If your flight was canceled during Friday’s FAA ground stop, you can get your money back in cash if you choose not to fly, even though the airline did not cause the problem. A failure in the air traffic control system stopped departures at every US airport for more than four hours on Nov. 13. Here is what airlines owe you, what they do not, and what to do this weekend.
The short version
The FAA halted departures nationwide for more than four hours on Friday afternoon because of a communications failure. Flights are moving again, but airlines are still catching up, and your refund rights depend on what happened to your flight.
- The trouble began at 3:36 p.m. ET on Nov. 13, and the FAA reopened the airspace at 8:15 p.m. ET.
- If your flight was canceled and you choose not to travel, US rules say you get a cash refund no matter what caused it.
- A domestic flight that leaves or lands 3 hours or more off schedule counts as a significant change, which also qualifies for a refund if you do not fly.
- Card refunds are due within 7 business days, and other payments within 20 calendar days.
- The downside: airlines do not have to pay for meals or hotels when air traffic control causes the delay.
The upshot: you do not need a voucher or a fight. If you skip a canceled flight, ask for a refund to your original card. If you still want to go, use the airline’s free change waiver instead, because those rules are more generous right now.
What happened in the FAA ground stop
The FAA said it stopped flights at all US airports because of “communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers.” Those centers guide planes between airports. You can read the FAA statement yourself.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the trouble started at 3:36 p.m. ET, when radar and communications systems became unstable. He said more than 3,500 planes were in the air at the time. “Our switches, our routers actually got overloaded with data,” Duffy said, adding that “it’s the old hardware that went down.” The airspace reopened at 8:15 p.m. ET.
As of about 6 a.m. ET Saturday, the FAA’s status page showed no ground stops at US airports. Airlines are still moving crews and planes back into place, so some cancellations may continue.
What airlines owe you after the FAA ground stop
The US Department of Transportation’s automatic refund rule is the one to know. It says you are entitled to a refund if the airline cancels your flight, “regardless of the reason.” That includes problems with air traffic control.
- Canceled flight: if you decide not to travel, you get a refund to your original payment method, not just a voucher.
- Big delay or change: a domestic flight that leaves 3 or more hours early or arrives 3 or more hours late counts as a significant change. For international flights, it is 6 hours. If you do not accept the change, you get a refund.
- How fast: airlines must pay card refunds within 7 business days. Other payment types get 20 calendar days.
What they do not owe you
There is no federal rule that makes airlines pay for meals or hotels during delays. Many airlines promise meals and hotels when they cause a cancellation, but this one came from the air traffic control system, so do not count on those extras. Keep your receipts anyway and ask. It costs nothing.
Free changes: the airline waivers
Several airlines posted waivers that let you move your trip without a change fee. These are the terms listed Saturday morning:
- American: for tickets bought by Nov. 12 with travel on Nov. 13 or 14. You can move to a new flight through Nov. 17 in the same cabin, and changes must be made by Nov. 14.
- Delta: for tickets issued by Nov. 13 with travel on Nov. 13 or 14. Change and fly by Nov. 21 and the fare difference is waived in the same cabin.
- Southwest: for travel from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16. You can rebook or fly standby within 5 days of your original date with no change in airfare.
- United: lists a waiver for the nationwide air traffic control outage. Check its travel alerts page for the terms on your ticket.
What to do now
- Open your airline’s app first. Rebooking there is usually faster than waiting in line or on hold.
- If you no longer want to fly, choose “refund,” not “credit.” A credit is the airline’s offer, not your right.
- Screenshot your original itinerary and every change notice. Those times decide whether you qualify.
- If the refund does not arrive on time, you can file a complaint with the Department of Transportation.
- Flying for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26? Pack a charged power bank. Our portable charger guide has picks for long travel days.
What we don’t know yet
The FAA says its information is preliminary. Some news reports say a software update to the network linking air traffic systems set off the failure, but the FAA and the Transportation Department had not confirmed that as of Saturday morning. There is also no official count of canceled flights yet. Big service failures like this one, and this week’s Microsoft 365 outage, are a good reminder to keep a backup plan for travel. Did the ground stop catch you mid-trip? Tell us how your airline handled it.
More for your next trip: the travel tech worth packing.
