On-demand remote airline agents

Abstract

The method and system may automatically provide a remote airline agent to a user. A server device receives pending requests to communicate with a remote airline agent from users, each of which seeks to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to a flight segment. For each of the requests, the server device obtains flight information for the flight segment and identifies a flight urgency level or flight importance level for the flight segment. The server device assigns a priority level to each of the pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request, ranks the pending requests according to the assigned priority level, and automatically connects to a client device for the highest ranked one of the pending requests to initiate a video chat between the user and the remote airline agent.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to on-demand remote airline agents, and more specifically to prioritizing user requests for communicating with a remote airline agent and connecting a user to the remote airline agent to modify or obtain assistance related to a flight segment. [Background Art]

[0002] The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. To the extent described in this background section, the work of the present inventors, and aspects of this description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art as of the filing date, are neither expressly nor implicitly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

[0003] Today, many airline passengers communicate with an airline agent at an airport to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to a flight segment. For example, if a flight segment is canceled or delayed, the airline passenger may communicate with an airline agent at the airport to reschedule the passenger's flight. However, in some scenarios, such as when flights are canceled due to weather, several passengers may need assistance at the same time, while airline agents at other airports are free to provide assistance. Accordingly, an airline agent at one airport can become overloaded with requests from passengers, while an airline agent at another airport is underutilized, resulting in an inefficient process for handling passenger assistance requests. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] To provide assistance to airline passengers, an on-demand remote airline agent system allows users to request assistance via client devices such as smartphones and tablets. The assistance request is then provided to a server device that routes the request to the remote agent's client device and prioritizes the request based on attributes associated with the request, including attributes associated with the flight segment and / or attributes associated with the user. The server device may rank the requests assigned to a particular remote agent based on their respective priority levels and provide the requests for that particular remote agent in the ranked order on the remote agent's client device's user interface. The server device may then automatically connect the client device associated with the highest-ranked request to the remote agent's client device to initiate a video chat between the user of the highest-ranked request and the remote agent. In other implementations, the remote agent may browse each request in the ranked order, select user controls on the user interface, and initiate a video chat with the user.

[0005] In this way, this embodiment advantageously allows passengers to communicate with remote airline agents somewhere in their country or the world to receive assistance. This improves the efficiency of the process by identifying remote airline agents with the specialized skills to handle passenger requests. Furthermore, by prioritizing requests and processing them in order of priority, this embodiment ensures that the most urgent requests are processed immediately, rather than in the order in which they are initiated. This improves airline operations and can reduce the possibility of further flight delays by efficiently scheduling passengers onto the next scheduled flight to their destination.

[0006] This also improves process efficiency by distributing requests among remote airline agents in different locations, preventing one location from being overloaded with requests during a blizzard or other weather event, for example, while another location has no airline agents available to assist. Furthermore, by initiating a video chat between the user and the remote airline agent, the user may feel as if they are physically present with the remote airline agent, enhancing the passenger's user experience. This can make it easier to communicate with the remote airline agent, especially if the passenger is hearing impaired or has another disability that makes voice communication difficult. Thus, this embodiment includes the advantage of enabling passengers to communicate with remote airline agents in different parts of the country or world without the drawbacks of voice or text communication.

[0007] In one embodiment, a method is provided for automatically providing a user with a remote airline agent. This method includes receiving a plurality of pending requests for communication with a remote airline agent from a plurality of users, each of whom is attempting to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to a flight segment. Each request includes identification information about the user who initiated the request and flight information about the flight segment. For each of the plurality of requests, the method includes retrieving flight information about the flight segment from an airline reservation database to identify a flight urgency level or flight importance level for the flight segment and assigning a priority level to each of the plurality of pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request. The one or more attributes include at least one of the following: flight attributes related to flight status, flight operation, flight connection time, flight urgency level, or flight importance level for the flight segment, or user attributes related to user status, user wait time, or group size. The method further includes ranking multiple pending requests according to their assigned priority levels, and for the highest-ranked of the multiple pending requests, automatically connecting to the client device to initiate a video chat between the user and a remote airline agent to modify the flight segment or provide assistance related to the flight segment.

[0008] In another embodiment, a system is provided for automatically providing a user with a remote airline agent. The system includes a communication network, one or more processors coupled to the communication network, and non-temporary computer-readable memory coupled to the communication network and one or more processors. The memory includes computer-executable instructions stored in the memory. When executed by one or more processors, the instructions cause one or more processors to receive a plurality of pending requests via the communication network for communication with a remote airline agent from a plurality of users, each seeking to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to a flight segment. Each request includes identification information about the user who initiated the request and flight information about the flight segment. For each of the plurality of requests, the instructions cause one or more processors to retrieve flight information about the flight segment from an airline reservation database, identify a flight urgency level or flight importance level for the flight segment, and assign a priority level to each of the plurality of pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request. One or more attributes include at least one of the following: flight attributes related to flight status, flight operation, flight connection time, flight urgency level, or flight importance level for a flight segment; or user attributes related to user status, user wait time, or group size. The instruction further causes one or more processors to rank multiple pending requests according to their assigned priority levels, and for the highest-ranked of the multiple pending requests, to automatically connect to a client device and initiate a video chat between the user and a remote airline agent to correct the flight segment or provide assistance related to the flight segment.

[0009] In yet another embodiment, non-temporary computer-readable memory includes computer-executable instructions stored in the non-temporary computer-readable memory. When executed by one or more processors, the instructions cause one or more processors to receive a plurality of pending requests for communication with a remote airline agent from a plurality of users, each seeking to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to a flight segment, via a communication network. Each request includes identification information about the user who initiated the request and flight information about the flight segment. For each of the plurality of requests, the instructions cause one or more processors to retrieve flight information about the flight segment from an airline reservation database, identify a flight urgency level or flight importance level for the flight segment, and assign a priority level to each of the plurality of pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request. The one or more attributes include at least one of the following: flight attributes related to flight status, flight operation, flight connection time, flight urgency level, or flight importance level for the flight segment, or user attributes related to user status, user wait time, or group size. The instruction causes one or more processors to further rank multiple pending requests according to their assigned priority levels, and for the highest-ranked of the multiple pending requests, to automatically connect to the client device and initiate a video chat between the user and a remote airline agent to correct the flight segment or provide assistance related to the flight segment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] The figures described below illustrate various aspects of the systems and methods disclosed herein. It should be understood that each figure illustrates one embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed systems and methods, and that each figure is intended to correspond to its possible embodiments. Furthermore, wherever possible, the following description refers to the reference numbers included in the figures below, and features shown in multiple figures are given consistent reference numbers.

