Flight disruption guides
Every way a flight falls apart — and how to get home fast
Cancelled, delayed, diverted, bumped, or stranded overnight? Pick your situation below. Every guide gives you the exact first moves, what the airline actually owes you, and the fastest route home — then Reroute scans 40+ carriers and every open seat to hand you a ranked recovery plan for $24.
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What to do right now
Your flight just fell apart. Start here for the first ten minutes — the moves that get you rebooked before the line forms.
Flight cancelled? What to do in 10 minutesThe fast playbook for getting rebooked before the airport line forms.Flight delayed? What to do right nowHow to tell a recoverable delay from a stranding — and act before it becomes one.Missed connection? What to do nextWho's responsible, where to go, and how to get on the next flight fast.Can't reach the airline after a cancellation?Phone lines jammed, app crashing, desk line wrapping the terminal? The channels that still work when a whole wave calls at once — and how to get rebooked without ever reaching a human.Flight canceled or delayed? Rebooking helpEmergency rebooking help for a canceled or delayed flight — what to do in the first 10 minutes to get home fast.How to get rebooked for free after a cancellationYour flight was cancelled — how to make the airline put you on the next seat home (or on another airline) at zero cost, before the planeload beats you to it.How to rebook a cancelled flightThe step-by-step for getting a new seat fast — app, phone, and desk at once.
By type of disruption
Storms, strikes, ground stops, crew shortages, diversions, overnight strands — the exact playbook for the disruption you're actually in.
Flights cancelled today? (live wave tracker)What to do in this week's US cancellation wave — rebook before the backlog grows.Will my flight be cancelled? How to tell earlyRead the warning signs before the airline makes it official — and lock in a backup seat before the whole planeload floods the line.Hurricane cancelled my flight? What to doBeat the storm-cancellation crush — rebook or reroute before every seat out is gone.Labor Day weekend flight cancelled?Get home fast when a packed holiday weekend meltdown strands you — before the backlog builds.Government shutdown delaying your flight?Stay ahead of shutdown-driven ATC and TSA staffing delays — rebook before the backlog builds.FAA ground stop delaying your flight?What a ground stop means, how long it lasts, and how to reroute before it strands you.Flight cancelled, no more flights tonight?Stranded overnight when the last flight dies — how to grab the first confirmed seat home tomorrow before the backlog eats it.Winter storm cancelled your flight?Beat the snowstorm-meltdown backlog — rebook, reroute around the storm, and know what a weather cancellation owes you.Wildfire smoke cancelled your flight?Reroute around the smoked-in hub before the seats out are gone — plus what a smoke cancellation owes you.Fog delayed or cancelled your flight?Beat the post-fog seat rush — rebook or reroute around the low ceiling before the morning backlog eats every seat.Thanksgiving flight cancelled?Get home for the holiday when the busiest travel week of the year melts down — rebook before the sold-out backlog eats every seat.Connecting flight cancelled overnight? What nowStranded mid-trip at a hub when your connection dies overnight — how to grab the first confirmed seat to your destination before the whole cabin does.Weather/ATC ground stop froze your flight?Reroute around a ground stop before the delay cascades into a cancellation and the sooner seats are gone.Return flight cancelled, stuck away from home?Your flight home died and you're stranded in another city — how to grab the first confirmed seat back before the whole cabin does.Flight cancelled for a crew shortage?A staffing cancellation is the airline's fault — rebook fast and claim the hotel, meals, refund, and cash you're owed.Flight diverted to another city?Landed in the wrong city? How to get rebooked onward before the whole diverted planeload grabs the seats out.Stuck on the tarmac? What to doThe tarmac-delay rules that get you off the plane — and how to line up your onward route before you even deplane.Rebooked days later? Get home sooner'Next available flight is Thursday'? How to find a sooner seat on another carrier, force a better rebooking, or take the refund.Rebooked 2 days later? Can you demand better?You don't have to accept a multi-day auto-rebooking — how to demand a sooner seat, force an endorsement to another carrier, or take the full refund.Rebooked flight cancelled again?Cancelled twice? How to break the auto-rebooking loop, force a real reroute or another airline, and know when to take the refund.Mechanical issue cancelled your flight?A maintenance cancellation is the airline's fault — rebook fast and claim the hotel, meals, refund, and cash you're owed.Flight cancelled at a connecting airport?Stranded mid-trip when your onward flight dies — how to grab the first confirmed seat home and claim the hotel and meals you're owed.Strike cancelled my flight: refund or rebook?What you're owed when a strike grounds your flight — and how to get home before the backlog builds.
