United Airlines said Thursday it will start sending meal and hotel vouchers for disrupted travel to passengers’ phones, in hopes of avoiding customer service bottlenecks at airports and long hold times at call centers.
That means rather than stand in line at a customer service 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.
The airline provides food vouchers for flight disruptions of at least three hours caused by the airline, such as a maintenance or technology issue, and hotel vouchers when travelers are forced to stay overnight because of a delay or cancellation caused by the airline, Jojo said. Weather disruptions don’t fit those definitions, she said.
Jojo acknowledged that some travelers might not be comfortable with or able to use smartphone technology and the airline’s app.
“The more we can help the people who are technically savvy, the more we can take the time to help folks who are not technically savvy,” she said.
Customer compensation and benefits during flight disruptions have recently drawn the attention of the Biden administration. The Transportation Department last month said it would seek new rules to require airlines to compensate passengers for delays and cancellations.
Last year, about 2% of flights were canceled from April 1 through June 19, while nearly 22% were delayed, according to flight-tracker site FlightAware. The rate of delays for the same time period this year is similar, but only about 1% of flights were canceled.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
