What’s the #1 thing airlines could do to make flying more enjoyable?  Don’t think too hard about it, because A.I. already did the legwork.

A professor at the University of Missouri had an A.I. program analyze 400,000 customer reviews for six major airlines.  Here are 11 suggestions it came up with.

1.  More flexible seating arrangements.  Issues with seating were one of the most common complaints it saw.

2.  Self-cleaning bathrooms.  Somehow automate it, so they’re constantly disinfected.

3.  Personalized comfort settings.  So you could do things like change the height of your seat, or the temperature of the air coming from your overhead vent.

4.  Redesign the overhead bins.  Maybe so more bags, or bigger bags would fit?

5.  Use analytical models to optimize flight schedules, so there’d be fewer delays.

6.  Use A.I. to monitor equipment and reduce mechanical delays.

7.  More flexible booking policies.  Like no cancellation fees, and being more upfront about prices in general.

8.  Give ticketing agents more performance-based feedback and social praise to boost morale and improve customer service.

9.  Keep track of luggage by putting trackers on every suitcase.

10.  If there’s any issue with your baggage, you should get a text.

11.  Speed up the TSA line by using biometrics like face recognition to I.D. everyone.  It would be faster than showing your boarding pass and I.D.

(University of Missouri)