Updated at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 13: The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted the ground stop. There is no indication of a cyberattack.
The Federal Aviation Administration halted all U.S. departing flights today, Nov. 13, after reporting communications issues affecting air traffic control centers across the nation.
Many travelers across the nation are wondering what to do next as they wait to hear further news about their flight. If your flight is severely delayed or cancelled due to the FAA ground stop, here is what you can do.
- The FAA issued a rare nationwide ground stop on Nov. 13 after a telecommunications issue affected air traffic control centers, halting departing U.S. flights.
- Because the disruption is outside the airline’s control, carriers are not legally required to cover hotels, meals, or ground transportation, though it is still worth asking what they offer.
- Travel insurance’s trip delay, missed connection, and baggage delay coverage can help with added costs, but only if your policy was already in place before the ground stop.
- Keep every receipt and document the disruption (delay and cancellation notices, baggage reports, and claim tags) to support any travel insurance or credit card claims.
What We Currently Know About the FAA Ground Stops
The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop citing a rare telecommunications issue affecting air traffic control centers until further notice. Flights already in the air can continue to their final destination, while international flights coming into the U.S. are being managed and cleared on a “case-by-case” basis.
Even once departures are cleared to continue after the ground stop, travelers can expect cancellations and crowded flights into the weekend due to ripple effects and planes needing to catch up on their flight schedules.
What Can Travelers Do During the FAA Ground Stop?
Because this is out of the airline’s control, federal law does not force airlines to pay for hotel rooms, meals, or ground transportation. However, it can still be important to ask your airline what options there are available.
If you choose to rebook, keep in mind that you may not be entitled to a refund; therefore, it is worth thinking through your options before you decide to rebook your flight. Connecting flights also matter in this scenario; if you plan to rebook one flight, make sure your second one is also covered.
For those who have purchased travel insurance, trip delay coverage can pay for your meals, hotels, and transportation once the delay exceeds a set number of hours, often 3-6 hours. Missed connection coverage through travel insurance could also help you catch back up on the next flight to reach your destination. It is important to know that you must have a policy before the FAA ground stop happened, so a policy purchased now won’t cover today’s events or the potential ripple effects over the weekend.
If you purchased your flights and hotels through your credit card, it can also be beneficial to review your credit card’s travel benefits and see how you can get reimbursed for a major travel delay and potential missed connections.
Whether through a credit card or travel insurance, it is important to keep receipts of food, hotels, ground transportation, and rebooking to help with your claims process. Make sure to also screenshot the airline’s delay and cancellation notices, and specifically the status of your flight.
What Will Happen to Checked Baggage?
As airlines rebook passengers, checked bags are more likely to be separated from travelers or sent on a different route than the one you end up flying. If you are rebooked onto a new flight, there is no guarantee your bag will follow you on the same one, so keep an eye on your baggage as delays ripple out over the next few days.
If you have travel insurance or a travel credit card, baggage delay coverage can reimburse you for essential items, such as toiletries, a change of clothes, and chargers, when your checked bags do not arrive with you within a set waiting period, often somewhere between 6 and 24 hours depending on your policy. If a bag is ultimately lost rather than just delayed, that typically falls under a separate baggage loss benefit, which reimburses the value of your belongings up to the policy’s limit.
Conclusion
A nationwide ground stop is a reminder of how quickly travel plans can fall apart because of circumstances no traveler can control. While the airlines may not be legally required to cover your expenses this time, you are not necessarily out of options.
For travelers who already hold a travel insurance policy, this is the kind of moment travel insurance is built for. Trip delay, missed connection, and baggage delay benefits can help absorb the unexpected costs of extra meals, hotel nights, and rebooking while you wait for flights to resume. Review your travel insurance policy and your credit card’s travel protections, keep thorough documentation of every delay and expense, and stay in close contact with your airline as the situation develops.
