United Airlines Updates Flight Delay Compensation Policy

United Airlines has updated its flight delay compensation policies to include not proactively awarding customers refunds for delays of less than six hours.

The changes were announced through an internal memo sent to United employees and obtained by Skift, which read, “When situations arise, and they warrant compensation outside of this guideline, do the right thing to take care of the customer.”

“With the ongoing enhancements within the In-the-Moment Care app, you can issue compensation on the spot, recover service disruptions, and avoid sending the customer to a website or service desk,” the memo continued.

United confirmed the changes to TravelPulse and released an official statement.

“This policy empowers our employees to make more personalized service decisions for our customers when a disservice occurs,” a United spokesperson said. “We will continue to analyze feedback on our policies and further invest in approaches that are most appreciated by our customers.”

The airline added the change of policy covers delays where United is at fault, such as flight crew shortages or mechanical problems. The procedures were designed to provide employees the chance to provide tailored compensation instead of a blanket voucher.

United isn’t the only company to implement changes to its flight delay compensation policies, as Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and other airlines have also recently implemented similar procedures.