold a flight briefly if it won’t impact other customers or on-time arrival, “because reducing travel stress in moments that matter builds trust and loyalty”.
However, as customer expectations rise, how can an airline keep evolving without losing the essence of what makes its experience special?
“An airline’s core role never changes: safely transporting customers from origin to destination. Pilots fly the aircraft, flight attendants ensure cabin safety and care – those fundamentals are constant. What differentiates airlines is how they deliver that experience: aircraft size, seat type, amenities, food, and service style. These elements will continue to evolve with customer needs and new opportunities,” Sax explains.
Innovation without purpose, however, is empty. “Customers quickly see through change that exists only for PR,” Sax explains. “When you consistently put the customer first, you won’t go wrong. Because every customer values something different, creativity and personalization are what bring that principle to life.”
Jorie Sax spoke on the panel The future of human and digital experiences with Oliver Priestman of Air Charter Service during All Access: Future of CX. You can catch up with the session on CX+
Quick links
- Top 40 future of CX leaders to follow in 2026
- CX Talks: Delivering innovation in CX
- How Swiss Airlines is delivering hyper-personalization at scale