American Airlines Closes Tech Gap With New In-App Flight Disruption Tools

Passengers flying American Airlines will now be able to track their bags and manage flight disruptions directly from the airline’s app.

American this week announced a new version of its mobile app designed to allow users to handle travel disruptions without having to make a phone call or visit a crowded help desk. The move effectively closes a technology gap between American and its primary competitors; both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have offered similar in-app self-service tools for several years.

The goal, American said, is to give its customers the ability to “take immediate action based on what works best for them,” whether that’s rebooking flights or receiving hotel, meal, or transportation vouchers. The digital vouchers notably include options for Uber and Lyft. Previously, guests were often forced to wait in long lines at the airport to receive paper vouchers after a cancellation.

American said in the announcement that guests on cancelled flights will still be automatically rebooked, but they’ll now be able to see and change future flight options quickly after that rebooking.

Here is how American is pitching the upgrades:

“Instead of searching across tools, standing in line, or waiting for answers, customers can see their options clearly and decide what to do next — all from one centralized place. It’s a simpler, more intuitive way to handle disruptions, designed to reduce stress and put customers back in control,” the airline said in a news release.

American also noted that further enhancements are on the way. Self-service standby options are expected to be available in the app later this year, along with more flexible rebooking and voucher choices.