East Coast flight cancellations top 1,000: What travelers can do – The Points Guy

Flight cancellations mounted by the hundreds after a Federal Aviation Administration outage snarled air traffic for hours on Monday.

By 6 p.m. EDT, airlines had canceled around 1,000 flights across the country.

That included more than half of all departures on Monday planned for Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), which was by far the hardest-hit airport.

But nearly every major hub in the busy Northeast battled residual flight woes on Monday.

The largest U.S. carriers issued travel waivers allowing travelers affected by the disruptions to make changes to their itinerary.

And it’s possible disruptions could spill into Tuesday as airlines get operations back on track.

TPG’s tips: Flight delayed or canceled? Here’s what to do

Why so many flights got canceled on the East Coast

The problems on Monday stemmed from an outage to a critical FAA communications system in Philadelphia.

Making matters worse, a rail worker accidentally cut a fiber line that provides key telecommunications to the nation’s air traffic systems, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

That line had been repaired by early evening, but residual delays and cancellations were expected to mount, Duffy said.

EWR and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) saw the worst of the disruptions.

On top of hundreds of cancellations in Newark, PHL saw around a fifth of all departures shuttered by early evening — and that number was still growing.

Other hubs felt the effects, too.

At one point Monday afternoon, the FAA had issued ground stops for all three of the major hubs in the New York area, along with Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and others.

Those disruptions left travelers stranded, planes stuck on taxiways and other aircraft diverting to different airports.

How airlines are responding

United Airlines, which operates a major hub in Newark, saw its operations affected more than any other carrier.

The airline was at more than 350 cancellations by Monday evening. That number could grow as the carrier works to get aircraft and crews back in the right places.

“We know this outage is a significant disruption for our customers,” United said in a statement to TPG. “Once it is resolved, we will work to safely get them to their destinations.”

United and several of the largest U.S. carriers have issued flexible travel waivers. Most cover Newark and Philadelphia. Depending on the airline and itinerary, travelers affected may be able to re-book, re-schedule their trip or fly out of a different airport in the region.

Here’s a quick rundown of the advisories active right now:

What can you do if your trip is affected?

Here’s what travelers affected by Monday’s disruptions should know.

Federal refund rules still apply

Even though these flight cancellations and delays are generally out of the airlines’ control, federal refund rules remain in place.

Under U.S. Department of Transportation policy, you’re entitled to a refund when your flight is canceled or significantly delayed — for any reason — if you choose not to fly.

This could be helpful if you decide to take a train, drive or stay home instead of traveling. Also, the refund rules can help flyers who opt to book a backup flight on another airline and cancel their original ticket.

Stay glued to your airline app to rebook

Instead of weathering a long line at the airport or a long wait on hold, make sure you’ve downloaded your airline’s app and logged in, attaching all trip information.

Your carrier will likely let you re-book yourself right in the app, which these days is the easiest way to get your itinerary back on track.

Will the airline pay for your hotel and meals?

Typically, airlines won’t cover stranded passengers’ costs when they get stuck because of air traffic control problems.

However, if you booked your flight with a credit card that has built-in travel insurance, you may be able to make a claim and recoup some expenses. Just keep all your receipts!

Of course, every card, plan and situation is different — so go over the fine print before making a claim.

Related reading: