United Airlines delay: meals, hotel and what you can claim

United Airlines's commitments on the DOT dashboard

• Meal or meal voucher for a wait of 3+ hours: United Airlines commits to it.
• Hotel for an overnight wait: United Airlines commits to it.
• Ground transport to and from the hotel: United Airlines commits to it.
• Credit or voucher for a 3+ hour delay: United Airlines does not commit to it.

How to claim

• Ask at the airport first: agents can issue meal vouchers and hotel rooms on the spot.
• If you paid yourself, keep every receipt and ask the airline to reimburse you in writing, quoting its dashboard commitment.
• Write down the reason the airline gave for the delay; it decides whether the promises apply.

When a long delay means a refund

If the delay reaches 3 hours or more for a domestic flight, or 6 hours or more for an international flight and you decide not to travel, the DOT treats it as a significant change and you're owed a full refund, due within 7 business days if you paid by credit card, or within 20 calendar days for other payment methods.

United has an online refund request page; meal and hotel reimbursement requests go through customer care.

Questions

Does United Airlines have to give me a meal voucher?

Not by federal law. On the DOT dashboard, United Airlines commits to it for controllable delays of 3+ hours.

Do these promises apply to weather delays?

No. Dashboard commitments cover delays and cancellations caused by the airline (such as crew or maintenance problems), not weather or air traffic control.

Can I get cash compensation for a delay?

Not under US federal law. Some airlines offer credits or miles for controllable delays; a refund is due only if the delay is significant and you don't travel.