United improves the rebooking experience during delays, cancellations
In January, I flew on Air Canada's Airbus A220 inaugural flight from Montreal to Calgary and back.
On the way back home, we were delayed due to deicing, and I missed my connecting flight. When I deplaned in Montreal, an agent was waiting for me with a hotel confirmation, a meal voucher and a new boarding pass for the following day. A pretty seamless experience for a misconnection, or so I thought.
Well, United is upping the ante for handling irregular operations.
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Effective immediately, United Airlines has rolled out a digital — and touchless — solution to handle re-accommodations during extended delays and cancellations.
Dubbed Hotel Hub, this technology will automatically reach out to eligible customers when a controllable delay or cancellation triggers a forced overnight stay lasting six hours or longer.
The notification will be sent via text message and/or email, depending on the contact preferences you selected during booking. After clicking the link, you'll be able to browse, select and book a hotel room at United's expense. (UA partners with Travelliance for real-time hotel inventory that varies based on the airport.)
Additionally, you'll have the option of obtaining digital meal vouchers during the hotel booking process. The amount and value will differ based on the severity of the delay. If your flight is delayed — but doesn't require an overnight stay — you'll still need to visit an agent to receive a paper meal voucher.
This touchless innovation will allow affected customers to completely avoid queuing for an agent — saving both the customer and agent time. Plus, the new United mobile app makes self-service flight rebooking simpler than ever, another reason to avoid approaching the counter.
Do note that if you're looking to get rebooked on another carrier, like American or Delta, you'll still need to physically speak to an agent, and possibly a supervisor, too. (Rebooking across carriers is possible due to an interline agreement between United and its two largest competitors.)
For now, Hotel Hub is available at all seven United hubs, including Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington, D.C. (IAD). Following this pilot phase, UA plans to expand the program to 46 more airports beginning in January 2021, with the full list at the bottom of this post.
American Airlines debuted a similar program back in 2018. AA's Hotel, Meal and Transportation system (HMT) replaced paper vouchers, allowing customer service agents to distribute vouchers via passenger email address. AA customers can search hotel databases to find real-time availability during overnight delays.
As a Premier 1K, I'm particularly excited about United's new offering. In addition to the time savings, selecting my preferred hotel is a welcome improvement. Previously, I've relied on customer service agents to suggest nearby offerings. Now, I'll be searching for the best — and most convenient — airport hotel offered.
The full list of airports that will offer Hotel Hub in 2021 is: ATL, AUS, BDL, BIL, BNA, BOS, BWI, CMH, CLE, CLT, CVG, DCA, DFW, DTW, FLL, HNL, IND, ITO, KOA, LAS, LGA, LIH, MCI, MCO, MIA, MSP, MSY, OGG, OMA, PDX, PHL, PHX, PIT, RDU, RNO, RSW, SAN, SAT, SEA, SJC, SLC, SMF, SNA, STL, TPA and TUL.
See below for screenshots of the Hotel Hub in action
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
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Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
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Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees