The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that in response to the government's failure to reopen, it will cull the flight schedule in the United States by about 10% starting Friday, November 7.
The cuts affect primarily domestic flights at some 40 airports across the nation. An estimated 268,000 passengers will be grounded by the cancellation of the first 1,800 flights.
If your flight plans are impacted by the flight reduction, it's crucial to know the official rebooking policy of your airline so that you can make alternative plans.
Alaska Airlines / Hawaiian Airlines
Official statement: "Guests whose flights are canceled will be reaccommodated on other flights as available or offered a full refund. Those whose flights are impacted will receive communication directly from Alaska and Hawaiian. We have also issued a flexible travel policy that allows guests to adjust their travel during this uncertain time. We encourage all guests to check the status of their flights on the Alaska or Hawaiian app or our websites alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com to utilize self-service rebooking options."
American Airlines
"As schedule changes are made, we’ll proactively reach out to customers who are impacted," American announced. "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."
Delta Air Lines
"We are providing additional flexibility to our customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets during the impacted travel period to change, cancel or refund their flights, including Delta Main Basic fares, without penalty during this travel period," Delta announced.
Frontier Airlines
"Where changes to flight schedules are necessary, we will proactively communicate with impacted customers via email, text, and the Frontier mobile app. Customers whose flights are canceled or delayed for more than 3 hours (domestic flights) or 6 hours (international flights) are able to rebook or to request a refund online," Frontier announced.
"We have also issued a flexible travel policy for any customer traveling during this period who would like to change or cancel their travel plans. Changes or cancellations can be made on the Frontier website or app. We will continue to post the latest updates for customers on our Travel Alerts page."
JetBlue
"If your flight is affected, we’ll reach out using the contact information in your reservation," JetBlue says. "In most cases, we’ll automatically rebook you on the next available JetBlue flight. If your flight is canceled and you decide not to travel, you can request a full refund."
Southwest Airlines
According to Southwest's information page: "If your flight is canceled, we will notify you via the contact information you shared with us at booking. You will also see a message on our app and website if you retrieve a trip with a canceled flight.
- "In most cases, we will automatically rebook you on another flight. You will receive a follow-up message once you’ve been rebooked.
- "If your flight has been canceled and you decide not to travel, you are eligible for a refund. See details about your available options. If your new itinerary doesn’t work, you can rebook your flight.
- "If you choose not to travel on your new itinerary, please cancel your reservation at least 10 minutes before the new flight's scheduled departure time in accordance with our no-show policy."
United Airlines
"We'll use our app, website, and push notifications to communicate to customers directly if their flight changes, and to offer rebooking options," United's CEO, Scott Kirby, announced. "Any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly—even if their flight isn't impacted. That includes non-refundable tickets and those customers with basic economy tickets."
You can also find each airline's policies for cancellations and delays, including whether you'll be entitled to assistance or compensation, at the Department of Transportation's Airline Customer Service Dashboard (www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-customer-service-dashboard).