[0011] [Figure 1] This illustrates a computer network and system block diagram on which an on-demand remote airline agent system may operate, according to one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This provides an illustrative table of attributes and corresponding weights for prioritizing requests to communicate with remote airline agents. [Figure 3] This illustrates an exemplary user interface that presents pending requests for communication with a remote airline agent in a ranked order based on the attributes associated with each pending request, which may be presented on the client device of a remote airline agent. [Figure 4] This illustrates a messaging diagram of an exemplary procedure for receiving requests to communicate with remote agents, assigning requests to specific remote agents, and ranking requests within a ranked request queue based on the attributes associated with the requests. [Figure 5] This flowchart illustrates an exemplary method, which may be implemented by a server computer, for routing requests to communicate with remote agents to specific remote agents based on user or request characteristics. [Figure 6] This flowchart illustrates an exemplary method for automatically providing remote airline agents to users, which can be implemented by a server computer. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The following text provides a detailed description of many different embodiments, but please understand that the legal scope of this description is defined by the claims and equivalents set out at the end of this patent. The detailed description should be interpreted as merely providing examples, and does not describe every possible embodiment, as it would be impractical to do so. Many alternative embodiments may be implemented using either the current art or art developed after the filing date of this patent, but these will still fall within the scope of the claims.

[0013] Generally speaking, techniques for automatically providing users with remote airline agents can be implemented in a system comprising one or more network servers, one or more passenger client devices, one or more remote agent client devices, or a combination of these devices. However, for illustrative purposes, the following examples primarily focus on embodiments in which a passenger client device transmits a request to a server device for communication with a remote airline agent. The request may be for modifying a flight segment or obtaining assistance related to a flight segment. Additionally, the request may include identification information of the user who initiated the request, flight information about the flight segment, and a description of the type of request or the type of assistance needed.

[0014] The server device can then identify one or more remote airline agents to route the request to, based on the information contained in the request. For example, if the request is from a Spanish-speaking passenger, the server device can route the request to a Spanish-speaking remote airline agent. Thus, the server device can add the request to a queue of requests for Spanish-speaking remote airline agents. The first Spanish-speaking remote airline agent, having the request at the top of its queue, can then initiate a video chat with the passenger.

[0015] Furthermore, the server device may assign a priority level to requests based on attributes associated with the requests. For example, the priority level may be a category from a set of categories (e.g., low, medium, high) or a priority score. In some implementations, the server device may calculate a priority score for a request by assigning weights to different attributes associated with the request and aggregating or combining the weights in any preferred manner to generate a priority score. For example, a first weight may be assigned based on the flight connection time for the request, a second weight may be assigned based on the group size for the request, a third weight may be assigned based on the amount of time the passenger waited to communicate with a remote airline agent, and so on. The server device may then rank the requests in the ranked request queue based on the priority level for the requests. In some implementations, requests may be ranked in all master queues of pending requests for all remote airline agents. Requests not assigned to a particular remote airline agent may then be filtered out of that particular remote airline agent's queue. In other implementations, a client device of a remote airline agent may receive requests along with their priority level (e.g., priority score). The client device of the remote airline agent may then rank the requests within a specific queue of requests assigned to the remote airline agent.

[0016] In any case, the server device may provide a request for display in a ranked order to a remote airline agent client device assigned to process the request. In response to determining that the request is the highest-ranked request in the remote airline agent's queue, the remote airline agent client device may automatically connect to the passenger client device associated with the request to initiate a video chat between the remote airline agent and the passenger.

[0017] Figure 1 illustrates various embodiments of an exemplary environment implementing the on-demand remote airline agent system 100. The environment 100 may include a server device 102, a remote agent client device 142, and / or a number of passenger client devices 106-116, which can be communicated via a network 130, as described below. According to the embodiment, the server device 102 may be a combination of hardware and software components, as described in more detail below.

[0018] The server device 102 may have an associated airline reservation database 124 for storing flight information related to a flight segment, such as passenger reservations for departing flights, including reserved seat assignments and passenger priority information (e.g., airline computer reservation systems such as SHARES, Amadeus, Travelport, and SABRE). The server device 102 may also have an associated attribute database 144 for storing attributes for assigning priority levels to requests and their corresponding weights. Furthermore, the server device 102 may also have an associated user database 146 for storing user information in a user profile, such as user status, group size associated with the user for a particular flight segment, the user's age, whether the user has infants, special service requests associated with the user, the user's preferred language, any disabilities the user has, and user wait time indicating the amount of time the user is waiting to speak with a remote airline agent. Furthermore, the server device 102 may include memory 140, one or more processors 132 such as a microcontroller or microprocessor, random access memory, and / or input / output (I / O) circuits, all of which may be interconnected via an address / data bus.

[0019] Memory 140 and / or RAM can store various applications for execution by one or more processors 132. For example, a user interface application may provide a user interface to the server device 102, which may, for example, allow a system administrator to configure, troubleshoot, and / or inspect various aspects of the server's operation. The server application may operate to route requests for communication with remote airline agents to the remote agent client device 142. The server application may be a single module or multiple modules.

[0020] Memory 140 may be tangible non-temporary memory and may include any type of suitable memory module, including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and other types of persistent memory. Memory 140 may store, for example, instructions executable on the processor 132 for the request routing module 134 and the attribute scoring module 135.

[0021] To route requests for communication with remote airline agents, the request routing module 134 identifies one or more remote airline agents equipped to handle a particular request and adds the specific request to the respective queue of these remote airline agents. For example, a first set of remote airline agents may be equipped to handle general requests, a second set of remote airline agents may be equipped to handle requests made by Spanish speakers, a third set of remote airline agents may be equipped to handle requests made by hearing-impaired passengers, a fourth set of remote airline agents may be equipped to handle requests related to COVID-19 testing, and so on. Some of the remote airline agents may have multiple special skills so that these remote airline agents can receive requests corresponding to different routing categories. For example, a remote airline agent equipped to handle requests related to COVID-19 testing and also equipped to handle requests made by hearing-impaired passengers may receive both types of requests from the request routing module 134.

[0022] In some implementations, the request routing module 134 routes requests by sending each request to each of the remote airline agents. When the request routing module 134 transmits a request, it includes a routing category with the request. The remote agent client devices 142 then filter the requests from their respective queues depending on whether the corresponding agents are configured to receive requests for a particular routing category. Once a request is processed by one of the remote airline agents, the request is removed from the queue of each remote airline agent that received the request. This procedure is described in more detail with reference to Figure 5.

[0023] The attribute scoring module 135 obtains a request and identifies attributes associated with the request, such as the flight connection time to the next flight segment, whether the next flight segment is an international flight or a domestic flight, whether there is an irregular operation (IRROP) for the next flight segment, the group size of a passenger group, the flight status of the next flight (e.g., canceled, delayed, on time, etc.), the special service request of the passenger, whether a mandatory COVID-19 test is required for the next flight, the fare class for the passenger, the airline status of the passenger, and whether the passenger is accompanied by an infant.

