United Airlines plans to send meal, hotel and rideshare vouchers direct to your mobile phone in the event of a flight disruption or cancellation, the Chicago-based carrier announced on Wednesday.
Linda Jojo, United’s chief customer officer, said many many as half of the airline’s customers already turn to the United mobile app when faced with a lengthy delay or cancellation, so at the end of last year, the airline decided to work on a project to improve self-service options available within the app.
“Our goal is to get our customers to their destination on time, but we know things don’t always go as planned and that’s when a tool like this can make a real difference,” Jojo commented.
“Our new mobile app feature offers more transparency, saves time and reduces stress for our customers, and it shortens lines at customer service desks so our employees can better assist passengers with complex issues or questions.”
In the event of a significant delay of 60 minutes or more, United’s mobile app users will now automatically see available flight and rebooking options on the home page of the app. Where applicable, customers will be able to view and select alternative flight options right within the app.
And in the case of really lengthy delays that would trigger a meal or hotel voucher, customers no longer need to line up in a long queue at a customer service desk as these vouchers can also be served within the app.
Even rideshare vouchers need to get someone to their hotel can be served in the app. The new functions will work best for customers who have signed into the United app but even occasional flyers will be able to use the app to self-serve in the event of a delay.
Along with new delay self-service options, the United app now allows customers to track the status of their check-in bags, including when it was loaded on the plane and when they arrived at the destination.
Last month, United became the first U.S. airline to make use of Apple’s new ‘Live Activities’ feature on iPhone.
The United app widget provides a slew of information, including on-time status, departure countdown, inbound aircraft status, estimated departure and arrival times, flight number and baggage carousel number. Users can also quickly access their boarding passes from the widget.
