American Airlines Passenger Says Her Free Hotel Had Roaches—Never Let Them Pick Where You Sleep

An American Airlines passenger says her flight was delayed because there wasn’t a cabin crew, and the motel she was sent to had roaches. She says she’d confirmed there’d be a shuttle, too, but there wasn’t one. In a follow-up, she says she paid out of pocket for another hotel with a shuttle after her flight was canceled and she was rebooked later. Josephine’s October 17 complaint and videos In August, a Delta passenger complained about an overnight delay of 8.5 hours. The hotel options, they said, included properties advertised for as little as $39 a night, with reviews showing photos of bed bugs. They booked on their own out of pocket, and ultimately Delta reimbursed them. And a September review of the Comfort Inn Philadelphia International Airport West says American provided vouchers after a missed flight – but there was hair in the bedding, water damage in the bathroom and an ammonia smell. And when they requested fresh sheets: Asked for replacement for sheets and staff gave me dirty sheets back in return. Management replied that it would review the cleanliness and service complaints, adding, “We welcome you to stay with us again.” Fool me once… Airlines Promise A Hotel Room But That’s Literally All They Promise I’ve been making this point for years: when an airline promises a hotel during an overnight disruption, that doesn’t mean they’re promising somewhere you’d ever choose to stay. They don’t specify a hotel brand or star rating. And getting a voucher can take so long that you’ve given up much of your opportunity to sleep before you even see the room. Last year I covered passenger reports of bugs in beds and doors that wouldn’t lock. In June 2025, an American passenger said the floor was so dirty their feet turned black, and they spread extra sheets over it so they wouldn’t have to walk on it. This April, an American customer who’d purchased international business class complained that their hotel offer was a Motel 6. Buying a premium ticket doesn’t ensure the airline will buy you a premium room when things go wrong. Airlines are trying to contain the expense of a cancellation. As I’ve explained before, they often use outside companies to arrange rooms. The hotel, the booking provider and the airline can also disagree about what’s available. A voucher isn’t much help when you arrive and the front desk says there’s no reservation or no room. And when the airline says there aren’t any hotels available, that can mean there aren’t rooms available through its provider at a rate it’ll pay. You may still find rooms to book yourself. Choose Your Own Hotel – Whether Someone Else Will Pay Or Not American’s current customer service plan promises an approved hotel when a disruption it causes strands you overnight away from home. It also promises transportation to the hotel and back. If it can’t supply the hotel voucher, it says it’ll reimburse reasonable hotel costs. However, American’s conditions of carriage say reimbursement isn’t guaranteed when you book directly without written authorization. If you’re in a position to front the expense, I’d generally take control of the room. There are several ways to make that less expensive: Get the airline’s approval in writing. Ask for another property, or permission to book your own, and establish the amount they’ll cover. Save the chat, the voucher and screenshots showing available room prices. If the offered room has bugs, dirty bedding or a broken lock, photograph it. I’ve covered how badly an oral reimbursement promise can work out. Use credit card trip delay coverage. Paying for your ticket with a card that includes this benefit can let you choose your own hotel and claim eligible expenses afterward. For example, the current Sapphire Reserve benefits guide provides up to $500 per covered traveler for a qualifying delay exceeding six hours or requiring an overnight stay. It lists equipment failure, weather, strikes and hijacking as covered causes. Lack of available crew actually isn’t on that list. I’ve had better luck with claims using various cards than the literal terms of the benefit suggest. Ask about a distressed passenger rate. Call a hotel you’d actually want to stay at and ask whether it offers one. An airline’s baggage office can sometimes point you toward these rates as well. It’s a discount you pay yourself, and it may be available even when the airline isn’t paying for your room. Check points availability. This is one of the reasons to keep hotel points around. Compare the cash price with an award, including properties a little farther from the airport if necessary. Getting a decent room promptly can be worth spending points even when it isn’t your most spectacular redemption. If it’s midnight and your new flight leaves at 6 a.m., waiting an hour to get an airline-provided room followed by a long shuttle wait can consume most of the night. Just get yourself to the room you’ve actually chosen. Topics on this page