Stuck in the FAA ground stop? Here's what airlines owe you
Stuck in the FAA ground stop? Here's what airlines owe you
Eve Chen, USA TODAYSat, November 14, 2026 at 12:44 AM UTC
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Travelers at airports around the country were stuck in limbo for hours after a "temporary telecommunications outage" led the Federal Aviation Administration to declare a nationwide ground stop on Nov. 13.
More than 9,000 U.S. flights were listed as delayed more than 6,000 others were canceled as of 9 p.m. ET on Nov. 13, according to flight tracking site FlightAware, though not all of those were due to the ground stop.
Travelers left scrambling to rebook flights may be wondering what they may be owed for their trouble.
The short answer is not much.
What am I owed if an airline cancels my flight?
Department of Transportation rules require airlines to offer travelers a refund if their flight is canceled for any reason, regardless of ticket type, if they choose to no longer fly.
If they choose to continue their trip, they are entitled to penalty-free rebooking on the same airline.
If a cancellation is outside of the airline's control – as is the case with ground stops and weather – the only thing travelers are owed are rebooking or a refund.
If the cancellation is within the carrier's control – for example, due to staffing issues or maintenance – travelers may be owed more compensation:
Some airlines (Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, United) can rebook travelers on a partner airline at no cost.
Nearly all major airlines will offer a complimentary hotel stay and ground transportation to and from the hotel for overnight cancellations.
All major airlines will offer a meal or credit toward a meal to travelers who have to wait more than three hours for the next flight.
Do airlines owe you anything if your flight is delayed?
Travelers whose flights are significantly delayed – by at least three hours for domestic flights or six hours for international flights – are entitled to a refund if they choose to no longer fly.
If they decide to stick it out, they aren't owed anything extra if the delay is outside the airline's control, like with ground stops.
If the significant delay is considered controllable, then travelers are entitled to compensation similar to that for controllable cancellations. Note this is not cash compensation, and will be more like hotel, meal and transportation vouchers, depending on the airline. Details can be found on the DOT's Airline Customer Service Dashboard, which shows what airlines have committed to providing customers affected by controllable cancellations or delays.
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Also note, even when nothing is owed, airline customer service representatives may have the power to provide meal vouchers, mileage credit or other compensation on a case-by-case basis, so it pays to be courteous and doesn't hurt to ask.
What are airlines offering?
Airlines are offering working to get impacted travelers on their way by waiving rebooking fees for certain dates.
American: Customers with flights scheduled to, from or through select U.S. cities on Nov. 13 and 14 may rebook without fees for travel by Nov. 17. The full list of cities is available on American’s website.
Delta: Customers with flights scheduled for Nov. 13 and 14 may cancel for flight credit or rebook for travel before Nov. 21 at no additional cost.
JetBlue: With the exception of Europe-bound flights leaving from Boston and New York’s JFK, all remaining flights for Nov. 13 have been canceled. “We expect disruptions to continue into tomorrow, including additional cancellations,” JetBlue told USA TODAY by email. Fee waivers are in place for customers with flights scheduled for Nov. 13 for travel by Nov. 18. Travelers whose flights were canceled are also eligible for refunds if they choose to no longer fly.
Southwest: Customers with flights booked from Nov. 13 through Nov. 16 may rebook without fees or travel standby within 5 days of their originally scheduled departure date.
United: Customers with flights scheduled for Nov. 13 and 14 may cancel for a full refund or rebook without fees for travel by Nov. 20.
Additional terms and conditions, and details for other airlines can be found on their respective websites.
What can travelers do?
Derek Cann, a flight expert at Going, offered three suggestions:
If you're at the airport and need to rebook, go through your airline’s app or website instead of waiting in line at the gate, or try to do both simultaneously and go with whichever is fastest.
If you don't have to travel immediately, check your airline’s travel advisory page for waiver eligibility, so you can rebook without having to pay fare differences or fees.
If you’re flying in the next day or two, also keep an eye on your airline’s app and advisories for waivers and don’t cancel a flight yourself unless the airline is offering a refund. Otherwise, you may only get flight credit.
Contributing: Zach Wichter
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stuck in the FAA ground stop? Here's what airlines owe you
Source: “AOL Breaking”
