American Airlines updated its Hotel, Meal and Transportation system with three main changes affecting stranded passengers.
Starting October 26, agents can now issue standalone meal credits for individual reservations affected by qualifying delays, cancellations and missed connections. The system evaluates eligibility based on flight information and tells agents what qualifies.
On October 27, the airline began sending automatic hotel offers and food and beverage credits when eligibility criteria are met, reducing the need for employees to initiate offers.
American also rolled out a planned Uber Central feature at participating airports. Authorized agents arrange rides on passengers' behalf through the same system. Passengers receive a text message or WhatsApp link to start the ride without downloading the Uber app.
However, American is changing its hotel inventory feed and selection process. Employees are told they may see fewer hotel choices when arranging accommodations for stranded passengers.
The airline's customer service plan promises an approved hotel for overnight disruptions away from your city of residence, plus transportation and a food and beverage credit after a qualifying delay of at least three hours. The standard meal credit is $12.
American's instructions still list hotel shuttles as the first option, followed by Uber vouchers for exceptions. Uber Central is meant for situations when those options don't meet customer needs.