Flight delayed or canceled because of that global IT outage? Here’s a breakdown of your rights

On Friday, Houston’s airports experienced major delays and cancellations on flights due to a worldwide computer outage.

• FULL ARTICLE HERE: Major delays at Houston airports after worldwide computer outage disrupts businesses and organizations

Nothing’s more frustrating than having your flight stifled—or flat out cancelled—during a long day of travel. In the wake of these events, it’s important to understand your rights as a passenger.

The U.S. Department of Transportation released a post on X (formerly Twitter) during the peak of the delays.

“We have reminded the airlines of their responsibility to take care of passengers if they experience major delays,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a video accompanying the post. “... These systems, these flights, they run so tightly, so back-to-back. Even after a root cause is addressed, you can still be feeling those impacts throughout the day.”

Here’s some facts from the U.S. Department of Transportation:

• In the event of a cancellation, every major U.S. carrier must allow you to rebook on the same airline with no additional cost.
• Every major U.S. carrier must provide a meal or a meal cash voucher when a cancellation results in a passenger waiting three or more hours for a new flight.
• Most major U.S. carriers must provide complementary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation (exception: Frontier Airlines).
• Most major U.S. carriers must provide complementary ground transportation to-and-from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation (exception: Frontier Airlines).
• No major U.S. carriers are required to offer cash compensation when cancellations result in a passenger waiting three or more hours from the scheduled departure time.
• Some major U.S. carriers allow passengers to rebook on partner or affiliated airlines at no additional costs (exceptions: Allegiant Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines).
• Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, and Southwest Airlines offer credit/travel vouchers when cancellations result in a passenger waiting three or more hours from the scheduled departure time.
• Alaska Airlines offers frequent flyer miles when cancelations result in a passenger waiting three or more hours from a scheduled departure time.