“Travelers can take comfort from the fact that even during the 2020 pandemic, when huge numbers of flights were canceled, federal regulators still required airlines to provide refunds,” Keyes noted.
Several major airlines, including American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United, have announced fee waivers to allow passengers to change flights without additional charges.
Insurance coverage, however, remains mixed. “Some comprehensive travel insurance policies may help if your flight is delayed or canceled by the airline, but coverage for government shutdown-related disruptions can vary,” said Suzanne Morrow, CEO of InsureMyTrip. She added that “cancel for any reason” coverage offers the best flexibility, reimbursing 50–75% of prepaid, nonrefundable costs if canceled at least 48 hours before departure.
Travel Tech Sees Spike as Travelers Seek Alternatives
With delays mounting, travel platforms are seeing surging use. Hopper reported a 40% increase in air travelers activating its Disruption Assistance tool, which allows instant rebooking or refunds. “Since the start of the shutdown, sales of Disruption Assistance have skyrocketed over 60%,” Hopper said in an email.
