Flight Delays and Cancellations: Now What? - NerdWallet (2024)

Thursday night’s global technology outage is continuing to affect air travelers today, and it may be hours before airlines can catch up.

The outage was caused by a software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which affected millions of devices using Microsoft, including computers used by airlines, banks and other businesses. Even though CrowdStrike says a fix was deployed and airlines have resumed operations, there will continue to be cancellations and delays today.

As of 2:30 p.m. EST, more than 2,000 flights within, in and out of the U.S. were canceled today — and that’s not counting the delays, which totaled more than 7,000, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

If you are flying today, check your flight status frequently with your airline before you go to the airport. The most up-to-date information is usually in the airline’s app, so make sure to download it ahead of time for quick access to the latest updates.

You might also want to monitor updates from your departure airport. Some airports are experiencing delays of two hours or more, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the hardest hit airport in the U.S. right now, experiencing average delays of 374 minutes (roughly 6 hours) for departures. New York City-area airports are also some of the hardest hit, with John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) delays averaging 171 minutes (nearly 3 hours) and LaGuardia (LGA) averaging 129 minutes (just over 2 hours).

Here are some other steps you can take if you are one of the affected passengers traveling or planning to travel today.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines have issued waivers for passengers traveling today from certain airports. These waivers will allow passengers to change flights to another day without having to pay a fare difference or change fee. You cannot change the departure or arrival airport or your cabin.

Delta’s and Frontier’s waiver applies to all customers flying today, regardless of airport. Spirit Airlines’ waiver applies to all customers flying today and tomorrow.

American’s waiver, meanwhile, is available for flyers traveling to, from or through these airports:

The United Airlines waiver affects travelers going to, from or through these airports:

If an airline cancels your flights, look for rebooking options in the app or online right away. That’ll be faster than waiting for a customer service agent over the phone or at the airport. Keep in mind that airlines are being bombarded with calls and messages right now, so expect longer on hold times.

Here are the cancellation policies by airline:

If you must fly out today, get comfortable at the airport. You might be waiting a while. This is when a credit card with lounge access might be handy. Though you probably won’t be escaping crowds there, it might give you a more comfortable place to sit while you wait it out.

In the interim, you can work on getting your flight delay compensation to pay for meals at the airport during the delay. Most airlines will give meal vouchers for delays of three hours or more.

Here are the flight delay compensation policies by airline:

When an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) only requires airlines to refund passengers if the passenger chooses not to accept the rebooking. If you opt to not travel with your original airline or you simply decide not to travel altogether, you are entitled to a refund.

If you have made it to your destination but your beloved checked luggage has not, hold out hope.

When your luggage doesn’t arrive on the same flight as you, it’s considered delayed. Your bag won’t be considered lost until it cannot be located for a specific number of days as determined by the airline, usually between 5-14 days after your flight.

According to the DOT, you are entitled to compensation for reasonable incidental expenses you incur because of your delayed baggage, up to the maximum liability limits, set by statute. For U.S. domestic flights, this is $3,800 per passenger; international flights are capped at around $1,700 per passenger, in accordance with the Montreal Convention.

Or start filing your claim: