United’s commitment

United is committed to operating a reliable schedule for every customer. Weather and Air Traffic Control (ATC) issues, along with other internal control challenges, can cause delays and cancellations. We aspire to make our customers who experience long on-aircraft or in-airport delays as comfortable as possible during the inconvenience.

United Airlines and its regional United Express partners have implemented a comprehensive policy to minimize lengthy on-ground airport delays. For the best accommodation of our customers, the policy is to:

1.      Taxi-out delays (from the time the aircraft pushes back from the gate until airborne) – Proactively manage to
minimize ground holds of more than three hours and prevent those of more than four hours.

2.       Taxi-in delays (from the time the aircraft lands until it is parked at a gate) – Proactively manage to minimize ground holds of more than 60 minutes and prevent those of more than 90 minutes.

3.       Diversions (non-scheduled stops due to weather events, medical emergencies, etc.) – Proactively manage to prevent diversions of more than fours hours.

What this means for you

On-aircraft Delays – When an on-aircraft delay occurs, we will manage the situation aggressively to minimize delays of greater than three hours and make every reasonable effort to prevent those with durations longer than four hours. In the event of a lengthy delay, United has contingency plans to provide food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical treatment for customers onboard an airplane.

In the event a flight exceeds the four-hour guideline for a taxi-out or diversion situation, or if we exceed the 90-minute mark during taxi-in – we will provide our customers with compensation, generally in the form of discount travel certificates.

These certificates have no blackout dates, minimum purchase or fare class restrictions, and they are valid for 6-18 months, depending on distribution date, with a one-time use redeemable at united.com.

Cancellations – In the case of a cancellation, our staff will focus on rebooking as many customers as possible on alternate flights, either direct to the destination or via connections through other airports to best accommodate the individual’s needs. If rebooking options are not available until the following day, we will offer complimentary overnight hotel accommodations. However, if the cancellation is because of severe weather, Air Traffic Control decisions or other issues outside of United’s control, we cannot offer such accommodations, though we will make reasonable efforts to provide information enabling customers to secure accommodations on their own.

Helpful suggestions

While United offers meal service for flights more than three hours, no meals are available on flights lasting fewer than three hours. Customers are always welcome to bring food onboard any of our flights. Doing so may help ease your discomfort in the unlikely event of a long on-aircraft delay.

If you are traveling with children, be sure to pack extra snacks and beverages as well as diapers and changing essentials in preparation for a possible delay.

We also recommend that you view our travel disruptions page for more information about what to expect when delays, cancellations and diversions occur.