What you can and can't get if your flight is delayed or canceled during the shutdown

As the federal government enters its second week, shortages of air traffic controllers have disrupted flights and caused delays at some U.S. airports.

Experts warn that the impact could grow significantly worse if the government shutdown continues and employees start to miss paychecks.

Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, cautioned that the shutdown is different from when a single airline is having problems and travelers can just pick another airline. This is creating problems for entire airports at once.

"This is the entire airport-airline infrastructure," Potter said. "As these problems expand and spread, and the longer the shutdown drags on, it’s unlikely that there will be one airline running on time if the rest of them are failing. It’s going to affect the entire system over time."

So, here’s what to know about your rights as a passenger and what you can do if delays and cancellations start piling up.

Check before going to the airport

What you can do:

According to experts, it is better to be stuck at home or in a hotel than to be stranded in an airport terminal, so use the airline’s app or flight websites to make sure that your flight is still on or on time before heading to the airport. 

This FAA site can be checked to see if there are widespread delays at your airport.

What if my flight was canceled? 

What's next:

If you are already at the airport, it is time to find another flight. Get in line to speak to a customer service representative, and call or go online to connect to the airline’s reservations staff.

Airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge. The good news right now is that this is not a peak travel time yet, so travelers stand a better chance of finding seats. 

Keep in mind, airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including the biggest ones except Southwest and the discount airlines, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then it’s often hit or miss. 

Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, previously recommended researching alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.

Am I owed a refund?

Dig deeper:

If you no longer want to take the trip or have found another way of getting to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

"If the airline cancels your flight, you can say, ‘Alright. I will take a refund and get my money back,’" Potter said. "The important piece is that you get your payment returned to you. You’re not just settling for an airline voucher that may expire in a year or less."

You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.

Can I get compensation?

Meanwhile, U.S. airlines are not required to pay additional cash compensation and cover lodging and meals for passengers who are stranded, even if a flight cancellation is the airline’s fault.

The Biden administration proposed a rule that would have changed that and required airlines to pay passengers for delays and cancellations in more circumstances. But the Trump administration scrapped that last month.

Potter cautioned that it can be hard to get compensation when there are problems.

"In the United States, Americans have shockingly few rights as travelers. When things go wrong, it’s really left up to the airline industry to decide what it means to do right by customers," Potter continued.

Government shutdown causes airport delays

The backstory:

Reagan National Airport became the latest this week to report delays because of staffing issues Wednesday. But earlier in the week there were problems at airports in Chicago, Newark, Denver and Nashville, and the tower even had to shut down in Burbank, California.

During a press conference on Monday in New Jersey, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said they have seen an increase in sick calls among air traffic controllers who are not being paid during the shutdown but are expected to work.

RELATED: As government shutdown continues, flight delays could soon pick up

"In a job that's already stressful, this shutdown has put way more stress on our controllers," said Duffy.  "So we're tracking sick calls, sick leave, and we had a slight tick up in sick calls, yes. And then you'll see delays that come from that." 

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) represents some 20,000 air traffic controllers and posted a message on its website for its members to remain dedicated. 

​​Transportation Security Administration officers are among the thousands of federal workers who are required to work without pay during the government shutdown. Nationally, about 50,000 TSA agents, who fall under the Department of Homeland Security, are working without compensation during the shutdown.

The agency posted on X that they are prepared and ask for travelers to be patient. 

"While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5M passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time," TSA wrote.