American Airlines launched a redesigned version of its AA.com website on November 15, drawing on input from users and internal research. The site’s makeover is the first step in an expected full redesign effort that the company plans to roll out over the next 12 to 18 months that will include further changes in the site’s functionality and user interface.
The AA.com homepage now allows users to create a personalized “work space” where they can book flights, check the status on flights, view their AAdvantage loyalty account summary and review up to four currently booked trips. The redesign aimed to simplify the homepage, for easier use on a range of platforms.
“We are being more conscious of the screen size — visitors may be viewing it on a 27-inch screen or something the size of an iPad,” said Billy Sanez, director of social media and customer communications for American Airlines.
The page width has been expanded from 800 to 1,024 pixels, and a footer with links to American Airlines’ social media sites has been added to the bottom of every page. An internal design team was responsible for the revamp, he said.
“We are thinking about how people navigate nowadays versus 10 years ago, making sure that it can be navigated with a mouse but also with a finger for those using a touchscreen,” Sanez added.
The site changes were made based on feedback the company received from users, as well as its own research on what customers were doing on the site and where potential enhancements could improve the experience. The site currently receives more than 1.6 million page views a day.
Announcements about the revamp were sent out to e-mail subscribers to American Airlines’ mailing list.
Though Sanez declined to describe the further changes planned for the site, he emphasized that improvements would continue to be made based on customer feedback.
“This is a visual redesign and the start of a whole new process,” he said.
