How each airline is handling the flight cuts, starting Friday: What to know
Editor's Note
Mass flight cancellations are set to start Friday, affecting nearly every major U.S. airline and travelers across the country.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration announced they would require a 10% cutback in air traffic at 40 of the nation's busiest airports.
From New York City to Boston, Atlanta, South Florida, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and more, think of a major airline hub and it has probably been affected.
The move comes as the lingering federal government shutdown — now the longest in history — strains the nation's air traffic controller workforce, and employees have not received a full paycheck in weeks.
Airlines spent Thursday scrambling to determine which flights to cancel, leaving travelers to wonder if their upcoming flights would take off on time — or at all.
Meanwhile, some of the largest U.S. airlines announced more lenient flight change and cancellation policies, and they offered some clues about how they plan to approach the flight cancellations mandated by the Trump administration.
Here are some helpful links to more information about the FAA flight cuts:
- Thousands of flight cancellations start Friday
- What travelers with flights planned for the coming days should know
- What does this mean for Thanksgiving?
Read on for an airline-by-airline breakdown.
American Airlines
American Airlines on Thursday said its long-haul international routes will continue as scheduled, and it pledged to "proactively reach out" to customers facing cancellations.
"To provide additional flexibility during the impacted travel period, customers whose flights are cancelled for any reason or who choose not to travel will be able to change their flight or request a refund, without any penalty," the carrier said.
American canceled around 220 flights per day between Friday and Monday, the Fort Worth-based carrier told TPG.
Reminder: You are entitled to a refund if your flight is canceled and you choose not to travel
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines issued a travel advisory covering all 40 airports affected by the FAA restrictions. You can find the full list of eligible airports here.
Travelers booked on flights between Nov. 7 and 9 can rebook on a flight departing between now and Nov. 16 without having to pay a difference in fare. If you rebook for a later date, there may be a fare difference.
I expect that advisory could expand if the shutdown drags on.
The airline also said that travelers flying to, from or through one of the affected airports during the affected travel period can cancel and get a refund for their flight. That includes penalty-free cancellations for basic economy tickets.
Late Thursday, the Atlanta-based carrier told TPG it planned to cancel flights in advance.
Between Delta's mainline and Delta Connection (regional) flights, the carrier canceled around 170 flights for Friday.
Related: U.S. government is shut down: Here are the travel impacts
United Airlines
United Airlines issued a travel waiver that covers flights between Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 for flights out of the following airports:
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Guam International Airport (GUM)
- Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
- Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Travelers whose flights are affected can opt for a United flight departing between six days prior to and six days after their original travel dates.
Alternatively, those travelers can cancel and receive a full refund, the carrier said — consistent with DOT policy.
Additionally, the airline told TPG that any customer who prefers not to travel while these FAA restrictions are in place can cancel and get a refund, even if their flight isn't affected.
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United said it would avoid long-haul international flights and hub-to-hub flights operating between each of its continental U.S. hubs.
Read more: Flight delayed or canceled? Here's what to do next
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines said it will automatically rebook customers whose flights are canceled, in most cases, onto another flight. Customers can also opt to rebook themselves or claim a refund.
Also, the airline is allowing passengers with trips between Nov. 7 and 12 to re-book within 14 days of their original departure without any fare difference.
Passengers who choose not to travel on their new itinerary must cancel within 10 minutes of the new flight's scheduled departure time, the airline said.
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines
Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, issued a flexible travel waiver Thursday afternoon. It allows passengers with trips booked between Nov. 7 and 10 to re-book anytime between now and Nov. 17 without incurring a difference in fare.
The company said it would not cancel international service or critical routes to communities that rely on air travel — presumably flights to remote communities in Alaska or neighbor island flying operated by Hawaiian.
"We worked to ensure smaller and remote communities that are reliant upon air travel are protected," Alaska Air Group said in a statement.
Instead, the carrier planned to reduce service on routes served by multiple daily departures.
JetBlue
JetBlue issued a travel advisory Thursday that covered 20 cities, including its key hubs at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).
Travelers with flights between Nov. 6 and 10 can re-book without change fees or paying a fare difference through Nov. 19.
If your flight gets canceled and you opt not to travel, can request a refund under DOT policies.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines on Thursday said it was launching a flexible travel policy. Any customer traveling during the FAA cutbacks will be eligible to cancel or change their flight, the budget carrier said.
Meanwhile, the airline's CEO Barry Biffle took to social media on Wednesday evening with a head-turning "practical travel advice."
"If you are flying Friday or in the next 10 days and need to be there or don't want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier," Biffle wrote. "I would simply have a backup ticket on another airline. I'm sorry this is happening. Hopefully the shutdown is over soon."
Frontier operates less-than-daily service on many of its routes — which means that even if travelers get rebooked on the carrier's next available flight, they may have to wait a day or more to get to their destination.
Spirit Airlines
As of 6:30 p.m. EST Thursday, Spirit Airlines' website did not show an active travel waiver in place.
In a statement posted to social media, the Florida-based ultra-low-cost carrier said it was "closely monitoring" the situation and would work with travelers to minimize the impact.
Who pays if you get stranded
Because the flight disruptions technically aren't the airline's fault, it's likely airlines will not offer compensation for unexpected hotel nights, meals in the airport or taxis to and from your hotel.
However, travelers who booked their flight with a credit card that has travel insurance protections may be able to claim reimbursement for these expenses.
"Airlines will be required to issue full refunds. They will not be required to cover secondary costs," the DOT confirmed Thurdsay evening. "This is the normal procedure when a delay or cancellation is not at the fault of the carrier."
Important to know
These advisories have been rapidly changing over the course of the day Thursday.
Keep checking back for updates, and if you're flying in the coming days, watch for any communications from your airline.
The 40 airports most affected by the FAA's flight cuts
Finally, here's a full rundown of the key airports where the FAA ordered reductions in air traffic. Keep in mind, though, that the disruptions will affect travelers at airports all across the country.
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
- Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
- Houston's William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
- New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Chicago's Midway International Airport (MDW)
- Memphis International Airport (MEM)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK)
- Ontario International Airport (ONT)
- Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport (SDF)
- Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
- Teterboro Airport (TEB)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
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