Passengers check in for United Airlines flights at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, Dec. 13, 2022.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
United Airlines said Thursday it should start sending meal and hotel vouchers for disrupted travel to passengers’ phones, in hopes of avoiding customer support bottlenecks at airports and long hold times at call centers.
Meaning somewhat than stand in line at a customer support desk or dial up an agent, affected travelers can access their vouchers right on their smartphones through the airline’s app or website. United said the updates will make it easier for travelers to rebook, track bags and retrieve vouchers.
“You are already wired,” Linda Jojo, United’s chief customer officer, said in an interview. “We don’t desire you to attend in line.”
The airline provides food vouchers for flight disruptions of a minimum of three hours brought on by the airline, similar to a maintenance or technology issue, and hotel vouchers when travelers are forced to remain overnight due to a delay or cancellation brought on by the airline, Jojo said. Weather disruptions don’t fit those definitions, she said.
Jojo acknowledged that some travelers may not be comfortable with or capable of use smartphone technology and the airline’s app.
“The more we can assist the people who find themselves technically savvy, the more we are able to take the time to assist folks who are usually not technically savvy,” she said.
Customer compensation and advantages during flight disruptions have recently drawn the eye of the Biden administration. The Transportation Department last month said it will seek recent rules to require airlines to compensate passengers for delays and cancellations.
Last 12 months, about 2% of flights were canceled from April 1 through June 19, while nearly 22% were delayed, in response to flight-tracker site FlightAware. The speed of delays for a similar time period this 12 months is comparable, but only about 1% of flights were canceled.