The hidden truth about airline hotel vouchers

Monday, June 3rd, 2024.

Gate Access

Happy Monday, Travel Friend! Over 75K flights were delayed or fully canceled last week. As you can imagine, this is a significant inconvenience for many passengers, especially since the past weekend was a holiday. I’ve found that many passengers are unaware of what to do when they find themselves in these unfortunate situations. So let’s start with how hotel vouchers work.

For example, a travel friend contacted me, stating that he was given a hotel voucher due to his flight being delayed several times and ultimately canceled altogether. He arrived at the hotel, where the voucher was meant to be used. Unfortunately, the hotel was fully booked, and they had no additional rooms for him. He was forced to locate a hotel miles from the airport and pay out of pocket for the room, transportation, and other accrued expenses.

He was annoyed obviously but wasn’t too bothered because he thought the airline would reimburse him for everything. He was wrong. Let’s get into why.

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The Truth About Airline Hotel Vouchers

Airlines often have deals or partnerships with hotels to provide accommodations for passengers affected by cancellations or delays. These agreements typically allow airlines to secure rooms at discounted rates or under specific terms favorable to the airline. This arrangement helps airlines manage the costs associated with providing hotel accommodations while “ensuring”… wink wink… that passengers have a place to stay during disruptions. However, the truth is these vouchers do not guarantee a room. They simply cover the airline’s obligation to you in the event of a cancellation or delay.

Here’s American Airlines' terms regarding hotel vouchers.

If the disruption is our fault or you're diverted to another city, and we don't board before 11:59 p.m. local time on your scheduled arrival day, we'll arrange an overnight stay or cover the cost of an approved hotel, if available. We don’t guarantee reimbursement for hotel expenses if you book directly without written authorization from American Airlines.

3 Things You Need To Do Before You Leave The Airport

These are general rules you should always follow in this situation. Of course, each airline has its own terms regarding this subject, but the following steps cover the basics.

1. Make sure you have a printed voucher. If they tell you a voucher will be sent via email, ask for a printed one.

2. Confirm if the hotel has availability for you. The airline will not do this for you. Remember, their obligation was fulfilled by issuing you a voucher, redeemed or not.

3. Confirm if the hotel has transportation to and from the airport, and it’s currently opperating. Most airlines already partner with hotels that have transportation to and from the airport. However, you still want to call and verify because if they don’t, you’ll need to ask for a transportation voucher. A transportation voucher is totally separate from a hotel voucher, and those are generally not provided unless asked.

In Gate Accesss Newsletter+ I share additional information on this topic.

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Can You Reclaim Confiscated Items At TSA?

Confiscated and lost are not the same thing. Here’s TSA’s policy regarding lost items.

TSA makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left behind at the airport checkpoint. Lost and found items retained by TSA for a minimum of thirty (30) days, and if not claimed, are either destroyed, turned over to a state agency for surplus property, or sold by TSA as excess property. The state may dispose of the items through sales, destruction, donations or charities. The state keeps any money from sales, not TSA. At a number of locations, lost and found items are turned over to the airport at the end of each day.

This does not relate to confiscated items. Once a TSA Officer gives you your options and you choose to leave the item behind, you are not able to reclaim that item. If you’d like to read more regarding where these items end up, check out this previous story.

What actually happens to lost items at TSA? Here's a huge reason why your private area may alarm the system.

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Continued in Gate Access Newsletter+

• Access to Airfordable $25-Off Discount Code

• Harmony Tip of The Week - 5 Additional Steps Regarding Hotel Vouchers

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