Airline passengers stranded by a nationwide ground stop on Friday have options to change their travel plans without incurring additional fees, and may be entitled to full refunds under federal regulations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the four-hour ground stop shortly after 8 p.m. ET, but airlines have warned of ongoing delays and cancellations extending into the weekend.

Travel experts advise passengers not to cancel their flights themselves if they are still listed as delayed. Voluntarily canceling before an airline officially deems a flight canceled could result in a travel credit instead of a cash refund, which may be due under Department of Transportation rules.

Several major airlines have implemented fee-free rebooking policies for affected travelers:

  • Delta Air Lines extended its fee-free rebooking window through November 21 for flights originally scheduled for November 13 and 14. Passengers can change plans without change fees and, in some cases, fare differences if they remain in the same cabin and booking class.
  • United Airlines is waiving change fees and fare differences for flights booked between November 12 and November 20. New bookings must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as the original itinerary. The airline stated, "You can reschedule your trip and we’ll waive change fees and fare differences." Passengers opting not to travel can cancel for a full refund.
  • American Airlines is waiving change fees for all fare classes, including Basic Economy, for tickets purchased by November 12 for travel on November 13 or 14. Rebooked flights must depart between November 13 and November 17 and follow the same routes, though fare differences may still apply.
  • Southwest Airlines permits affected passengers to rebook without change fees within five days of their original travel date.
  • Frontier Airlines is offering fee-free flight changes for travel scheduled between November 13 and 15.
  • Alaska Airlines is allowing affected travelers to change or cancel flights without incurring change fees or fare differences.
  • JetBlue is waiving change and cancellation fees, as well as fare differences, for passengers scheduled to fly on Friday, provided tickets were purchased before that day. Affected travelers can rebook online for travel through November 18.

United and JetBlue announced that many of their remaining Friday night flights were canceled, with some international routes being exceptions.

Federal regulations also provide protections. The Department of Transportation mandates that airlines must issue a full refund if they cancel a flight and the passenger declines an alternative flight or chooses not to travel. This rule applies regardless of the reason for cancellation, including FAA-ordered ground stops.

Significant delays can also qualify passengers for refunds. The DOT generally defines a significant delay as three hours or more for domestic flights and six hours or more for international flights, based on arrival time. Accepting an alternative flight or a travel credit typically forfeits the right to a refund.

According to the DOT’s airline customer service dashboard, airlines may also provide meal vouchers and hotel accommodations for cancellations or significant delays within their control.