Specifically, regional domestic flights seem to be the first ones on the chopping block. United, for one, says its domestic hub-to-hub flight routes won’t be affected. United operates seven hubs within the US: Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington, DC (IAD)—the carrier’s flights between those airports should continue to operate.
“That’s important to maintain the integrity of our network, give impacted customers as many options as possible to resume their trip, and sustain our crew pairing systems,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a note to customers. “Instead, we will focus our schedule reductions on regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hubs.”
What happens if my flight is cancelled?
Airlines are proactively reaching out to affected customers with cancelled flights due to the FAA reduction plan. If you have a flight in the next week or so, be sure to monitor any email address or phone number you submitted to your airline during the booking process. Fliers should also monitor the status of their flight on their airline’s website or mobile app.
For travelers whose flights are cancelled, the majority of US airlines have said they will automatically rebook passengers on the next available flight. However, it’s important to remember that if your flight is cancelled and you no longer wish to travel, you are entitled to a full cash refund from the airline under federal regulations.
Many carriers are offering change fee waivers so that passengers with flights during the reduction period can adjust their travel plans at no charge, including travelers with restrictive basic economy fares. Here are the fee waiver details for American, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Southwest.
This is a developing news story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
