So Friday, I was to catch a plane. However, they delayed my flight for three hours. Thankfully, they let me know from my smartphone. A few extra hours lounging at home is better than long hours of frustration at the airport. But Google Assistant wants to do this as well. Google Assistant and flight delays: Is it necessary?
In fact, Google Assistant wants to go even further. Because they’re now predicting your next potential flight delay. They will use AI algorithms to predict your flight will be delayed. Then, they will notify you on your smartphone. They just came out with this today, but in will be in waves. By February 2019, everyone should have this feature…if you want it.
For example, they can see if an flight before you is going to be late. If it is, then they will tell you that your flight may be late too. Also, they use these algorithms on flight data and patterns. Google tried something like this before. Back in January 2018, they introduced a system that told you about cancellations, not delays. Furthermore, few people know about it. In our computer repair business, not too many people knew about this, either. And believe me, we serve a lot of people who travel a lot and nobody said anything about this January 2018 feature.
So this Google Assistant and flight delays feature: It it necessary? It is not! Here’s why: If your flight is delayed, then chances are somebody will notify you. It could be the airline, the third party booker (like Expedia or Booking.com), etc. As long as you have a smartphone, somebody else will notify you. Also, this Google Assistant feature is all about speculation. What if they tell your flight might be late, but it isn’t? Now you missed your flight all because of Google Assistant’s speculation. Is Google Assistant going to pay your rebooking fees? Are they going to do anything about your frustration at the airport?