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How to get a refund on your canceled flight following global tech outage

Travelers dealing with flight cancellations from the outage are entitled to a refund if they do not choose to rebook, per DOT policy.

Adam Bettcher/AP

Flight boards show delayed or canceled flights at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport after software issues delayed flights globally, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Minneapolis.

By: Elina Tarkazikis

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and last updated

Airlines are still working to recover after a global technology outage on Friday grounded flights for several carriers.

Flights through the weekend and into the week were canceled, causing chaos for travelers. Some travelers set to fly over the weekend said the next available flight options weren’t for days, as passengers scrambled to rebook.

On Tuesday, there were still over 400 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. that were canceled, according to FlightAware.

Travelers dealing with flight cancellations from the outage are entitled to a refund if they do not choose to rebook, per Department of Transportation policy. The policy states airlines are required to offer refunds in instances where flight disruptions are “controllable.” The DOT considers the outage a “controllable” occurrence and said airlines must fulfill refund requests in this case.

DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg reaffirmed that in a post on X.

“I am hearing reports of some airlines only offering flight credits to passengers for cancelled flights,” said Buttigieg. “Let me be clear — you are entitled to get your money back promptly if your flight is cancelled and you don't take a rebooking.”

I am hearing reports of some airlines only offering flight credits to passengers for cancelled flights. ⁰⁰Let me be clear — you are entitled to get your money back promptly if your flight is cancelled and you don't take a rebooking.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) July 20, 2024

Travelers can request refunds with their respective airlines.

If any airlines are denying refund requests for cancellations related to the outage, customers can file a complaint via this form on the DOT’s website.

Buttigieg called out Delta Air Lines specifically for its mishandling of disruptions on Sunday.

“We have received reports of continued disruptions and unacceptable customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines, including hundreds of complaints filed with the DOT,” Buttigieg said in a post on X.

“I have made clear to Delta that we will hold them to all applicable passenger protections,” he said.

Delta customers looking for a refund can request one at delta.com/refund.

Delta also extended a travel waiver for customers with travel booked from July 19 to July 21. The airline will not charge extra for itinerary changes for those flights so long as rebooked travel occurs on or before July 26.

Customers of any airline can also check with their carrier for offerings like meal vouchers, hotel accommodations and reimbursements for eligible expenses.