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.
Persons:
United, Linda Jojo, Jojo
Organizations:
Airlines