FAA Ground Stop: What Airlines Are Offering Stranded Passengers After Nationwide Flight Disruption

Passengers affected by Friday’s nationwide flight suspension have multiple ways to reschedule or modify their journeys without incurring extra charges. Some travelers may also qualify for a full refund in cash.

Although the FAA ended the four-hour nationwide ground stop after 8 p.m. ET, airlines warned that delays and cancellations could continue through the weekend. Travel experts are advising passengers against canceling their bookings on their own, particularly when their flights are still marked as delayed in airline apps. Passengers who cancel their flights before the airline officially calls them off risk receiving travel credits rather than the cash refunds they may be entitled to under Department of Transportation regulations.

How Not to Lose Your Money

Several airlines have come up with multiple offers for passengers in the wake of the nationwide flight suspensions on Friday. Here’s what they are offering.

• American Airlines is offering a change-fee waiver across all fare categories, including Basic Economy, for tickets purchased by Nov. 12 for travel on Nov. 13 or 14. Passengers must rebook on the same routes, with replacement flights taking off between Nov. 13 and Nov. 17. However, any difference in ticket prices may still apply.
• United Airlines is waiving change fees and fare differences for replacement flights departing between Nov. 12 and Nov. 20. Passengers must book travel between the same cities and remain in their original cabin. “You can reschedule your trip and we’ll waive change fees and fare differences,” the airline said. Those who decide not to travel can cancel their bookings and receive a full refund.
• Delta Air Lines has extended its fee-free rebooking policy through Nov. 21. The original waiver applied to flights scheduled for Nov. 13 and 14. Under the expanded policy, affected passengers can change their itineraries without paying change fees or fare differences, provided they retain their original cabin and booking class.
• Alaska Airlines is giving affected passengers the option to change or cancel their reservations without paying change fees or fare differences.
• Southwest Airlines is letting affected customers change their flights without paying additional change fees, provided the replacement travel takes place within five days of the original departure date.
• JetBlue is waiving change and cancellation fees, along with fare differences, for passengers scheduled to fly Friday who purchased their tickets before that day. Eligible customers can rebook online for travel through Wednesday, Nov. 18.
• Frontier Airlines is allowing passengers booked to travel between Nov. 13 and 15 to modify their flights without incurring change fees.

Passengers Entitled to Full Refund

United and JetBlue also canceled most of their remaining Friday evening flights, although some international services were spared.

Travelers are also protected by federal regulations, regardless of the compensation or rebooking options offered by individual airlines. Department of Transportation rules require airlines to provide a full refund when they cancel a flight and passengers choose not to accept an alternative arrangement or continue with their journey.

These refund protections apply no matter why a flight is canceled, including when the FAA orders a nationwide ground stop.

Passengers may also qualify for refunds when flights experience long delays. The DoT generally considers a delay significant if a domestic flight arrives at least three hours late or an international flight arrives six hours or more behind schedule.

However, travelers who accept an alternative flight or choose a travel credit instead of a cash refund generally give up their right to claim a refund.

The DOT’s airline customer service dashboard also shows that carriers may offer meal vouchers and hotel stays when cancellations or major delays result from circumstances within the airlines’ control.