American Airlines app adds hotel and meal vouchers for delays

A major update to the American Airlines app adds hotel and meal vouchers for disrupted flights, alongside new rebooking and communication tools.

American Airlines has rolled out a major update to its mobile app, offering new tools that help travellers manage disruptions in real time, including hotel and meal vouchers issued directly in-app.

The upgrade has been designed to give passengers more control during often the most tense times of a trip: delays, cancellations, or rebookings, and continues AA’s push to digitise its customer support.

And, with the recent announcement of free onboard Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members, which will soon be upgraded to Starlink, this new update puts you in control on the ground and in the air.

The update includes automated hotel, meal, and ground transport vouchers, issued to eligible travellers when a flight is significantly delayed or cancelled.

Previously, this required finding an agent at the airport or calling customer support. Now, the in-app flight disruption tools handle the process digitally, helping travellers make quick decisions about their next steps.

Travellers can also rebook flights directly through the American Airlines app, with options presented based on fare eligibility and loyalty status. During a delay, the app will proactively notify users and offer rebooking paths without requiring a call or counter visit.

Other American Airlines app features include real-time alerts, boarding pass integration, and in-app customer messaging. But this new update is all about managing unexpected changes, with mobile tools for delayed flights like voucher redemption, ride-share access, and fast rebooking.

Travellers can also track checked baggage in real time as part of the disruption flow.

We know travel doesn’t always go to plan. These new features give customers more autonomy and faster solutions when disruptions happen,

American Airlines

Should the backend process and app work as seamlessly as the demo provided, this will mean fewer queues and a quicker path to resolution when things go wrong. If your flight is delayed, you can now book a hotel room, a meal voucher, or a ride-share all from your phone and skip the service desk altogether.

The update is already live for most users and rolling out across iOS and Android.

This marks one of the most welcome enhancements to the American Airlines app in recent years, and comes as airlines across the board invest in tech to reduce reliance on airport agents during peak travel chaos.

With these changes, American is aiming to provide a smoother experience for passengers affected by flight changes while reducing queue times at help desks.