United Airlines has upgraded its mobile app with new self-service features that help customers rebook their flights, track their baggage and get hotel and meal vouchers when a flight is canceled or delayed.

Introduced just as travel hits a fever pitch this summer, the app’s new features can help passengers who are contending with crowded airports, packed planes and intense frustration over flight disruptions.

The updated app will notify United travelers if their flights are delayed or canceled and will give them personalized options for rebooking their flights. The self-service aspect gives customers an alternative to standing in line at the airport or waiting on the phone to speak with a customer service rep.

The United App’s New Features And How They Work

• Personalization. For flights that are canceled or delayed by an hour or more, the United app automatically serves up personalized options on its home screen.
• Opt-in text alerts. Travelers who have opted in for text notifications should receive an alert message with a link to the app. If you’ve already input your flight information on the app, the home screen should show you a prompt for next steps.
• Rebooking help. In some instances, United may automatically rebook your flight; the app will have that information. If you’d rather book your own flight, you can do that using the airline schedule on the app.
• Luggage tracking. Passengers will also be able to track their luggage. If your flight was canceled, you’ll want to know where your luggage is so you can get United to send it back.
• Vouchers. Eligible travelers can access vouchers for hotels, food or rideshares through the app.
• More customer service channels. Users can connect with customer service by phone, text or video chat.

Travel Delays Have Increased; How To Minimize The Risk

With 76.9% of its flights arriving on schedule, United Airlines was among the three most punctual airlines in March 2023. Delta Air Lines (79.2%) and Alaska Airlines (78.1%) were the other two.

For airlines in general, however, on-time arrivals have slightly decreased both month-over-month and year-over-year, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.

In March 2023, the on-time arrival rate was 75.4%, down from 79.4% in February 2023 and 77.2% in March 2022.

A mixture of understaffing—there was a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers as of May—and poor weather conditions have contributed to the uptick in cancellations and delayed flights.

If you’ve got expensive nonrefundable tickets or deposits, you may wish to consider travel insurance, which can include coverage against delay, interruption or cancellation. If you want to guard against snafus that could happen before the trip, “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) travel insurance (where available) covers those contingencies.