Travel tips for flight cancellations during the government shutdown : NPR

A man looks at the departure board at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Friday, the first day of FAA-mandated flight reductions.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

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Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

The Trump administration is reducing air traffic at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports starting Friday and ramping up over the next week.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the move is intended to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers. As federal employees, they have been working without pay for more than a month due to the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history and with no end in sight.

Delays and disruptions have already hit airports across the country due to a growing staff shortage. New flight restrictions add another layer of uncertainty and stress for travelers.

“This is likely to be quite disruptive, although the vast majority of flights will continue to operate as planned,” says Nick Ewen, senior editorial director of travel website The Points Guy.

Friday’s cancellations represent about a 4% reduction in flights. That number is expected to reach the 10% required by the FAA — or some 4,400 fights per day — by next Friday if the shutdown continues.

Major U.S. airlines say they are trying to minimize disruption and are offering customers additional flexibility to change or refund their tickets during this period, even if their flight is not canceled. The key word is “flexibility,” says Ewen.

“Travelers flying this weekend and next week need to be flexible and ready to pivot if things go wrong,” he says.

Here’s what you need to know if this applies to you.

Which flights could be affected?

Ewen explains that the likelihood of a flight being canceled depends on factors such as the size of the plane, how full it is and the route taken.

“Airlines are really trying to focus on flights that will be the least disruptive, where there are alternatives to get affected customers to their final destination,” he adds.

Airlines United, Delta and Alaska, for example, say their international flights will not be affected.

United also says it will not cancel any flights between its seven main airports, Newark, New Jersey, Chicago, Houston, Denver, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Some airlines have already released flight changes over the weekend, and others next week. They all say they are working to alert passengers of affected flights with as much notice as possible, directly through booking details as well as through their apps and websites.

Ewen says anyone planning to travel should download their airline’s app a few days in advance and make sure notifications are turned on so travelers are, ideally, aware of any changes before arriving at the airport.

“If you go to the airport, remember that a little kindness goes a long way,” he adds. “Yelling at a gate agent, yelling at a customer service agent will not increase the likelihood that you will get a rebooking.”

What if your flight is canceled?

Ewen advises passengers to try to rebook their flight as soon as possible, either through the airline’s app or website, by phone or in person if they are already at the airport.

“If you’re on a plane with 100 passengers that’s canceled, that’s 100 people who need to be accommodated,” says Ewen. “So if you can be among the first five to be accommodated, that will ideally be a better situation than someone who is the 95th guest.”

Airlines, including Alaska, Southwest and JetBlue, say that in most cases, customers on canceled flights will be automatically rebooked on the next available flight, although they can still cancel and get a refund.

Under Department of Transportation rules, customers on significantly delayed or canceled flights who choose not to accept an airline’s rebooking option are entitled to a full refund, regardless of the restriction on their original ticket.

That still applies here, says Ewen. In addition to this, many airlines are giving their customers more options by allowing them to cancel or rebook their flights without change fees.

American Airlines is waiving change fees and refunding affected passengers – in any fare class – if their flight is canceled or they choose not to fly. Delta also allows all customers to change or cancel their flights for free in affected markets. United also says it will refund those who cancel flights and waive change fees (and in some cases, fare differences) for those who rebook.

The details of these exemptions are likely to evolve in the coming days, specifies Ewen.

“The best thing to do is if you’re flying on a particular airline, to go to that airline’s website, read the details of its policy and be aware that it might change,” he says. “So even if your flight isn’t eligible today, it might be eligible later today, or tomorrow, or Monday.”

Should you proactively change your plans?

With so much up in the air, some passengers may be wondering if it’s worth flying.

Ewen says that if your plans are flexible, it may be worth rescheduling them – both to remove some of the potential risk and to add a little “slack to the system” by opening up seats to other people. The same goes for those who can travel by car or train.

“Everyone has their own definition of the importance of taking the trip they booked,” he says. “But if you’re really flexible and you’re like, ‘Yeah, no, I can do it another time,’ it might be a good idea to go ahead and make the decision to cancel.”

What about booking an upcoming trip?

Thanksgiving travel — which can be a headache every year — is a big question mark as the shutdown drags on.

For now, Ewen says, it’s still “safe.” He says people who have already booked Thanksgiving flights shouldn’t rush to cancel them just yet, and those hoping to make plans can still proceed with caution.

“If someone hasn’t yet booked a trip for Thanksgiving and they need to take a flight, I would tell them to try to lock down those plans now, and maybe consider adding travel insurance on top of that or possibly booking a fully refundable ticket in case there are delays or cancellations.”

Mark Friedlander, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, a nonprofit, recommends people research travel insurance policies beyond what airlines offer at checkout, noting that sites like Squaremouth make it easy to compare options.

He says standard policies typically start at between 4 and 10 percent of the cost of a prepaid, non-refundable trip — and while you don’t necessarily have to buy them the same day you book your flight, it’s cheaper to do so sooner rather than later.

There’s a problem: Most standard insurance policies have a “known event clause” for events like natural disasters or political crises, Friedlander says. So travel insurance you take out while the shutdown is already underway will likely not cover the disruption caused by it. That’s why airlines’ extremely flexible policies are “good news for all consumers,” he says.

Ewen of The Points Guy says the longer the shutdown continues, the longer it could take crews and planes to get back on track – all the more reason why airlines and passengers are hoping for a resolution soon.

“Right now, we’re in a little lull in travel before the Thanksgiving rush,” he says. “So if we can iron out the kinks, hopefully we can avoid some major issues during Thanksgiving week. But again, that remains to be seen.”