Friday's nationwide FAA ground stop brought U.S. air travel to a standstill for more than four hours, something we've seen only rarely since September 11, 2001. By Saturday morning, airlines were reporting tens of thousands of flight delays and cancellations, with disruptions expected to continue for several days.
If you're traveling this weekend, keep a close eye on your flights!
With winter approaching and weather-related travel disruptions inevitable, I thought this would be a good time to share what I do to protect myself when things go wrong.
The good news? A little preparation and the right credit card can make the difference between spending the night on an airport floor and sleeping comfortably in a hotel.
1. Protect Yourself Before You Even Leave Home
Your travel protection starts the moment you purchase your airline ticket.
I never recommend using a debit card to purchase airline tickets. Debit cards generally don't provide the travel insurance benefits available with premium travel credit cards.
And here's something many travelers don't realize: You can often receive credit card travel protections even when booking flights using airline miles! Depending on the card, simply paying the award ticket's taxes and fees with your credit card may qualify you for coverage.
Not all credit cards offer the same protections, and many offer none at all.
Here are the four cards I personally use and recommend for travel protection, in order of preference:
Chase Sapphire Reserve (Personal) and Chase Sapphire Reserve (Business) - My top choice for comprehensive travel protection.
Capital One Venture X - Excellent trip delay benefits.
Chase Sapphire Preferred - Outstanding protection for a relatively low annual fee.
American Express Platinum (Personal) - Strong benefits, but with some important coverage restrictions.
For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve can reimburse up to $500 per covered traveler for reasonable expenses such as hotels, meals and toiletries when your trip is delayed more than six hours or requires an overnight stay due to a covered reason.
Remember, coverage isn't automatic for every disruption. Each card has specific eligibility requirements and covered reasons for delays. Government air traffic control outages, for example, may not qualify under certain policies.
2. Stuck at the Airport? Here's What I Do.
It drives me crazy watching the local news and seeing travelers stranded at airports, sometimes sleeping on the floor for days.
Many travelers don't realize they may have credit card insurance that could pay for a hotel, meals and other essentials.
My advice: Don't automatically join the line of hundreds of passengers waiting for an airline representative.
The moment I learn my flight has been significantly delayed or canceled, I start exploring my options.
If I'm facing an overnight delay, I look for a nearby hotel immediately. During major disruptions, airport hotels can sell out in minutes.
If the delay qualifies for coverage under my credit card's travel insurance, reasonable hotel and meal expenses may be reimbursable. I confirm the coverage requirements before spending money whenever possible.
And always keep your receipts! You'll generally need them, along with documentation from the airline explaining the delay, when filing a claim.
3. Don't Wait in Line to Get Rebooked
When hundreds of flights are canceled, everyone is competing for the same limited number of available seats.
Speed matters.
Instead of standing in line at the airport, I immediately open the airline's app and call customer service. Phone agents can often access rebooking options without requiring you to wait at the airport counter.
I also start searching for alternatives myself.
One of my favorite strategies is to book a backup flight on another airline using miles.
Why miles? Many major U.S. airlines allow you to cancel eligible award tickets before departure and have your miles redeposited without a fee. That makes award tickets particularly useful for securing a backup option while you evaluate your original flight.
Just be sure to understand the cancellation rules before booking, especially with international airlines.
Another tip: Keep checking for available seats. During major disruptions, passengers are constantly changing their reservations, and seats can appear and disappear within minutes.
If your schedule is flexible, ask whether the airline has issued a travel waiver. These waivers sometimes allow you to move your trip several days without paying additional change fees or fare differences.
4. Know When You're Entitled to a Refund
This is one of the most valuable consumer protections travelers have.
Under U.S. Department of Transportation rules, you're entitled to a refund if your airline cancels your flight and you choose not to travel or accept an alternative. This applies even to tickets originally sold as nonrefundable.
You may also qualify for a refund when your flight is significantly delayed or changed.
The federal rules generally define a significant delay as:
Domestic flights: Arrival at least 3 hours later than originally scheduled.
International flights: Arrival at least 6 hours later than originally scheduled.
Here's the important part: You must choose not to take the significantly delayed or replacement flight to receive the ticket refund.
If you decide to take a backup flight on another airline, don't rush to voluntarily cancel your original reservation before understanding your options. If your original airline subsequently cancels the flight or makes a qualifying significant change, you may be entitled to a refund rather than a travel credit.
You may also be entitled to refunds for unused extras, such as seat assignments, checked baggage fees or other services you paid for but didn't receive.
And remember, airline refunds and credit card travel insurance are separate benefits. You may qualify for both, but you cannot collect twice for the same expense.
5. My Final Advice: Be Proactive, Not Reactive
When travel disruptions happen, the passengers who act quickly generally have the most options.
My personal strategy is simple:
Book with the right credit card. Act quickly when problems arise. Look for alternative flights. Know your refund rights. And keep every receipt.
Travel disruptions are inevitable, especially during winter. But spending the night on an airport floor doesn't have to be.
A little preparation can save you hundreds of dollars, hours of frustration and possibly your entire vacation.
Safe travels!
Roger
MyMilesGuy
Travel insurance benefits vary by card, covered reason and itinerary. Always consult your card's current Guide to Benefits before relying on coverage.
🚨best card offers this week!🚨
We've created a new MyMilesGuy Credit Card Page off the main website to make it easier to compare cards, benefits and welcome offers. Read my reviews and find the card that's right for you!
Here are the top three offers I recommend this week:
CAPITAL ONE VENTURE X BUSINESS - Earn up to 300,000 Bonus Miles with a limited-time offer. In your first 4 months: Earn 150K bonus miles when you spend $40K, plus another 150K miles when you spend $120K.
THE BUSINESS PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS - Up to 300,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE BUSINESS - Limited Bonus offer of 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $30,000 in eligible purchases on this card within the first 6 months of membership.
