What to do if your flight gets canceled because of the government shutdown

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 aims to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers. As federal employees, they have been working without pay for over a month due to the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history with no end in sight.

Delays and disruptions have already hit airports across the country as a result of escalating staffing shortages. The new flight restrictions add another layer of uncertainty and stress for travelers.

"It does have the potential to be quite disruptive, even though the vast majority of flights are still going to operate as scheduled," says Nick Ewen, senior editorial director of The Points Guy travel website.

The cancelations Friday represent about a 4% reduction in flights. That number is expected to ramp up to the FAA-required 10% — or some 4,400 flights daily — by next Friday if the shutdown continues.

Major U.S. airlines say they are trying to minimize disruptions and are granting customers extra flexibility to change or refund their tickets during this period — even if their flight isn't canceled. The key word is "flexibility," Ewen says.

"Travelers that are flying this weekend into next week, they have to be flexible and ready to pivot if things go wrong," he says.

Here's what to know if that applies to you.

Which flights could be affected? 

Ewen says the likelihood of a flight getting canceled comes down to factors such as the size of the plane, how full it is and what route it is flying.

"The airlines are really trying to focus on those flights that are going to be least disruptive, where there are … alternatives to get affected customers to their final destination," he adds.

United, Delta and Alaska airlines, for instance, say their international flights will not be affected.

United also says it is not canceling any flights operating among its seven hub airports, in Newark, N.J., Chicago, Houston, Denver, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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

Ewen says anyone planning to travel should download their airline's app days in advance and make sure notifications are enabled so travelers will, ideally, know about any changes before they actually get to the airport.

"If you do go to the airport, remember that a little kindness goes a long way," he adds. "Screaming at a gate agent, yelling at a customer service agent is not going to increase the likelihood of you getting rebooked."

What if your flight gets 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're already at the airport.

"If you're on a plane with 100 passengers that gets canceled, that's 100 people that have to be accommodated," Ewen says. "So if you can be among the first five to get accommodated, that's going to be ideally a better situation than someone who's the 95th customer."

Airlines including Alaska, Southwest and JetBlue say that in most cases, customers on canceled flights will be automatically rebooked on the next available flight, though they can still cancel for 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 how restrictive their original ticket was.

That still applies here, Ewen says. On top of that, many airlines are giving customers more options by allowing them to cancel or rebook their flights without change fees.

American Airlines is waiving change fees, refunding affected passengers — in any fare class — if their flight is canceled or they choose not to fly. Delta is similarly letting all customers 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 specifics of these waivers are likely to evolve in the coming days, Ewen says.

"The best thing to do is if you are flying on a particular airline, look at that airline's website, read through the details of the policy that they have and know that it could change," he says. "So even if your flight is not eligible today, it could be later today, or it could be tomorrow, or it could be on Monday."

Should you change your plans proactively?

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

Ewen says if your plans are flexible, it may be worth rescheduling — both to remove some of the potential risk and add some "slack back to the system" by opening up seats for other people. The same is true for those who may be able to travel by car or train instead.

"Everyone has their own definition of how important it is to take the trip that they have booked," he says. "But if you are truly flexible and you're like, 'Yeah, no, I can do this some other time,' it could be a good idea to go ahead and make that decision to cancel."

What about booking upcoming travel? 

Thanksgiving travel — which can be a headache any year — is one big question mark as the shutdown stretches on.

At the moment, Ewen says, it's still "safe-ish." He says people who've 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 has not booked Thanksgiving travel yet and they have to take a flight, I would say go ahead and try to lock those plans in now, and maybe consider either adding travel insurance on top of that or potentially booking a fully refundable ticket in case there are going to be delays or cancellations."

Mark Friedlander, a spokesperson for the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute, recommends people shop around for 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% of the cost of a prepaid, nonrefundable 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 than later.

There is one catch: Most standard policies have a "known event clause" for things like natural disasters or political crises, Friedlander says. So the travel insurance you buy while the shutdown is already happening is not likely to cover any disruptions caused by it. That's why airlines' extra-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 airlines and passengers alike are hoping for a resolution soon.

"Right now, we're in a little bit of a travel lull before that Thanksgiving rush," he says. "So if we can get things dealt with, hopefully we'll be able to avoid some of the major issues during Thanksgiving week. But again, that just remains to be seen."