Friday’s nationwide ground stop ended on Friday evening, but its effects are carrying into the weekend. The FAA halted departures from about 3:53 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Eastern, roughly four hours and twenty minutes, after communications problems at air traffic facilities. By around 9 p.m., FlightAware counted 4,467 U.S. cancellations and more than 10,000 delays for the day, and early Saturday it already showed more than 2,000 cancellations for November 14, with hundreds of delays on top.
Most major airlines responded with fee waivers, but the fine print differs. United is waiving change fees and fare differences for a new United flight departing November 12 to 20 in the same cabin and between the same cities, with a full refund for travelers who choose not to fly. Delta allows free rebooking for November 13 and 14 flights as long as the change and the new departure fall on or before November 21; cancelling yields an eCredit.
American’s waiver covers tickets bought by November 12 for travel on November 13 or 14, including Basic Economy, with new travel between November 13 and 17. Southwest lets customers rebook or fly standby within five days of the original date at no charge. Frontier waives the change fee for travel on November 13 to 15 but still charges any fare difference. Alaska allows free changes through November 16 for November 13 travel on tickets issued by Alaska, not Hawaiian.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said new technology had overloaded antiquated equipment, causing intermittent communication and radar gaps, and said the new AI routing system was not to blame. If your flight was cancelled or significantly changed and you decline the alternative, federal rules entitle you to an automatic cash refund, though airlines do not have to cover hotels or meals when the cause is outside their control. Check your airline’s waiver page before rebooking, because these terms may be updated.
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