Ground stop lifted Last checked: November 14, 2026 · 12:45 p.m. ET

FAA Ground Stop Aftermath: What to Do if Your Flight Is Delayed or Canceled

Quick answer: The nationwide FAA ground stop is over, but flight disruption can continue.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, 2026, after communications problems affected multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The order was lifted Friday evening after more than four hours. Airlines restarted departures, but aircraft and flight crews were out of position, so delays and cancellations continued into Saturday.

If you are flying today: check the airline’s own flight-status page before leaving for the airport. If your flight is canceled or significantly changed, compare the airline’s rebooking offer with your U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) refund rights before accepting a voucher or replacement itinerary.

Important: A travel waiver is not the same as a legal refund right.

Airline change-fee waivers have narrow ticket, route and date conditions. Separately, DOT rules can require a refund when an airline cancels a flight or makes a qualifying significant change and you decide not to travel or accept the alternative. Read the refund section before choosing a credit or rebooking.

Watch: Official White House Update on the FAA Ground Stop

This November 13 briefing features Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin discussing the nationwide ground stop. It explains the federal response; it does not determine whether an individual ticket qualifies for a refund.

Video not loading? Watch it on YouTube. · Published by The White House on November 13, 2026.

Check Your Flight Before You Leave for the Airport

The nationwide ground stop has been lifted. That does not mean every airline has returned to its normal schedule. Airlines are still working through aircraft and crew repositioning, and a flight can change after you have checked in.

Open your airline’s app or flight-status page and search by flight number or route.
Check again before leaving home and before boarding. Do not rely only on an old email or a third-party flight tracker.
If the airline has canceled or changed your flight, open Manage Booking and save the new itinerary and all notifications.
If you have a connection, check every flight segment and confirm whether the airline has protected the entire journey.
If you need to remain near the airport, ask the airline what it will provide, but do not assume a hotel or meal is guaranteed for an air-traffic-control disruption.

Flight Cancellation, Rebooking and Refund Guide

Choose what happened to your flight to see the next steps and the relevant airline notice. This guide uses your answers; it does not connect to airline reservations, check live flight status or guarantee that a waiver or refund applies to your booking.

Which airline are you flying?

What happened to your flight?

Is your itinerary domestic or international?

For a changed or delayed flight, what is the impact?

What do you want to do?

Where did you buy the ticket?

Important: This is an information guide, not legal advice or a live eligibility decision. DOT refund rules discussed here generally concern air transportation to, from or within the United States. For journeys entirely outside the United States, check the applicable country’s passenger-rights rules.

What Happened During the November 13 FAA Ground Stop?

Airline Rebooking Waivers: What Was Available on November 14?

The table below summarizes the special notices visible on airline websites when this page was checked on November 14, 2026. A waiver is not automatically available to every passenger. Ticket purchase date, route, original travel date, operating carrier, cabin and rebooking deadline can all matter.

Time-sensitive: American’s change-by date is November 14.

American’s published ground-stop waiver says eligible changes must be booked by November 14, 2026. Check the live alert and your reservation before relying on it. Other carriers also impose their own original-departure and ticket-issue conditions.

Airline	Published special waiver conditions	Official notice
American Airlines	For travel to/from/through 21 specified airports (ATL, AUS, BTR, BHM, BOS, CLT, ORD, DFW, GSP, LAX, MIA, BNA, JFK, LGA, EWR, OKC, PHL, PHX, TLH, TPA and DCA); ticket bought by November 12; original travel November 13–14; rebooked travel November 13–17; changes booked by November 14. Origin/destination must stay the same; same cabin or fare difference may apply.	Check AA travel alert
Delta	Systemwide affected travel November 13–15; ticket issued by November 14; change by November 22 and new travel by November 22. Same-cabin and booking-class inventory conditions apply; route changes may create a fare difference. Delta advised flexible travelers to consider moving to November 16 or later.	Check Delta waiver
JetBlue	JetBlue-operated travel November 13–14; original booking made before November 13; rebook for travel through November 18 before the original scheduled departure. Change/cancel fees and fare differences are waived within the notice conditions. Groups of 10 or more must call.	Check JetBlue alert
Southwest	Active reservations for travel November 13–16 may qualify for changes or standby within five days of the original travel date, between the original city pairs, without a change in airfare. Only eligible city/date combinations qualify.	Check Southwest advisory
United	United’s travel-waiver page lists the Nationwide ATC Outage, affected travel dates November 13–14 and waiver code 7JC9H. Confirm the precise ticket and route conditions in the live United notice or Manage Booking.	Check United waiver

These are the carrier-specific disruption waivers, not a statement that every passenger has a cash-refund right under the waiver. If an airline’s waiver offers an eCredit, compare it with your separate DOT refund rights before accepting.

Can You Get a Refund After the FAA Ground Stop?

Yes, a qualifying refund right can still apply even when the disruption was caused by air traffic control rather than the airline. Under DOT rules, if an airline cancels a flight and you decide not to travel or accept the alternative, you are entitled to a refund of the ticket price regardless of the reason for the cancellation.

A refund can also be due after a significant schedule change if you reject the changed itinerary and do not travel. The key issue is what the airline did to your ticket and whether you accepted the replacement—not simply whether the FAA issued a ground stop. DOT does not require an airline to provide alternative transportation after a cancellation or significant delay, although airlines commonly offer rebooking under their own policies and customer-service commitments.

What counts as a significant delay or change?

