United Airlines Taps AWS as ‘Preferred’ Cloud Provider

SEATTLE — United Airlines selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its “preferred” cloud provider. 

AWS will support United Airlines’ digital innovation, providing machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), analytics, databases, computing, storage, and cybersecurity capabilities, according to the companies in November.

The engagement is intended to advance United Airlines’ efforts to “transform the travel journey for customers through digital technology.”

Working with AWS, United Airlines introduced various enhancements for travelers, including features in United’s app and digital channels to help customers understand and navigate COVID-19 travel restrictions.

For instance, through United’s Travel-Ready Center, travelers can access testing or vaccine requirements needed for their specific destination, upload testing and vaccination records, schedule a COVID-19 test, and complete country-specific required forms in United’s app and at its website. 

Using machine learning technology from AWS and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) — a managed container service to run and scale Kubernetes applications — United customers can have travel documents reviewed in near real-time before they arrive at the airport.

United is also applying AWS technology, including analytics, IoT, and machine learning, to optimize airport operations and help airport employees drive “nimble and scalable” operations. 

United’s company-wide analytics and machine learning program uses AWS to innovate new services, drive efficiencies, and respond faster to potential delays.

The airline, for example, uses Amazon SageMaker — AWS’ service that helps data scientists build machine learning models — to predict irregular operations and uncover insights to optimize customer service, baggage routing, and flight scheduling.

“United has an established track record of developing new ways to use technology to improve the customer experience,” said Linda Jojo, EVP of technology and chief digital officer, United Airlines. 

Jojo said United naming AWS as its preferred cloud provider helps the airline “to even further accelerate how we innovate and deliver even more personalized and scalable services for our customers and employees.”

Matt Garman, SVP of sales and marketing at AWS, said United Airlines “uses technology to reinvent the customer experience.”