TPAYT

We’ll be flying United out to Canada and American back home.
Is it really necessary to join United Travel Ready and then the American equivalent.
Can’t you just check in 24 hrs. ahead of time and then check in at the airport?

It’s not like we will be frequent flyers on either airline.

TPAYT

We’ll be flying out on United and home on American.

Do we really need to join the United “Travel-Ready” site ahead of time and then the equivalent on the American site? It’s unlikely that we will become frequent flyers on either one.
Can’t we just check in on line 24 hrs. before the flight and then show up t the airport?

kybourbon

You should get an FF account/number with airlines you fly with and d/l their app whether you travel enough to earn status or not. You get updates via the app such as gate # for landing and your next gate # connection, etc. Your boarding pass will be on the app also. As for travel ready type apps put in place for covid, half of them don't work right.

mrwunrfl

The apps are not at all necessary. Yes, you csn check-in online and go to the airport and get your boarding pass at a kiosk.

I didn't even have a smartphone when I left home on a recent trip. As I boarded, I asked an FA to announce the gate we were arriving at and for my connecting flight. She pulled out her smartphone and said, oh you can just go to the airline app shortly before we land to find out.

Told her I didn't have a smartphone. She later came to tell me one of the gates I would use, but not both.

I intended to refer to the terminal map in the airline magazine but was SOL. No magazine anymore.

That info would have been nice to have but I just looked at the departure board when we arrived and then followed the signs. I bought my first smartphone at my destination but didn't use or need it for my return flight.

RoamsAround

You don't "need" any airline Apps. If you wish you can simply go to the specific airline website 24 hours prior to scheduled departure using a browser on any computer or your smartphone and once there click on the "Check-in" link. You'll be asked for your last name and Confirmation/Record Locator Number. Once you enter that info follow the prompts to check-in and get your boarding pass . It's all very easy.

Once you are checked-in and have your boarding pass, if you have only carry-on bags you can simply clear TSA and go directly to your departure gate for boarding. If check-in online and have luggage to check you can use the kiosks located near the check-in area to print out your luggage tags before giving then to the attendant. You then go directly to TSA and your departure gate.

Downloading the airline Apps is useful if you travel a lot and/or are a member of the airline's Frequent Flyer plan. When using the Apps the process is similar but a bit streamlined. There's no downside to getting/using the airline Apps. They are free and take only a minute or so to download to your smartphone.

TPAYT

Thanks for the quick response.
Very helpful info IMO.

We used to fly internationally often but not since Covid grounded us. These apps just seem unnecessary.

TPAYT

Thanks for the input.

We used to fly internationally often until Covid happened. This will be our first flight in 2-1/2 yrs.
This is a direct flight both ways. Just trying to keep it simple.

gardendiva

I usually load them on my phone just before my trip and take them off after. Sometimes they give you useful information like gate numbers, luggage carousal information and delays, and sometimes they don't or they send it after you are where you are suppose to be.

jubilada

That’s what I do too. They are very useful.

HappyTrvlr

I have many airline apps and only load them when I am making a reservation. I just reloaded my United app for an upcoming domestic trip.
We have all domestic and many foreign airline apps that
we activate as needed. Makes life so much easier when traveling. I especially like being able to check whether my luggage was loaded, unloaded, transferred, now that we have started checking our bags.

aliced

As we fly domestically and internationally out of Newark Liberty (EWR), a very busy NYC-area airport, we just signed up for a got TSA-Precheck for the next five years. With its app, it'll tell you how long the lines are in each terminal. Yup, we can remove it after our Fall overseas trip. Can't hurt.

J62

UA no longer accepts any form of payment onboard, so if you want to purchase food or drinks then the app with a credit card on file is necessary.
For me that's secondary. The ability to be instantly connected to the airline if there is a hiccup, reschedule, even when in the air is valuable.

The apps will connect to airplane wifi without charge....

Seamus

Not mandatory, but downloading and using airline app is easy and quite helpful. After your trip you can remove it if desired.
On United, if you want to purchase anything inflight you need to have the app and a credit card tied to it, as flight attendants are no longer able to take any other form of payment.

sassy27

I just flew on American the first time in many years and haven’t traveled in almost 3 years due to the pandemic. My flight was delayed 3 times before finally being canceled and I was furious as this was a rescheduled trip from last year. The only thing that helped me get rebooked quickly was signing up for text messaging as I found out before an announcement was made at the gate. The agents were not rebooking anyone as it had to be done online and many people couldn’t so had to call customer service with a 3 hr wait time. I had the app and was lucky to get rebooked on the second flight to my destination the next day. The seats weren’t ideal but at least I got to my destination 17 hours after the original flight.

I hope my experience helps someone as it was very frustrating. If I wasn’t quick with technology who knows what would have happened to my trip.

J62

Required no, but they can be very helpful if (when) something goes wrong. Like a delayed or cancelled flight and 100's of other passengers all trying to rebook. With the app you can find your own alternatives and even chat with an agent while on the plane....

schlegal1

While you don't need them, there is zero downside to having them. They help a lot.

halfapair

THIS.
Especially these days! They also make boarding easy. DH & I have the apps on our phones and use them to scan in at the gate.

november_moon

I always download the travel apps for whatever I am doing - then take them back off my phone when I no longer need them. The airline apps are very helpful. Last month I had 2 work trips and I had 2 cancelled flights and one very delayed flight. In both cases with the cancelled flights, I was able to rebook new flights very quickly with the app. Others had to call the customer service number or go wait in line at customer service to rebook. I was rebooked for flights the next day, so I went to a hotel - I was checked in to my hotel and having drinks at the bar before a couple of my colleagues had even sorted out their new flights.

tom42

I have never downloaded an airline app but then again, other than a couple of flights for funerals, I haven't flown in over two years. I think it probably is a good idea - and I would do what november_moon does - put them on when I need them, take them off when I don't.

annw

I find it quite convenient to have the airline apps. Worth the space on my Iphone.