Refunds, compensation & your rights
What the airline actually owes you — cash refunds, hotels, meals, EU261, denied-boarding pay — and how to make them hand it over.
Airline only offered a voucher, not a refund?You can refuse the travel credit and demand cash under DOT rules — how to get your money back and still get home fast.Getting rebooked on another airlineYour right to be endorsed to a partner carrier — and how to ask for it.EU261: am I owed compensation?Up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight — when you qualify and how to claim.Stranded overnight? What the airline owes youHotel, meals, and transport the airline must cover — and how to get it.Flight cancelled: refund or rebook?When to take the cash refund and when to push for a rebooking — and how to do both.Airline rebooked me on a bad connection?You don't have to accept a brutal rebooking — how to reject it and get a better routing for free.Flight cancelled? What compensation you're owedRefunds, hotels, meals, and cash under the new DOT rule — and how to claim.Bumped from an overbooked flight? What to doKnow your denied-boarding cash rights — up to 4x your fare — and rebook fast.Airline went bankrupt? What happens to your flightWhether your ticket still flies, how to get home if it doesn't, and how to get your money back.Missed connection due to a delay: who pays?When the airline owes you a rebooking, hotel, and meals for a missed connection — and when it doesn't.Airline downgraded me? Get your refundHow much of the fare difference you're owed for an involuntary downgrade — and how to claim it.Airline changed my flight? What to doWhen a schedule change entitles you to a free rebooking or a full cash refund.Does the airline have to rebook me?When the airline owes you a free rebooking — and how to make it happen fast.DOT refund rights for a cancelled flightThe new US rule: automatic cash refunds when your flight is cancelled or badly changed.How much am I owed for a cancelled or delayed flight?Put a real number on it — US DOT refunds, EU261/UK261 cash up to €600, and denied-boarding pay, plus how to actually collect it.
By airline
Carrier-specific rebooking and compensation playbooks for the airline that just cancelled on you.
United flight cancelled? What to do nowRebook on United (and Star Alliance partners) before the line forms.Delta flight delayed? Compensation & rebookingWhat Delta owes you for a delay — and how to get rerouted fast.American Airlines missed connection?Get rebooked onward on AA and oneworld partners before seats vanish.Southwest flight cancelled? Rebooking guideHow Southwest rebooking works — and the fastest way to a new seat.JetBlue flight cancelled? What to doRebook on JetBlue and claim what their Customer Bill of Rights owes you.Alaska Airlines flight cancelled? What to doRebook on Alaska and partner carriers, and know what you're owed.Spirit flight cancelled? What to doGet rebooked or refunded fast when a low-cost carrier strands you.Frontier flight cancelled? What to doYour options when Frontier cancels — rebook, refund, or reroute.United cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do and exactly what United owes you — refund, hotel, meals, EU261 cash.American cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do and exactly what American owes you — refund, hotel, meals, EU261 cash.Delta cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do and exactly what Delta owes you — refund, hotel, meals, EU261 cash.Southwest cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do when Southwest can't rebook you elsewhere — refund, hotel, meals.JetBlue cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do plus the Customer Bill of Rights credit, refund, hotel, and EU261 cash.Spirit cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do when a low-cost carrier can't rebook you — DOT refund, hotel, meals.Frontier cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do when a low-cost carrier can't rebook you — DOT refund, hotel, meals.Alaska cancelled/delayed? What you're owedWhat to do and exactly what Alaska owes you — refund, oneworld rebooking, EU261.United flight cancelled: compensation guideWhat United owes you when it cancels — refund, expenses, and cash.American Airlines cancelled: compensation guideWhat AA owes you when it cancels — refund, hotels, meals, and cash.
By connecting airport
Missed a connection at a major hub? Where to go and how to grab the next seat before the whole planeload does.
Missed connection at Atlanta (ATL)?Where to go in ATL and how to get on the next flight before seats vanish.Missed connection at Chicago O'Hare (ORD)?The fastest recovery path through ORD — rebook before the line forms.Missed connection at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)?Get rebooked onward at DFW on American and partners before seats go.
Stranded right now? Skip the reading.
Paste your broken itinerary and your arrival deadline. Reroute scans every carrier, hub, and open seat and hands you a ranked recovery plan in minutes — free preview, then the full plan for $24.
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Flying soon? Pack a backup
Get a backup route emailed for an upcoming flight
Already saw your instant recovery route above? This is for a trip that hasn't broken yet. Paste an upcoming itinerary and we'll email a ranked backup route to keep on hand — so if that flight melts down at the gate, you already know your fastest way home.