Can You Get a Refund If Your Flight Is Delayed or Cancelled Because of the Government Shutdown?
Written by
Heather Altamirano
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Rebekah Evans
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Flight disruptions continue to inconvenience travelers amid the record-breaking long government shutdown, which has prompted major airlines to cancel 6% of flights at the country’s biggest airports to meet the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) request, per NBC News. With flights in chaos, passengers are now asking a crucial question: Am I entitled to a refund?
Here are the Department of Transportation (DOT) rules and what experts say about flight plans if they are affected.
Canceled Flights
According to DOT’s website, airlines are required to provide a full and prompt refund if they cancel a flight, regardless of the reason, including non-refundable tickets if the passenger declines the airline’s offers, such as rebooking on a different flight or travel vouchers.
Delayed Flights
Delayed flights are also refundable if the passenger no longer travels or accepts the airline’s forms of compensation, such as travel credit or vouchers, per DOT. The flight must be delayed by at least 3 hours for domestic flights and 6 hours for international flights.
If travelers choose to take a delayed flight or accept a different flight the airline offers, they’re not eligible for a refund, per the DOT guidelines.
Baggage Delay
If a traveler pays to check a bag and it’s delayed by 12 hours or more on a domestic flight or by more than 15 hours on an international flight, you can get a refund. The time starts ticking when you deplane at your final destination and stops when you get your bag, according to the DOT.
Additional Compensation
Dealing with a canceled or delayed flight is a headache, but there will be no additional compensation beyond a refund.
“Airlines will absolutely classify shutdown-related delays as ‘extraordinary circumstances’ outside their control — like weather,” said Evan M. Oshan, Esq., founder and principal attorney of Oshan & Associates, P.C. “That means you get rebooking, but zero compensation — they’ll say ‘it’s the government’s fault, not ours’ and wash their hands of it,” he explained.
Overall Airport Recovery Won’t Be Immediate
While lawmakers are in talks to end the shutdown, airport chaos will continue once the government reopens.
“Aircraft and crews are out of position from days of cancellations, so airlines have to carefully rebuild their schedules as capacity slowly ramps back up,” explained Jesse Neugarten, CEO of Dollar Flight Club.
Additionally, travelers should be prepared for higher costs because airlines are losing money during the shutdown, Oshan said.
“I’m already seeing carriers quietly cutting routes for Q1 2026,” he explained. “Even when the shutdown ends, here’s what’s going to happen: airlines will blame it but keep prices high long after — I’ve seen this playbook before.”
Expect Delays at Major Hubs
Passengers traveling through hubs like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles and New York will likely experience most of the fallout from the shutdown.
“That’s where tight connections mean a single disruption can ripple across the country,” Neugarten said.
These airports have zero slack in their system, so even one controller shortage creates a nationwide domino effect, Oshan said while pointing out that smaller cities will feel the pain as well.
“Airlines will cut direct flights and blame the shutdown, but honestly, they’ve been looking for excuses to cut unprofitable routes anyway,” he explained. “Budget carriers will suffer more because they don’t have the backup aircraft, spare crews or infrastructure of legacy carriers-they’re running on duct tape and prayer even in good times.”
As flights are cut to comply with FAA regulations, travelers need to stay informed by downloading the airline’s app for the latest updates and asking what the company is willing to do to help consumers during the shutdown. “[Also] if you have an airline credit card, use it — dirty secret: airlines take care of their cardholders first when rebooking,” Oshan said.
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