Politics 14

Can you get a refund when the FAA grounds flights?

Yes, if your flight is canceled or badly delayed and you choose not to travel. Under US rules, airlines must give a full cash refund automatically, whatever the cause. But because a ground stop is outside the airline's control, airlines are not required to pay for meals or hotels, though many waive change fees.

Mary Spio
Deep Space Engineer

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Your Right to a Refund

Under US Department of Transportation rules, you are owed a full refund to your original form of payment when:

  • Your flight is canceled and you don't accept another flight or a voucher.
  • Your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more for a domestic trip, or 6 hours or more for an international one, and you choose not to fly.

The refund must be automatic: within 7 business days for a credit card and 20 days for other payments. You don't have to accept a travel credit if you want your money back.

What You May Not Get

Meals, hotels and cash compensation are generally owed only when the airline caused the problem, such as a crew or maintenance issue. A ground stop ordered by the FAA is outside the airline's control, so those extras are up to each airline.

What to Do Now

  • Check your airline's app for a travel waiver, which lets you change dates without a fee.
  • If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to go, ask for a refund, not a credit.
  • Keep your receipts in case the airline offers to cover costs.
  • If the airline won't refund you, file a complaint with the Department of Transportation at transportation.gov.

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This follows on from
Why did FAA declare nationwide ground stop of all flights today? What could be the possible cause? Has this happened in the US before?

The FAA grounded every departing flight in the US this afternoon because a telecommunications failure knocked out communications across all Air Route Traffic Control Centers, the facilities that guide planes at high altitudes. Flights already airborne were allowed to land, but no new departures were permitted until further notice. The investigation is live and no cause has been confirmed.

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