Change	DOT significance test
Domestic itinerary	Scheduled arrival is at least 3 hours later, or departure is at least 3 hours earlier than originally scheduled.
International itinerary	Scheduled arrival is at least 6 hours later, or departure is at least 6 hours earlier.
Airport change	Origin or destination airport is changed.
Extra connection	The new itinerary adds another connection point.
Cabin downgrade	You are involuntarily moved to a lower class of service. If you still travel, the fare difference is due back.

The DOT rules also recognize certain itinerary changes involving different connecting airports or unavailable accessibility features for travelers with disabilities. Check the DOT’s full explanation if that applies to you.

If you want a refund instead of traveling

Save the cancellation notice or the original and revised itinerary.
Tell the airline that you are declining the replacement flight and want a refund to the original form of payment.
Do not accept a voucher, travel credit, miles or replacement itinerary if your intention is to take the DOT refund instead.
Keep a copy of your request and the airline’s response.
If the refund is not issued when due, use the DOT complaint route linked below.

Refund timing: DOT says refunds are generally due within 7 business days for credit-card payments and 20 calendar days for other payment methods after the applicable rejection or refund trigger.

A small delay does not automatically mean a refund.

If your flight is still operating and the schedule change does not meet the DOT significant-change definition, federal refund rules may not require a cash refund. Your airline’s own policy, ticket conditions, travel insurance or card benefits may still offer options. Do not cancel a non-refundable ticket yourself before checking.

Will the Airline Pay for a Hotel, Meals or Other Expenses?

Do not assume that the FAA ground stop automatically entitles every passenger to a hotel, meal voucher, cash compensation or reimbursement for every expense.

DOT’s airline customer-service dashboard describes commitments for cancellations and delays caused by circumstances within an airline’s control, such as maintenance or crew problems. This incident began with an air-traffic-control communications issue, so those controllable-disruption promises do not automatically create a hotel or meal entitlement for every affected passenger.

Ask your airline what it will provide in your specific case. Keep itemized receipts and check any travel-insurance policy or eligible credit-card travel protections. A refund of unused airfare is a separate issue from reimbursement of hotel, food, ground transport or other incidental expenses.

See the DOT Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard.

Booked Through Expedia, Priceline or a Travel Agent?

What to Do if You Are Already at the Airport

Do not leave the secure area without checking your replacement flight. If you have checked baggage or a connecting itinerary, ask the airline how it will be handled.
Use the airline app and airport display together. If they conflict, ask an airline agent to confirm the operating status and gate.
Ask about same-day alternatives. Ask whether you can be moved to another flight on the same route or a nearby airport, and whether any fare difference applies.
Protect your connection. If the first flight is late, ask the airline to protect or rebook the remaining segments before you travel.
Keep records. Save boarding passes, cancellation alerts, rebooking screenshots, receipts and names or reference numbers from customer-service conversations.
For an overnight disruption, ask the airline whether it will provide hotel or meal assistance, but confirm before booking an expensive non-refundable option.

FAA Ground Stop: Frequently Asked Questions

Is the FAA nationwide ground stop still in effect?

No. The November 13 nationwide ground stop was lifted Friday evening. Airlines resumed departures, but flight schedules continued recovering on Saturday as aircraft and crews were repositioned. Check your individual flight with the airline before traveling.

Why did the FAA ground stop happen?

The FAA said communications problems affected multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Transportation officials discussed overloaded or aging equipment, while the investigation was continuing. Do not treat a cyberattack or a specific equipment failure as confirmed unless the FAA publishes that finding.

Does the FAA ground stop mean every U.S. flight was canceled?

No. A ground stop restricts departures for the affected period; it does not mean every scheduled flight was canceled. Some aircraft were already airborne, and airlines resumed departures after the order was lifted. Individual flight status depends on the route, airline and recovery of aircraft and crews.

Can I get a refund if the FAA caused the disruption?

Potentially, yes. DOT says a passenger is entitled to a refund if the airline cancels a flight and the passenger chooses not to travel or accept an alternative, regardless of the reason. A refund can also be due after a DOT-defined significant schedule change if the passenger declines the new itinerary. The rules apply to covered flights to, from or within the United States.

What delay qualifies for a refund under DOT rules?

A scheduled arrival at least 3 hours later for a domestic itinerary or at least 6 hours later for an international itinerary can qualify. A departure at least 3 hours earlier domestically or 6 hours earlier internationally can also qualify. A change of origin or destination airport, an added connection or an involuntary downgrade can also count as a significant change.

Will I automatically receive a hotel or meal voucher?

Not necessarily. DOT’s airline service dashboards cover commitments for controllable airline-caused disruptions. This event involved an air-traffic-control communications issue. Ask your airline about its specific assistance policy, keep receipts and review your travel-insurance or card benefits.

How long does an eligible airline refund take?

DOT says refunds are generally due within 7 business days for credit-card payments and 20 calendar days for other payment methods after the applicable refund trigger, such as rejecting an alternative offer.

Who refunds a ticket booked through an online travel agency?

The ticket agent that was the merchant of record is responsible for the airfare refund when the agent took the payment as merchant of record. Check your card statement to identify the company that processed the ticket charge. Airline handling of rebooking and refund handling can involve different companies.

Should I accept an airline voucher?

Only after comparing it with your options. If you are entitled to a DOT refund and want money back to the original payment method, accepting a travel credit or voucher instead of a refund can mean giving up that refund for the disruption. Read the airline’s offer carefully before accepting it.

Update policy: This page summarizes the situation and airline notices checked on November 14, 2026, at 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time. Special waiver windows can expire or change. Always verify your own flight and ticket eligibility on the airline’s live website before making a booking decision.