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By Jordan King
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Major U.S. airlines have issued travel waivers allowing passengers to rebook flights or receive refunds following a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop caused by technical failures.
The FAA halted all domestic flights Friday due to what officials described as “communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers.” Although the stoppage was lifted Friday evening, lingering delays and cancellations have disrupted travel nationwide.
Each airline has different requirements and policies. Newsweek has broken down what American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines are offering below. These are based on advisories issued as of Saturday 10 a.m. ET and may change.
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American Airlines
Eligible passengers can make a one-time flight change without a change fee. This applies to tickets purchased by November 12 for travel on November 13 or 14, to, from or through certain airports, including Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Los Angeles (LAX).
Passengers must have booked their replacement flight by November 14, scheduled for November 13–17, while keeping the same departure and destination cities.
You can also cancel your trip or request a refund, according to the airline’s most recent advisory.
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Delta Airlines
Delta Airlines is also allowing eligible customers to change their flights without paying any additional cost, according to the latest advisory. Its waiver covers travel scheduled for November 13–15, for tickets issues on or before November 14.
Delta will not charge you for any fare difference as long as the ticket is in the same cabin, but you may have to pay a fare difference if you change your departure or destination city. Your new flight has to depart by November 22.
You can also use this waiver to cancel your flight and receive an eCredit for future travel.
This eCredit offer should not replace your right to a qualifying refund. Under general U.S. Department of Transportation rules, if your flight is canceled or significantly changed and you choose not to travel or accept alternatives such as a credit, you are entitled to a refund.
United Airlines
United Airlines has issued a similar waiver to American and Delta, covering flights between November 13 and 15, with tickets purchased on or before November 12.
You can reschedule your flight without paying a fee but the departure has to take place between November 12 and 20, has to be in the same cabin and involve the same cities.
If you cancel or don’t take your trip, you can get a full refund, the airline says.
Southwest Airlines
According to its most recent advisory, Southwest’s accommodations cover people who were set to travel between November 13 and 16.
Those who are eligible can rebook or travel standby within five days of their original travel date, but they have to keep the same departure and destination cities.
Ongoing Disruption
Airports experienced widespread disruption Saturday, with FlightAware reporting thousands of cancellations and delays for flights within, into or out of the United States.
The ground stop—only the third in U.S. history—remains under investigation. Government officials have linked the incident to technology connected to air traffic control systems being overloaded by outdated equipment.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that additional disruptions could occur. “We didn’t think we would have this kind of outage. We did,” he said during a news conference on Friday.
Air traffic control modernization efforts began last year following a congressional allocation of $12.5 billion. The White House and transportation officials are currently seeking an additional $30.1 billion to complete the overhaul.
Following the ground stop, many travelers scrambled for alternatives amid the flight disruptions. Amtrak and car rental companies reported high demand.
“With flight disruptions impacting travelers nationwide, Hertz is seeing increased one-way rental activity as customers adjust their travel plans. Our teams are closely monitoring demand and working quickly to accommodate travelers and manage vehicle availability across our network as conditions evolve," a Hertz spokesperson previously told Newsweek.
The Enterprise Mobility team also confirmed increased demand.
“We recognize flight disruptions can create unexpected challenges and stress for travelers. Our teams at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo are focused on supporting travelers whose plans have been impacted, and we're doing everything we can to assist customers based on local vehicle availability. We encourage customers to check our websites for the latest availability and location information," an Enterprise Mobility spokesperson previously told Newsweek.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Daniel Orton and Anthony Murray.
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