[0024] Then, for each identified attribute, the attribute scoring module 135 assigns a score or weight to the request. For some attributes, the attribute scoring module 135 assigns one score or weight to the request when the request is associated with a specific attribute. For other attributes, the attribute scoring module 135 assigns different scores or weights to the request according to sub-attributes associated with the attribute. For example, with respect to the group size attribute, the attribute scoring module 135 may assign a first score when the group size is 10 to 16 passengers, and assign a second score when the group size is more than 16 passengers. When the group size is less than 10 people, the attribute scoring module 135 does not identify the group size attribute for the request and does not assign a score.

[0025] Next, the attribute scoring module 135 may aggregate or combine scores or weights in any suitable manner to generate an overall score for the request. The attribute scoring module 135 may then determine a priority level for the request based on the overall score. For example, the priority level may be the overall score. In another example, the priority level may be a category such as low, medium, or high, in which case the attribute scoring module 135 assigns a low priority to the request when the overall score is less than a first threshold score, assigns a medium priority to the request when the overall score is greater than or equal to the first threshold score but less than a second threshold score, and assigns a high priority to the request when the overall score is greater than or equal to the second threshold score. In yet another example, the priority level may include both a category and a numerical value. This procedure is described in more detail with reference to Figure 2.

[0026] Passenger client devices 106 to 116 include, by way of example, a tablet computer 106, a cellular phone 108, a personal digital assistant (PDA) 110, a mobile device smartphone 112 also referred to herein as a "mobile device", a laptop computer 114, a desktop computer 116, a portable media player, an airline kiosk, a home phone, a wearable computing device, smart glasses, a smart watch, a phablet, other smart devices, devices configured for wired or wireless RF (radio frequency) communication, and the like. Of course, any suitably configured network-enabled device may interact with the on-demand remote airline agent system 100. Passenger client devices 106 to 116 do not necessarily need to communicate with the network 130 via a wired connection. In some cases, passenger client devices 106 to 116 may communicate with the network 130 via a wireless signal 120, and in some cases, may communicate with the network 130 via an intervening wireless or wired device 118, which may be a wireless router, a wireless repeater, a base transceiver station of a mobile communication provider, or the like.

[0027] Passenger client devices 106-116 may include a display, a communication unit, a user input device, memory, one or more processors such as a microcontroller or microprocessor, random access memory (RAM), and / or input / output (I / O) circuits, all of which may be interconnected via an address / data bus. Memory may include an operating system, data storage, multiple software applications, and / or multiple software routines. The operating system may include one of several mobile platforms, such as iOS®, Android®, Palm® WebOS, Windows Mobile / Phone, BlackBerry® OS, or Symbian® OS mobile technology platforms, developed by Apple Inc., Google Inc., Palm Inc. (now Hewlett-Packard Company), Microsoft Corporation, Research in Motion (RIM), and Nokia, respectively. Data storage may include data such as user profiles, application data for multiple applications, routine data for multiple routines, and / or other data necessary to interact with server device 102 via the digital network 130. In some embodiments, one or more processors may also include other data storage mechanisms permanently installed within the passenger client devices 106-116 (e.g., one or more hard disk drives, optical memory drives, solid-state storage devices, etc.), or may otherwise be communicated to them.

[0028] The communication unit can communicate with the server device 102 via any suitable wireless communication protocol network, such as a wireless telephone network (e.g., GSM, CDMA, LTE, etc.), a Wi-Fi network (802.11 standard), a WiMAX network, or a Bluetooth network.

[0029] User input devices may include a “soft” keyboard displayed on the display of passenger client devices 106-116, an external hardware keyboard communicating via a wired or wireless connection (e.g., a Bluetooth keyboard), an external mouse, or any other suitable user input device.

[0030] One or more processors may be adapted and configured to run one or more of several software applications and / or one or more of several software routines residing in memory, in addition to other software applications. One of the several applications may be a client application that can be implemented as a set of machine-readable instructions for performing various tasks associated with receiving information on passenger client devices 106-116, displaying information on passenger client devices 106-116, and / or transmitting information from passenger client devices 106-116.

[0031] One of the multiple applications may be a native application and / or web browser such as Apple's Safari®, Google Chrome®, Microsoft Internet Explorer®, and Mozilla Firefox®, which may be implemented as a series of machine-readable instructions for receiving, interpreting, and / or displaying web page information from the server device 102 while simultaneously receiving user input. Another of the multiple applications may include an embedded web browser, which may be implemented as a series of machine-readable instructions for receiving, interpreting, and / or displaying web page information from the server device 102. One of the multiple routines may include a remote airline agent request routine that communicates with a remote airline agent to modify a flight segment or provides the server device 102 with a request to obtain assistance related to a flight segment. Another routine among the multiple routines may include an order confirmation routine that presents an order confirmation message on the user interface, including an airline reservation indicator corresponding to the modification to a flight segment (e.g., PNR).

[0032] Similar to passenger client devices 106-116, remote agent client devices 142 may include, for example, tablet computers, cell phones, PDAs, mobile devices, smartphones, laptop computers, desktop computers, portable media players, airline kiosks, home phones, wearable computing devices, smart glasses, smartwatches, phablets, other smart devices, and devices configured for wired or wireless RF communication. Of course, any appropriately configured network-enabled device may interact with the on-demand remote airline agent system 100. Remote agent client devices 142 do not necessarily have to communicate with network 130 via a wired connection. In some cases, remote agent client devices 142 may communicate with network 130 via radio signals 120, and in some cases, they may communicate with network 130 via intervening wireless or wired devices 118, which may be wireless routers, wireless repeaters, mobile communication provider base transceiver stations, etc.

[0033] The remote agent client device 142 may include a display, a communication unit, a user input device, memory, one or more processors such as a microcontroller or microprocessor, RAM and / or I / O circuits, all of which may be interconnected via an address / data bus. The memory may include an operating system, data storage, multiple software applications, and / or multiple software routines. The operating system may include one of several mobile platforms, such as iOS®, Android®, Palm® WebOS, Windows Mobile / Phone, BlackBerry® OS, or Symbian® OS mobile technology platforms, developed by Apple Inc., Google Inc., Palm Inc. (now Hewlett-Packard Company), Microsoft Corporation, Research in Motion (RIM), and Nokia, respectively. The data storage may include data such as a user profile, application data for multiple applications, routine data for multiple routines, and / or other data necessary to interact with the server device 102 via the digital network 130. In some embodiments, one or more processors may also include other data storage mechanisms permanently installed within the passenger client devices 106-116 (e.g., one or more hard disk drives, optical memory drives, solid-state storage devices, etc.), or may otherwise be communicated to them.

[0034] The communication unit can communicate with the server device 102 via any suitable wireless communication protocol network, such as a wireless telephone network (e.g., GSM, CDMA, LTE, etc.), a Wi-Fi network (802.11 standard), a WiMAX network, or a Bluetooth network.

