What happens if my flight is cancelled American Airlines?

Be it weather or mechanical issues, and sometimes lack of flight crews, flights on American Airlines can get cancelled. Here's what you need to do to rebook your flight or to get a refund.

Jul 23, 2019

Traveling, for work or for pleasure, can be stressful. And, when flights get canceled, it can feel like a nightmare. On average, there are over 18,100 flights canceled in the United States per month. Flights commonly get canceled for security reasons, bad weather, lack of passengers, lack of crew or pilot, or mechanical issues.

If you have booked a flight with American Airlines and it was canceled, you may not know what to do next. Keep reading for an outline of what to expect when your American Airline flight is canceled.

Both American Airlines and Airline Eagle will provide customers with frequent updates on flight cancellations, diversions, and delays within 30 minutes of becoming aware of the flight irregularity. The American Airlines policy is to contact you directly, in advance, regarding flight cancellations. Depending on what contact information the airline has on file for you, passengers can be contacted via phone, text, or email updates. Customers will have had to sign up for flight status notifications on www.americanairlines.com.

When a flight is canceled (including when passengers will miss connecting flights due to the cancellation), American Airlines rebooks you on the next flight with available seats. If the cancellation was caused by events within the control of American Airlines, and the airline is unable to board you to your final destination before 11:59 p.m. local time, the airline will arrange an overnight stay at the current airport, if rooms are available.

Note, if the canceled flight is due to events outside of American Airline's control (such as weather), the airline will not pay for accommodations. American Airline agents may help you find a hotel but passengers will be responsible for their own meals, incidental expenses, and accommodations.

If you decide not to fly because of your flight cancellation, you can request a refund for the remaining ticket value and optional fees. There will be no cancellation fees applied to your refund. You will also receive funds for any baggage fees you paid.

If at any point you are having difficulties handling your canceled flight, you can reach out to the American Airlines Customer Service team via phone. The American Airlines Customer Service team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


Getting a Refund for a Cancelled American Airlines Flight


  1. Go to https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/
  2. You will need to put in your ticket number and the passenger last name.
  3. Select ‘Submit.'
  4. American Airlines will review your refund request. If approved, your refund will be applied to the same method of payment you used to purchase the original ticket.
  5. American Airlines will advise you on the status of your refund request typically via email.
  6. You can check the status of your refund by going to https://prefunds.aa.com/refunds/. In the blue box in the left corner, under ‘Check Your Refund Status,' enter your ticket number and click ‘Submit.'


Getting an AAdvantage Miles Refund for a Cancelled American Airlines Flight

If you have booked your ticket with AAdvantage Miles, do not use the above process to request a refund. Instead, call the American Airlines Customer Service team and request a reimbursement of the AAdvantage miles for your canceled flight.


Submit A Complaint to American Airlines

If you want to complain about your canceled flight or feel that the situation wasn't rectified appropriately, you can submit an official complaint to American Airlines. While not guaranteed, it may result in a discount on a future flight.


  1. Go to https://www.aa.com/contact/forms?topic=CR#/
  2. Under ‘Topic,' select ‘Customer Relations.'
  3. Under ‘Subject,' select ‘Complaint.'
  4. Under ‘Reason,' select ‘Delayed /canceled flight.'
  5. Select ‘Next.'
  6. You will be asked to provide your contact details, your flight details, and your message.
  7. Select ‘Submit.'
  8. An American Airlines will review your complaint and contact you via email or phone with a response.

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Jeff truly believes that all customers deserve good service. He’s been building tools, inventing phone tree hacks and helping customers since before his days at GetHuman. He's also a Google GDE and involved in the Angular community.
What happens if my flight is cancelled American Airlines?

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