Stuck for hours in the ground stop? Unlike Europe, the US won’t pay you cash for the delay; here’s why

Thousands of travellers were left stranded as a result of the FAA's nationwide ground stop on 13th November 2026. Flights were cancelled, delays ran for hours and passengers were left with the bill for what had effectively become a complete flight. But being stranded at an airport doesn't in itself mean that the airline are obliged to pay for your hotel, your meals or any other expenses. It all comes down to the reason for the disruption and the rules that apply under US airline rules. The information is taken froma report by Aero Corner.

Why won't the airlines be paying out FAA ground stop?

The key point is that the disruption on the 13th November was due to an ATC failure, not anything to do with the airlines.


Under the federal reporting rules, ATC problems are in the National Aviation System category. Airline controlled cancellations are the other category (i.e. lack of flight crew, maintenance issues etc).

That distinction is what affects what the passenger can expect. The US Department of Transportation says airlines are committed to providing meals and hotel accommodation for the duration of a delay or cancellation that is within their control. That commitment doesn't extend to a delay or cancellation caused by an external failure.

Delta's domestic contract also includes government requirements and other conditions beyond its control as force majeure events.

What are passengers still entitled to?

The refund rule still applies. There's one protection for the traveller. If an airline cancels a flight you're entitled to a full refund if you choose not to travel, irrespective of the reason for the cancellation.

The same is true when a flight is substantially altered and the passenger refuses the alternative. Refunds must be returned to the original method of payment within 7 business days for credit card payments or 20 calendar days for all other forms of payment.

A domestic flight arrival delayed by 3 hours or more, or an international arrival delayed by 6 hours or more, will qualify as a significant delay under the rules.

Passengers on the tarmac are also covered. The carrier must provide water and a snack within two hours and domestic passengers must be permitted to exit the aircraft within three hours (unless of course safety or other considerations prevent it).

Are airline travel waivers the same as refunds?

No. United, Delta, Alaska and the other airlines have all offered travel waivers as a result of the outage. Those will likely be in the form of credits rather than a cash refund.

KPRC 2 had the waiver story, TheTravel had a piece on a number of the airlines' policies and FOX 5 had a piece on why you should wait for the airline to cancel before you cancel your own.