[0035] Preferably, the user may request to launch an airline application from a client device, such as one of the passenger client devices 106-116, to communicate with a remote airline agent to implement the on-demand remote airline agent system 100. Additionally, the user may also request to launch or instantiate any other suitable user interface application (e.g., a native application or a web browser, or any other of several software applications) to access the server device 102 and communicate with a remote airline agent to implement the on-demand remote airline agent system 100. Generally, in many instances, the term “user” may be used herein interchangeably with the terms “customer” and / or “passenger,” but the term “user” is used when referring to a person operating a client device and does not exclude the terms “customer” or “passenger.” For example, a passenger operating a client device may be called a user.

[0036] Each of the passenger client devices 106-116 and / or the remote agent client device 142 can interact with the server device 102 to receive web pages and / or server data, and can display web pages and / or server data via a client application and / or internet browser. For example, a mobile device 112 can display a web page to a user, receive input from a user, and / or interact with the server device 102 depending on the type of input specified by the user. Based on the client interaction with the server device 102, the server device 102 can input the passenger's request into the request queue of the remote airline agent and connect the remote agent client device 142 to the passenger client devices 106-116, etc.

[0037] Although only one server device 102 is shown in Figure 1, it will be understood that multiple servers 102 may be provided for purposes such as distributing server load and providing services to different web pages. These multiple servers 102 may include web servers, entity-specific servers (e.g., Apple® servers), servers deployed in retail or proprietary networks, payment service servers, payment broker servers, payment handler servers, etc. The multiple servers 102 may also include airline reservation servers, such as SHARES, Amadeus, Travelport, and SABRE, which may store data about departing flights, such as passenger reservations including reserved seat assignments and passenger priority information.

[0038] Server device 102 may communicate with passenger client devices 106-116 and / or remote agent client device 142 via network 130. Digital network 130 may be a private network, a secure public internet, a virtual private network, and / or several other types of networks such as a dedicated access line, a public telephone line, a satellite link, a wireless telephone network, or a combination thereof. If digital network 130 includes the internet, data communication may occur via digital network 130 by internet communication protocols.

[0039] Passengers may provide requests to communicate with a remote airline agent via the airline application using passenger client devices 106-116. For example, if a passenger wants assistance related to the next flight segment for a reservation stored in the airline application, the passenger may provide a request by selecting the user control associated with the reservation in the airline application. In some scenarios, when several passengers are likely to need assistance, such as when a flight is canceled or when some flights at the airport are experiencing delays, for example due to weather conditions, the server device 102 may provide instructions to passenger client devices 106-116 to communicate with a remote airline agent. For example, the server device 102 may transmit a notification or message to passenger client devices 106-116 suggesting that passengers may want to communicate with a remote airline agent, including user controls for providing a request. Subsequently, in response to receiving a user-controlled selection, a notification or message may cause passenger client devices 106-116 to activate the airline application to enable the user to connect to an on-demand service, which, when the user's request is a top-rank request, adds the user's request to a queue of pending requests for a remote airline agent and initiates a video chat with the remote airline agent. In other scenarios, the passenger may make a request by scanning a QR code, for example, at an airport kiosk or other location within the airport, the QR code including an indicator that the QR code is a link to make a request for a specific type of assistance (e.g., assistance with a canceled flight, assistance with COVID-19 testing, etc.).

[0040] The request may include identifying information about the user and / or the flight segment. For example, the request may include the PNR for the user and the flight segment, the user's name, and a username for accessing the user profile for the user. The server device 102 may then retrieve, for example, flight information for the flight segment from the airline reservation database 124 and user information for the user from the user database 146. The flight information may include the destination location for the flight segment, departure time, arrival time, whether the flight is domestic or international, flight operation for the flight segment (e.g., irregular operation), flight importance level indicating whether the user has a connecting flight at the destination location to which the user needs to be, flight urgency level indicating the amount of time until departure for the flight segment, flight status indicating whether the flight is delayed, canceled, or on time, and whether the flight requires COVID-19 testing. User information may include the user's name, age, group size associated with the user for the flight segment, whether the user has an infant, the user's fare class, user status, whether the user is an unaccompanied minor, whether the user requires a wheelchair, whether the user requires a service animal, whether the user requires an oxygen tank, whether the user is visually impaired, whether the user is hearing impaired, and other special service requests associated with the user.

[0041] Next, the attribute scoring module 135 may determine the priority level for a request based on flight information and / or user information. Figure 2 illustrates Table 200, an exemplary table of attributes 210 and corresponding weights 220 for prioritizing requests. Exemplary attributes 210 include flight connection time, flight connection type, whether the flight segment is subject to irregular operations, group size associated with the user, flight status, whether there are any special service requests associated with the user, and whether the flight segment requires a mandatory COVID-19 request. If the departure times for the flight segments are separated by less than 60 minutes, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 60. On the other hand, if the departure times are separated by 1 to 2 hours, the corresponding weight assigned is 10. If the departure times are separated by more than 2 hours, the attribute scoring module 135 does not assign a weight to the flight connection time.

[0042] If the flight connection type is an international flight, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 20. If the flight connection type is a domestic flight, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 5.

[0043] If the flight segment is subject to irregular operations, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 80. If the group size associated with the user is greater than 16 passengers, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 50. If the group size associated with the user is between 10 and 16 passengers, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 30. Otherwise, if the group size is less than 10, the attribute scoring module 135 does not assign a weight to the group size.

[0044] If a flight segment is canceled, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 60. If a flight segment is delayed, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 20.

[0045] If a user has a special service request, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 40. In other implementations, the attribute scoring module 135 may assign different weights based on the type of special service request, such as whether the user is an unaccompanied minor, whether they require a wheelchair, or whether they require a service animal. If the flight segment requires a mandatory COVID-19 test, the corresponding weight 220 assigned is 30.

[0046] Table 200 includes several exemplary attributes 210 and their corresponding weights 220, but may include additional or alternative attributes 210, such as the passenger's fare class, the passenger's airline status, and whether the passenger has an infant. Additionally, the weights included in Table 200 are merely illustrative weights for the sake of illustrative ease. Attributes 210 may have different weights to which they are assigned, weights are dynamic and may change over time, and different sub-attributes may have different corresponding weights. For example, instead of assigning weights to the "10-16 people" group member and "more than 16 people" member sub-attributes, the attribute scoring module 135 may assign weights to the "8-12 people", "13-20 people", and "more than 20 people" group member sub-attributes.

[0047] As described above, the attribute scoring module 135 may then combine or aggregate weights in any preferred manner to generate an overall score for the request. The attribute scoring module 135 may also determine a priority level based on the overall score for the request. For example, the attribute scoring module 135 may assign a priority score proportional to the overall score for the request. The attribute scoring module 135 may additionally or alternatively assign a category (e.g., low, medium, high) based on the overall score for the request. The attribute scoring module 135 may then rank the request in the queue of pending requests by comparing the priority level to the priority levels of other pending requests. The attribute scoring module 135 may then provide the ranked queue of pending requests to the remote agent client device for the remote agent assigned to process the request.

