Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. Have a suggestion for a future topic? Fill out the form or email me at the address at the bottom of this page.
American Airlines is telling you why your flight is delayed. The company started rolling out enhanced delay and cancellation notifications last month, and as I said to Heather Garboden, the carrier’s chief customer officer, it’s a smart move.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
Few things are more frustrating for travelers than knowing your flight is delayed but not why – or how long it could last. With its latest app update, American is now giving customers a fuller explanation behind every delay and cancellation. It’s not solving the root problem, but Garboden said she hopes it gives passengers more peace of mind when things aren’t quite on track.
“All of us can relate: When you have a delayed flight or your flight gets canceled, that is peak stress when traveling, so understanding what’s going on can help relieve that,” she told me.
United Airlines started offering similar explanations for delays and cancellations to customers in 2018, and I’ve been surprised that other airlines weren’t quicker to follow. Here’s what to know about the latest update from American, and how you can find this kind of info if you’re flying another airline that doesn’t easily provide it.
American Airlines’ app update
The update started rolling out on American’s app, website and email notifications on March 16. The enhanced cancellation and delay explanations became available for all flights across the airline on March 30.
“It sounds very simple, but there’s over 1,800 various explanations as to what could delay a flight,” Garboden said. “We want to make sure we’re communicating it in a way that makes customers understand.”
Some of the common explanations for delays or cancellations include weather, maintenance issues or air traffic control flow programs.
“When flying, I don’t think anyone’s ever upset about having too much information, especially when things don’t go as planned,” Garboden said. “Ultimately, we just want customers to know that we are working to be as transparent as we possibly can for them and to create as calm an environment as we can.”
Why this matters for travelers
Knowing the cause of your delay can help you understand what you’re entitled to. When an airline is responsible for the schedule change, like in the case of a maintenance or staffing issue, passengers are generally eligible for hotel and meal vouchers, depending on the length of the delay. That’s not the case when an airline is not responsible for the disruption, like in the case of weather.
William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, told me airlines sometimes try to fudge these explanations, especially if their own internal communications about the issues are unclear, and he said he’s optimistic that technology can help with that, too.
“One of the greatest sources of passenger frustration, two greatest sources are A) not being told anything and B) feeling that you’re being lied to,” McGee said. “If these apps can help with that, that’s a good thing.”
Lack of communication from airlines during disruptions is a major complaint from customers across carriers, and anything companies can do to alleviate that will help with those frustrations.
“The thing that really angers passengers is not being told anything, and that’s the worst thing you can do,” McGee said. “You really do need somebody to tell you why this is happening.”
He added that he’s seen firsthand how poor communication from airlines can escalate into air rage incidents. When passengers are stuck at the gate for hours on end with no information about what’s going on, it can lead to stress for everyone and can cause frustrated passengers to lash out.
“Anything that can bring the thermostat down is a good thing,” McGee said.
Where else this kind of information is available
If you’re not flying an airline like United or American, which make this information available in their apps, there are some other places you can check to get a fuller picture of the cause behind your flight disruptions.
One of the first places I usually check is the Federal Aviation Administration website that lists the status of the National Airspace System. There you’ll see information about conditions at any airport that’s experiencing delays.
Other good places to check are FlightAware or FlightRadar24, where you can track the incoming plane that will serve your flight.
Last week’s Cruising Altitude: After LaGuardia crash, experts say aviation risks are being ignored
You can also check your airport’s website directly for more information about conditions affecting the area.
Apps like Flighty are also great tools for frequent travelers, but most of their tracking features are behind a paywall, so it may not be worth it for those who only fly a few times a year.
In general, though, I think it’s best when companies are transparent and proactive. I hope to see more airlines follow the lead of United and American when it comes to delay explanations.
Online Form – Air travel experiences
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York, and you can reach him at zwichter@.
