Winter Storm Hernando has triggered one of the vital disruptive aviation occasions of the 2026 journey season. In line with Enterprise Traveller, between Sunday and Tuesday, carriers scrubbed greater than 10,000 flights, with Monday alone producing roughly 5,600 to five,700 cancellations — shut to twenty % of scheduled departures nationwide.
In case your flight was amongst them, what occurs subsequent is totally as much as what you already know about your rights — and most airways are relying on you not realizing sufficient.
The Rule Airways Hope You Neglect
Right here is the only most necessary reality stranded passengers must know: you’re entitled to a full money refund in case your flight was canceled — even when it was canceled due to climate, and even when your ticket was non-refundable.
Beneath US Division of Transportation guidelines, in case your flight is canceled, you’re entitled to a full money refund — not simply credit or journey vouchers — in case you select to not take another flight.
This is applicable to all passengers, together with these touring on a non-refundable ticket, and in addition covers ancillary charges like checked baggage and seat choice.
The catch airways depend on: the second you settle for a rebooking or a journey voucher, you forfeit that refund. Journey professional Scott Keyes put it plainly in a widely-shared submit this week, advising passengers: “In case you don’t need to journey — get a full refund and name it a day. By no means take a voucher — airways are legally required to refund you in case you don’t like what they rebooked you on.”
What Airways Are NOT Required to Cowl
That is the place many vacationers get burned. As a result of Hernando is classed as an “uncontrollable occasion,” carriers aren’t legally required to supply meals, resort stays, or monetary compensation for delays or cancellations. If you find yourself paying for an evening at a resort or meals whereas stranded, there are not any federal rules requiring the airline to reimburse you — it’s fully as much as the airline’s customer support workforce.
That mentioned, a number of airways are voluntarily providing some lodging, so it’s all the time value asking on the gate — simply don’t rely on it.
Methods to Truly Get Your Cash Again
Money refunds should be automated and immediate. In line with the DOT’s Computerized Refund Rule, refunds should be processed inside seven enterprise days for bank card purchases and 20 enterprise days for different cost strategies — and airways can now not substitute vouchers or journey credit with out the passenger’s express approval.
If the airline is sluggish or resistant, your subsequent finest transfer is your bank card. Keyes particularly really helpful: “File a declare together with your bank card firm or journey insurance coverage for all further prices — resort, new flights, Uber, meals. Many bank cards have free protection as much as $10,000 per individual so long as you used that card to pay for the journey.”
The Waiver Window Is Nonetheless Open
In line with CNBC, American, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit, and United have all waived charges and fare variations for passengers who need to rebook, with some versatile rebooking insurance policies extending by means of March 4. The waivers cowl main Northeast airports together with JFK, LGA, EWR, BOS, and PHL for journey initially booked on or earlier than February 19.
In case you do need to rebook somewhat than refund, skip the airport assist desk totally — traces are hours lengthy. Rebooking by means of an airline’s app or web site typically saves hours, and plenty of carriers routinely defend passengers on the subsequent accessible itinerary. Keyes additionally steered monitoring Google Flights for seats to open up and reserving with miles when doable, permitting for a penalty-free refund if one thing higher turns into accessible.
Count on Disruptions to Proceed Via the Week
Whilst Hernando strikes offshore, airline restoration stays advanced. Plane and crews are displaced, upkeep home windows compress, and crew duty-time rules impose further constraints. Aviation consultants warn that vacationers flying Tuesday by means of Thursday ought to construct in further buffer time and monitor alerts intently, because the ripple impact of this scale of disruption usually takes 72–96 hours to totally clear from the community.