[0048] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary pending request display 300 that may be presented on a remote agent client device 142. The pending request display 300 includes a queue of pending requests presented to the remote airline agent in a ranked order. For each pending request, the display 300 may show the customer / passenger name 310 for the pending request, the amount of time the customer / passenger is waiting 320, the priority level assigned to the pending request 330, and the primary attribute 340 associated with the pending request. More specifically, each pending request may include a priority level indicator 330 in which each priority level is highlighted in a different color. For example, a high priority level may be shown in red to alert the remote airline agent to the high priority request. Pending requests may be ranked according to an attribute scoring module 135. For example, the attribute scoring module 135 may rank high priority requests above medium priority requests and medium priority requests above low priority requests. Additionally, for requests in the same priority category, the attribute scoring module 135 may rank the requests based on the priority score assigned to each request and / or the amount of time the customer / passenger is waiting 320.

[0049] In any case, the highest-ranking requests to the remote airline agent are high-priority requests for Ellen R. for flight segments experiencing irregular operations, canceled flight segments, and flight segments scheduled to depart in less than one hour. In some implementations, the server device 102 may automatically connect the remote agent client device 142 to Ellen R.'s client devices 106-116 to initiate a video chat with Ellen R. In other implementations, the display 300 may include user control, selected by the remote airline agent, to connect the remote agent client device 142 to Ellen R.'s client devices 106-116 to initiate a video chat.

[0050] When a remote airline agent communicates with Ellen R., after ending the video chat with Ellen R., the remaining requests are included in the queue in the order they are ranked, so that the remote agent client device 142 connects to passenger client devices 106-116 for the next highest-ranked request in the queue (Christy B.).

[0051] The pending request display 300 may include requests that are routed to remote airline agents by the request routing module 134. In some implementations, the request routing module 134 identifies the characteristics of the request and / or the characteristics of the user who made the request and determines what special skills are required to process the request, if any. If no special skills are required, the request routing module 134 sends the request to a remote airline agent assigned to assist with general requests, or sends the request to each of the remote airline agents. If one or more special skills are required, the request routing module 134 sends the request to a remote airline agent who possesses the special skills. In some implementations, the request routing module 134 sends each request to each of the remote agent client devices 142, along with an indicator of any special skills required to process the request, if any. Each remote agent client device 142 then filters out requests that require special skills for which there is no corresponding remote airline agent to process.

[0052] Figure 4 illustrates a messaging diagram 400 of an exemplary procedure for receiving and processing requests to communicate with a remote airline agent. Passenger client devices 106-116 provide server device 102 with requests to communicate with a remote airline agent.402 In some implementations, passenger client devices 106-116 provide the request by selecting user controls associated with airline reservations in an airline application running on passenger client devices 106-116. In some scenarios, if several passengers are likely to need assistance, such as when a flight is canceled or when several flights at the airport are experiencing delays, for example due to weather conditions, server device 102 may provide instructions to passenger client devices 106-116 to communicate with a remote airline agent. For example, server device 102 may transmit a notification to passenger client devices 106-116 suggesting that passengers may wish to communicate with a remote airline agent, including user controls for providing the request. In other scenarios, passengers may submit requests by scanning a QR code, for example, at an airport kiosk or other location within the airport, and the QR code may include an indicator that the QR code is a link to submit a request for a specific type of assistance (e.g., assistance with canceled flights, assistance with COVID-19 testing, etc.).

[0053] The request may include identifying information about the user and / or flight segment. For example, the request may include the PNR for the user and flight segment, the user's name, and the username for accessing the user profile for the user.

[0054] Next, the server device 102 may route the request to a specific remote airline agent equipped to handle the request.404 For example, the server device 102 may route the request by identifying the characteristics of the request or by identifying the user who initiated the request.The server device 102 then determines what special skills are required to handle the request, if any.If no special skills are required, the server device 102 sends the request to a remote airline agent assigned to assist with general requests, or sends the request to each of the remote airline agents.If one or more special skills are required, the server device 102 sends the request to a remote airline agent who possesses the special skills.

[0055] The server device 102 also adds the request to the queue of pending requests for the remote airline agent to which the request has been assigned 406. In other implementations, the server device 102 adds the request to each of the queues for each remote airline agent, and the remote agent client device 142 filters out requests for which there is no corresponding remote airline agent to process.

[0056] Next, the server device 102 may obtain, for example, flight information about flight segments from the airline reservation database 124 408, and user information about users from the user database 146 409. The flight information may include the destination location for the flight segment, departure time, arrival time, whether the flight is domestic or international, flight operation for the flight segment, flight importance level indicating whether the user has a connecting flight at the destination location to which the user needs to take a flight, flight urgency level indicating the amount of time until departure for the flight segment, flight status indicating whether the flight is delayed, canceled, or on time, and whether the flight requires COVID-19 testing.

[0057] User information may include a user profile that includes the user's name, age, size of the group associated with the user for the flight segment, whether the user has an infant, the user's fare class, user status, and any special service requests associated with the user, such as whether the user is an unaccompanied minor, whether they require a wheelchair, whether they require a service animal, whether they require an oxygen tank, whether they are visually impaired, or whether they are hearing impaired.

[0058] The server device 102 may assign priority levels to requests based on flight attributes and / or user attributes obtained from flight information and / or user information. More specifically, the server device 102 may identify attributes and / or sub-attributes of a request contained in the flight information and / or user information. Flight attributes may include the flight connection time to the next flight segment, whether the next flight segment is international or domestic, whether there are any irregular operations (IRROPs) for the next flight segment, the flight status of the next flight (e.g., cancelled, delayed, on time), and whether there are any mandatory COVID-19 tests required for the next flight. User attributes may include the group size of the passenger group, any special service requests for the passenger, the passenger's fare class, the passenger's airline status, and whether the passenger has an infant.

[0059] The server device 102 may then assign weights to each of the identified attributes and / or sub-attributes of the request (for example, whether the group size is greater than 16 passengers or between 10 and 16 passengers). The server device 102 may then combine or aggregate the weights in any preferred manner to generate an overall score for the request. The server device 102 may then assign a priority level to the request based on the overall score.

[0060] For example, the priority level could be an overall score. In another example, the priority level could be a category such as low, medium, or high, in which case the server device 102 would assign low priority to the request if the overall score is below a first threshold score, medium priority to the request if the overall score is equal to or greater than the first threshold score but below a second threshold score, and high priority to the request if the overall score is equal to or greater than the second overall score. In yet another example, the priority level could include both a category and a numerical value.

[0061] The server device 102 may rank requests within a queue of pending requests based on the priority assigned to the requests. Thus, the server device 102 dynamically updates the ranked order of the queue of pending requests in real time based on the attributes associated with the requests. In some implementations, the server device 102 may rank a master queue for all pending requests of a remote airline agent. Requests not assigned to a particular remote airline agent may then be filtered out of that remote airline agent's queue. In other implementations, the remote airline agent's client device 142 may receive requests along with their priority level (e.g., priority score). The remote airline agent's client device 142 may then rank the requests within a particular queue of requests assigned to the remote airline agent. In yet another implementation, the server device 102 may retrieve each of the requests in a particular remote airline agent's queue and rank the requests within that particular remote airline agent's queue.

