Over the last several months, American Airlines has been making it easier for passengers to get meal vouchers when their flights are delayed. In the spring they updated their systems so that an entire flight’s vouchers could be triggered at once, rather than issuing them one passenger at a time.
- Now they’ve made it possible to isue meal vouchers to any AAdvantage member automatically. Initially this was limited to AAdvantage elite members.
- That’s not just about encouraging passengers to join the program at an odd time (when they’re angry over a delay). AAdvantage membership is how they have contact information to push the vouchers.
When the delay or cancellation is caused by American, they will provide hotel vouchers for overnight delays away from home, hotel transportation, and meal vouchers when the delay is at least three hours past scheduled departure.
Here are internal details of the change to how these vouchers get distributed:
$12 doesn’t go very far at airport prices. You might not use the voucher if you’re eating in a lounge. But you can load the value onto your Starbucks card. (Chick-fil-A and Panera can work, too.)
I certainly prefer these vouchers over the old ‘refresh and refuel carts’ that US Airways management imposed a dozen years ago as a cost-saving measure, where they’d roll out chips, fruit and bottles of water to gates with delayed flights.
The Mix ‘n Munch snack boxes they handed out cost just $1.47 so a lot less than $12 per passenger (reduced by breakage). The snack boxes that didn’t get taken could be saved, with a 90-day shelf life. Meal vouchers came back under DOT pressure in 2022.
Officially meal vouchers require a flight with a 3 hour controllable delay (the airline’s fault). In fact, the internal rule is more generous than this – it requires a 3 hour delay, where at least 90 minutes of it is the airline’s fault. This solves for mixed-cause delays, for instance a two-hour mechanical delay that pushes the flight into a weather or air traffic control delay.
Pre COVID they used to bring a sandwich and drink cart to the gate, even in the event of weather delays. This is better than nothing, although I’m not sure what you can get for $12 at the airport. Maybe a bottle of water and bag of chips or nuts.
I’m not happy. 12 bucks doesn’t even cover the cost of MIA Concourse D’s churros.
Pathetic. You all know we deserve better than this. The UK, EU, and Canada each have better protections, including duty of care (accommodations, meals, compensation) if applicable. Stop shilling for airlines that fail to uphold their end of the contract of carriage; start demanding similar legislation that actually ensures we aren’t treated like livestock anymore. And, at the very least, Rule 240 is worth reviving (when they mess up, they can and should get you on the next available flight, even if it’s on a competitor, no extra cost to you).
@George Romey — No, I’d argue this is worse than ‘nothing,’ because it conditions you/others to think a $12 voucher is a reasonable response to a 6-hour delay caused by the airline. Oh, but, but, since you’re a Concierge Key, maybe they bump that up to $24… *facepalm*
I miss the UK, where you are issued a nice reimbursement for the delay without a fight.
@1990 If you spend my kind of money with AA you too could be CK. But instead you live in your mother’s basement.
1990: $12- Great! At least I can get a decent meal!
2026: $12-What?
Recently, my wife and I had international flight delayed nine hours by LH(part of recent strike). Too late for vouchers. So, we got a room at FRA airport. And we went to German restaurant also at airport. Turned in receipts for combined stay and meal worth €350. Along with EU 261 claim for €1300. Money deposited within two weeks.
So, go ahead and belittle Europeans. Let the airlines and hotels push you around.
I guess this costs AA way less than actually fixing all the ails their horrible airline. They need United-like “kits” for all the broken seats, IFE, wifi, food, etc.
sTD
I love how I can make you waste your day refreshing pages waiting for me to reply with you writing 19 paragraphs of nothing in response within 25 minutes
It’s tragic but amusing 😉
“When you can’t win the conversation, you resort to telling lies. It happens all the time”
But sure. Where’s the lie? That AA has a domestic partner at lax? That delta can’t seem to make major markets work at lax? This is the carrier that didn’t start ord for… how long? Can’t make Heathrow work, barely lasted on dal, cut Mex… This isn’t news to anyone but you lol
Two weeks ago you told us delta was about to start dominating west coast – Latin America
Until facts arrived and you were reminded delta cut 30% of capacity in 2026 on west coast – Latin America 😉
Your coherent thoughts are about like your data usage — non existent
Alas
Wrong comment thread
Time to head to happy hour