What are your rights if your flight was grounded, delayed by the FAA?

Thousands of flights were grounded Friday evening after the Federal Aviation Administration said it experienced a data overload on its air traffic control systems.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it “is going to be slow” to get air traffic back to normal, which could mean delays or rebookings for impacted passengers.

So, what are your rights if you are one of those impacted passengers?

Refunded plane ticket

Under Department of Transportation rules, airlines are required to provide a refund to passengers who experience substantial delays or cancellations, even if you purchased a nonrefundable flight.

Airlines may offer to rebook or provide a flight credit, but you are not required to accept those offers. If you are rebooked on a lower class of service, the airline must refund the difference between the original fare and the downgraded fare.

Note that if you were delayed on a layover and choose not to continue to your final destination, the department said you are only entitled to a refund for the portion of the fare applied to the second leg of your trip.

What about hotel, meal vouchers?

When asked about what passengers’ rights are during a Friday news conference, Duffy said the FAA was responsible for the grounding of the planes, not the airlines.

Airlines will generally provide meal vouchers or hotel accommodations for cancelations that are within the airline’s control, but because the ground stoppage was not under their control, they are not responsible for doing so.

Still, passengers may ask airlines if they can provide any assistance during the delay.

Did you buy travel insurance or book with a credit card?

If you purchased travel insurance for your flight, the insurance may cover expenses relating to a delay or flight cancellation. This can include meals, hotels and transportation depending on the duration of the delay.

You may also consider looking at what protections might be included on the method of payment you used while booking the flight.

Some credit and debit card products offer trip cancellation and trip delay insurance that can cover expenses, even if you did not purchase the additional insurance, as long as you paid for the flight with that card.

Be sure to check the terms and conditions of your travel insurance, as this can vary by provider and product.

Read more about the ground stoppage:

• Flights can resume after data overload on systems forced nationwide ground stop, FAA says