[0062] Next, the server device 102 may provide the remote agent client device 142 with the request for display in a ranked order for the remote airline agent to which the request has been assigned 414. When the request is the highest-ranked request in the remote airline agent's queue, the server device 102 may automatically connect the passenger client devices 106-116 and the remote agent client device 142 for the remote airline agent 416 and initiate a video chat between the passenger client devices 106-116 and the remote airline agent. For example, the server device 102 may transmit a notification to the remote agent client device 142 to initiate a video chat with a specific passenger client device 106-116. In another example, the server device 102 may obtain an index of the highest-ranked request in the remote airline agent's queue and provide links to both the remote agent client device 142 and the passenger client devices 106-116 for a video chat. Next, the server device 102 receives video and audio data from the remote agent client device 142 and transmits the video and audio data to the passenger client devices 106-116. Similarly, the server device 102 receives video and audio data from the passenger client devices 106-116 and transmits the video and audio data to the remote agent client device 142.

[0063] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 500 for routing requests to communicate with a remote agent to a specific remote agent based on user or request characteristics. The method may be executed on a server device 102. For example, at least a portion of method 500 may be executed by a request routing module 134 which may be located within the server device 102. In one embodiment, the request routing module 134 may include one or more computer-executable instructions stored in a non-temporary, tangible, computer-readable storage medium or device, and the computer-executable instructions of the request routing module 134 may be executed to perform method 500.

[0064] In block 502, in response to receiving a request from a passenger to communicate with a remote airline agent, the server device 102 may obtain and verify user information about the user who initiated the request. For example, the server device 102 may verify the user information by obtaining user information from the user database 146 and / or by comparing the user information from the user database 146 with the user information included in the request.

[0065] In block 504, the server device 102 assigns a priority level (e.g., priority score) to the request based on the flight attributes and / or user attributes associated with the request. The server device 102 may identify the characteristics of the request, such as the user's characteristics and / or the reason for the request (block 506). For example, the reason for the request might be to obtain assistance regarding the COVID-19 testing process for a flight segment that requires mandatory COVID-19 testing. In another example, the reason for the request might be to reschedule a flight segment that was canceled due to irregular operations. User characteristics may include the user's preferred language, whether the user is deaf or has low hearing, whether the user is visually impaired or has low vision, and the user's airline status.

[0066] In block 508, the server device 102 determines whether special skills are required by the remote airline agent to process the request. For example, a first set of remote airline agents may be provided to process general requests, a second set of remote airline agents may be provided to process requests made by Spanish speakers, a third set of remote airline agents may be provided to process requests made by hearing-impaired passengers, a fourth set of remote airline agents may be provided to process requests related to COVID-19 testing, and so on.

[0067] If no special skills are required, the request may be added to a queue of remote airline agents (e.g., a first set of remote airline agents) that are equipped to handle common requests (block 510). If at least one remote airline agent is equipped to handle common requests (block 512), the request is added to the queue of remote airline agents. If the request is the highest-ranking request in the queue of remote airline agents (block 514), the server device 102 may connect the client device 142 of the remote airline agent to the client devices 106-116 of the passenger who initiated the request, and the request is processed by the remote airline agent (block 516).

[0068] If a first special skill is required (e.g., speaking Spanish), the request may be added to a queue of remote airline agents (e.g., a second set of remote airline agents) that are equipped to handle requests requiring the first special skill (block 522). If at least one remote airline agent is equipped to handle requests requiring the first special skill (block 524), the request is added to the queue of remote airline agents. If the request is the highest-ranking request in the queue of remote airline agents (block 526), ​​the server device 102 may connect the client device 142 of the remote airline agent to the client devices 106-116 of the passenger who initiated the request, and the request is processed by the remote airline agent (block 528).

[0069] If a second special skill is required (e.g., communicating with a hearing-impaired person), the request may be added to a queue of remote airline agents equipped to handle requests requiring a second special skill (e.g., a third set of remote airline agents) (block 532). If at least one remote airline agent is equipped to handle requests requiring a second special skill (block 534), the request is added to the queue of remote airline agents. If the request is the highest-ranking request in the queue of remote airline agents (block 536), the server device 102 may connect the client device 142 of the remote airline agent to the client devices 106-116 of the passenger who initiated the request, and the request is processed by the remote airline agent (block 538).

[0070] If a third special skill is required (for example, providing assistance related to COVID-19 testing), the request may be added to a queue of remote airline agents equipped to handle requests requiring a third special skill (for example, a fourth set of remote airline agents) (block 542). If at least one remote airline agent is equipped to handle requests requiring a third special skill (block 544), the request is added to the queue of remote airline agents. If the request is the highest-ranking request in the queue of remote airline agents (block 546), the server device 102 may connect the client device 142 of the remote airline agent to the client devices 106-116 of the passenger who initiated the request, and the request is processed by the remote airline agent (block 548).

[0071] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart representing an exemplary method 600 for automatically providing a remote airline agent to a user. The method may be executed on a server device 102. For example, at least a portion of method 600 may be executed by an attribute scoring module 135 which may be located within the server device 102. In one embodiment, the attribute scoring module 135 may include computer-executable instructions stored in one or more non-temporary, tangible, computer-readable storage media or devices, and the computer-executable instructions of the attribute scoring module 135 may be executed to perform method 600.

[0072] In block 602, server device 102 receives pending requests to communicate with a remote airline agent from users, each attempting to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to a flight segment. Each request may be received from passenger client devices 106-116, which select user controls associated with airline reservations in the airline application running on the passenger client devices 106-116. In some scenarios, when several passengers are likely to require assistance, such as when a flight is canceled or when several flights at the airport are experiencing delays, for example due to weather conditions, server device 102 may provide instructions to passenger client devices 106-116 to communicate with a remote airline agent. For example, server device 102 may transmit a notification to passenger client devices 106-116 indicating that passengers may wish to communicate with a remote airline agent, including user controls for making a request. In other scenarios, passengers may submit requests by scanning a QR code, for example, at an airport kiosk or other location within the airport, and the QR code may include an indicator that the QR code is a link to submit a request for a specific type of assistance (e.g., assistance with canceled flights, assistance with COVID-19 testing, etc.).

[0073] Each request may include identifying information about the user and / or flight segment. For example, a request may include the PNR for the user and flight segment, the user's name, and a username for accessing the user profile for the user.

[0074] In block 604, the server device 102 may obtain flight information for each request from, for example, the airline reservation database 124. The server device 102 may also obtain user information for each request from, for example, the user database 146. The flight information may include the destination location for the flight segment, departure time, arrival time, whether the flight is domestic or international, flight operation for the flight segment, flight importance level indicating whether the user has a connecting flight at the destination location to which the user needs to take a flight, flight urgency level indicating the amount of time until departure for the flight segment, flight status indicating whether the flight is delayed, canceled, or on time, and whether the flight requires COVID-19 testing.

[0075] User information may include a user profile that includes the user's name, age, size of the group associated with the user for the flight segment, whether the user has an infant, the user's fare class, user status, and any special service requests associated with the user, such as whether the user is an unaccompanied minor, whether they require a wheelchair, whether they require a service animal, whether they require an oxygen tank, whether they are visually impaired, or whether they are hearing impaired.

[0076] Next, in block 606, the server device 102 may assign a priority level to each request based on flight attributes and / or user attributes associated with each request and obtained from the flight information and / or user information. More specifically, the server device 102 may identify the attributes and / or sub-attributes of each request contained in the flight information and / or user information. Flight attributes may include the flight connection time to the next flight segment, whether the next flight segment is international or domestic, whether there is an irregular operation (IRROP) for the next flight segment, the flight status of the next flight (e.g., cancelled, delayed, on time), and whether there are any mandatory COVID-19 tests required for the next flight. User attributes may include the group size of the passenger group, any special service requests for the passenger, the passenger's fare class, the passenger's airline status, and whether the passenger has an infant.

[0077] The server device 102 may then assign weights to each of the identified attributes and / or sub-attributes of the request (for example, whether the group size is greater than 16 passengers or between 10 and 16 passengers). The server device 102 may then combine or aggregate the weights in any preferred manner to generate an overall score for the request. The server device 102 may then assign a priority level to the request based on the overall score.

[0078] For example, the priority level could be an overall score. In another example, the priority level could be a category such as low, medium, or high, in which case the server device 102 would assign low priority to the request if the overall score is below a first threshold score, medium priority to the request if the overall score is equal to or greater than the first threshold score but below a second threshold score, and high priority to the request if the overall score is equal to or greater than the second overall score. In yet another example, the priority level could include both a category and a numerical value.

[0079] The server device 102 may then rank the requests in the queue of pending requests based on the priority level assigned to the requests (block 608). The server device 102 may then provide the requests to the remote agent client device 142 for the remote airline agent to which the requests were assigned, for display in the ranked order. The server device 102 may automatically connect the passenger client devices 106-116 for the highest-ranked requests and the remote agent client device 142 for the remote agents to initiate a video chat between the passenger client devices 106-116 and the remote agents (block 610). For example, the server device 102 may transmit a notification to the remote agent client device 142 to initiate a video chat with a specific passenger client device 106-116. In another example, the server device 102 may obtain an index of the highest-ranked requests in the queue of remote airline agents and provide links to both the remote agent client device 142 and the passenger client devices 106-116 for a video chat. Next, the server device 102 receives video and audio data from the remote agent client device 142 and transmits the video and audio data to the passenger client devices 106-116. Similarly, the server device 102 receives video and audio data from the passenger client devices 106-116 and transmits the video and audio data to the remote agent client device 142.

[0080] Throughout this specification, multiple examples may implement a component, operation, or structure described as a single instance. While individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of these operations may be performed simultaneously, and it is not required that the operations be performed in the illustrated order. Structures and functionalities presented as separate components in an exemplary configuration may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionalities presented as single components may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are within the scope of the subject matter of this specification.

[0081] Additionally, specific embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, or instructions. These may constitute either software (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or in a transmitted signal) or hardware. In hardware, routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing specific operations and may be configured or arranged in specific ways. In exemplary embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., standalone, client, or server computer systems) or one or more hardware modules (e.g., a processor or group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as hardware modules that operate to perform specific operations as described herein.

[0082] In various embodiments, hardware modules may be implemented mechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic permanently configured to perform a specific operation (e.g., as a dedicated processor such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)). A hardware module may also include programmable logic or circuitry temporarily configured by software to perform a specific operation (e.g., contained within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor). It will be recognized that the decision to implement a hardware module mechanically with dedicated, permanently configured circuitry or with temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may depend on cost and time considerations.

[0083] Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood to encompass tangible entities that are permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) entities that are physically built to operate in a particular manner or to perform specific operations described herein. In consideration of embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each hardware module does not need to be configured or instantiated in any single instance at the same time. For example, if a hardware module includes a general-purpose processor configured using software, the general-purpose processor may be configured as different hardware modules at different times. Thus, the software may configure the processor, for example, to configure a particular hardware module in one instance at time and different hardware modules in instances at different times.

[0084] Hardware modules can provide information to other hardware modules and receive information from other hardware modules. Therefore, the described hardware modules can be considered to be communicatively coupled. If multiple such hardware modules exist simultaneously, communication may be achieved by signal transmission (e.g., via appropriate circuits and buses) connecting the hardware modules. In embodiments where multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at different times, communication between such hardware modules may be achieved, for example, by storing and retrieving information in a memory structure to which multiple hardware modules have access. For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which the hardware module is communicatively coupled. Further hardware modules can then later access the memory device, retrieve the stored output, and process it. Hardware modules can also initiate communication with input or output devices and operate on resources (e.g., collections of information).

[0085] Various operations of the exemplary methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the operations in question. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constitute a processor implementation module that operates to perform one or more operations or functions. The modules referred to herein may include processor implementation modules in some exemplary embodiments.

[0086] Similarly, any methods or routines described herein may be processor-implemented at least partially. For example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented hardware modules. Some of the operations may be distributed among one or more processors and deployed across several machines, rather than residing within a single machine. In some exemplary embodiments, one or more processors may be located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or as a server farm), while in other embodiments, the processors may be distributed across several locations.

[0087] Some of the operational performance may be distributed across one or more processors and deployed not only within a single machine but also across several machines. In some exemplary embodiments, one or more processors or processor implementation modules may be located in a single geographical location (e.g., a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exemplary embodiments, one or more processors or processor implementation modules may be distributed across several geographical locations.

[0088] Unless otherwise specified, any discussion in this specification using terms such as “process,” “calculate,” “determine,” “present,” or “display” may mean an action or process of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transforms data that is represented as a physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical) quantity in one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or other machine components that receive, store, transmit, or display information.

[0089] Where used herein, any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that certain elements, features, structures, or characteristics described in relation to an embodiment are included in at least one embodiment. The phrase “in one embodiment” appearing in various parts of this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0090] Some embodiments may be described using the expressions “combined” and “connected,” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodiments may be described using the term “combined” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, the term “combined” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other. Embodiments are not limited to this context.

[0091] As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” “has,” “having,” or any other variations thereof, extend to non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements may include other elements not expressly enumerated in or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus, but not necessarily limited to those elements alone. Furthermore, unless the opposite is expressly stated, “or” means comprehensive or not exclusive or. For example, condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or exists) and B is false (or does not exist); A is false (or does not exist) and B is true (or exists); and both A and B are true (or exist).

[0092] In addition, the use of "a" or "an" is employed to describe the elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done solely for convenience and to give a general meaning to the description. This description and the following claims should be read as including one or at least one, and the singular also includes the plural unless it is clear that it has a different meaning.

[0093] This detailed description should be interpreted as merely providing examples, and does not describe every possible embodiment, as it would be impractical, if not impossible, to describe every possible embodiment. Many alternative embodiments can be implemented using either the current art or art developed after the filing date of this application.

Claims

1. A method for automatically providing a remote airline agent to a user, wherein the method is One or more processors receive multiple pending requests for communication with a remote airline agent from multiple users, each attempting to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to the flight segment, wherein each request includes identification information about the user who initiated the request and flight information about the flight segment. For each of the aforementioned requests, one or more processors shall obtain flight information for the flight segment from the airline reservation database and identify the flight urgency level or flight importance level for the flight segment. Assigning a priority level to each of the plurality of pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more attributes include at least one of the following: flight attributes related to flight status, flight operation, flight connection time, flight urgency level, or flight importance level for the flight segment, or user attributes related to user status, user wait time, or group size. The one or more processors rank the multiple pending requests according to the assigned priority level, The one or more processors provide the multiple pending requests in a ranked order via the user interface of the remote airline agent, The one or more processors dynamically update the ranked order of the plurality of pending requests in real time based on the one or more attributes associated with each pending request. The one or more processors automatically connect to the client device for the highest-ranking request among the multiple pending requests and initiate a video chat between the user and the remote airline agent in order to modify the flight segment or provide assistance related to the flight segment. Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing one or more processors with a priority level indicator displayed on the user interface along with each of the plurality of pending requests to indicate to the remote airline agent the priority level of each of the plurality of pending requests.

3. The aforementioned one or more processors identify the canceled or delayed flight segments, The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting messages to users scheduled to travel on the flight segment, where each message, when the user's request is the highest-ranking request, activates an airline application to enable the user to connect to an on-demand service that adds the user's request to the plurality of pending requests and initiates the video chat with the remote airline agent.

4. Assigning the priority level to each of the plurality of pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request, The one or more processors assign a score to each of the one or more attributes associated with each pending request, The one or more processors combine the scores for each of the one or more attributes associated with each pending request to generate an overall score for each pending request, The method according to claim 1, comprising assigning the priority level to each pending request based on the overall score by one or more processors.

5. Combining the scores for each of the one or more attributes associated with each pending request, The above-mentioned processor assigns weights to each of the above-mentioned attributes, The method according to claim 4, comprising aggregating weighted scores for each of the one or more attributes using the one or more processors.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising routing each of the plurality of requests to one or more queues of one or more remote airline agents based on one or more characteristics of the user or the request and one or more skills of each of the one or more remote agents.

7. Routing the aforementioned multiple requests The method according to claim 6, further comprising filtering the queue of a particular remote agent by one or more processors so that it includes a subset of the plurality of requests corresponding to the one or more skills of the particular remote agent.

8. A system for automatically providing a remote airline agent to a user, wherein the system Communication networks and One or more processors coupled to the aforementioned communication network, The system comprises the communication network and a non-temporary computer-readable memory coupled to one or more processors, wherein the non-temporary computer-readable memory includes instructions stored in the non-temporary computer-readable memory, and when the instructions are executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors are configured to: The communication network receives multiple pending requests from multiple users, each attempting to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to the flight segment, for communication with a remote airline agent, each request including identification information about the user who initiated the request and flight information about the flight segment. For each of the aforementioned requests, flight information for the flight segment is obtained from the airline reservation database, and the flight urgency level or flight importance level for the flight segment is identified. A priority level is assigned to each of the pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request, wherein the one or more attributes include at least one of the following: flight attributes related to the flight status, flight operation, flight connection time, flight urgency level, or flight importance level for the flight segment; or user attributes related to user status, user wait time, or group size. The multiple pending requests are ranked according to the assigned priority level. The user interface of the remote airline agent provides the multiple pending requests in a ranked order. Based on the one or more attributes associated with each pending request, the ranked order of the pending requests is dynamically updated in real time. A system that, for the highest-ranking of the multiple pending requests, automatically connects to a client device and initiates a video chat between the user and the remote airline agent in order to modify the flight segment or provide assistance related to the flight segment.

9. The instruction further instructs one or more processors, The system according to claim 8, wherein a priority level indicator is provided on the user interface, displayed together with each of the pending requests, in order to indicate to the remote airline agent the priority level of each of the pending requests.

10. The instruction further instructs one or more processors, Identify the cancelled or delayed flight segments. The system according to claim 8, wherein a message is transmitted via the communication network to a user scheduled to travel on the flight segment, and when the user's request is the highest-ranking request, each message activates an airline application to enable the user to connect to an on-demand service that adds the user's request to the plurality of pending requests and initiates the video chat with the remote airline agent.

11. In order to assign the priority level to each of the plurality of pending requests based on the one or more attributes associated with each pending request, the instruction causes the one or more processors to: Assign a score to each of the one or more attributes associated with each pending request. The scores for each of the one or more attributes associated with each pending request are combined to generate an overall score for each pending request. The system according to claim 8, which assigns the priority level based on the overall score for each pending request.

12. In order to combine the scores for each of the one or more attributes associated with each pending request, the instruction causes the one or more processors to Assign a weight to each of the one or more attributes mentioned above. The system according to claim 11, which aggregates weighted scores for each of the one or more attributes.

13. A non-temporary computer-readable memory coupled to the communication network and one or more processors, wherein the non-temporary computer-readable memory includes instructions stored in the non-temporary computer-readable memory, and when the instructions are executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors... The system receives multiple pending requests from multiple users, each attempting to modify a flight segment or obtain assistance related to the said flight segment, for communication with a remote airline agent, each request including identification information about the user who initiated the request and flight information about the canceled or delayed flight segment. For each of the aforementioned requests, flight information for the flight segment is obtained from the airline reservation database, and the flight urgency level or flight importance level for the flight segment is identified. A priority level is assigned to each of the pending requests based on one or more attributes associated with each pending request, wherein the one or more attributes include at least one of the following: flight attributes related to the flight status, flight operation, flight connection time, flight urgency level, or flight importance level for the flight segment; or user attributes related to user status, user wait time, or group size. The multiple pending requests are ranked according to the assigned priority level. The user interface of the remote airline agent provides the multiple pending requests in a ranked order. Based on the one or more attributes associated with each pending request, the ranked order of the pending requests is dynamically updated in real time. Non-temporary computer-readable memory that, for the highest-ranking of the multiple pending requests, automatically connects to the client device and initiates a video chat between the user and the remote airline agent in order to modify the flight segment or provide assistance related to the flight segment.

14. The instruction further instructs one or more processors, Non-temporary computer-readable memory according to claim 13, which provides a priority level indicator displayed on the user interface along with each of the plurality of pending requests in order to indicate to the remote airline agent the priority level of each of the plurality of pending requests.

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