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As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) begins enforcing mandatory flight reductions across the United States, Hilton has announced a special waiver policy to support travelers whose plans are affected by the disruption.
The FAA’s directive, which took effect yesterday, requires airlines to reduce flight schedules by up to 10% at 40 major US airports amid ongoing staffing and operational constraints linked to the federal government shutdown. The cuts are expected to cause widespread cancellations and delays over the coming week. This is particularly concerning with Thanksgiving travel season approaching.
In response, Hilton is waiving modification and cancellation penalties for guests whose stays are impacted by the FAA flight reductions. The policy applies to reservations with arrival dates between November 7th and November 14th, for travel to, from, or through the United States. Guests affected by the flight schedule changes can submit waiver requests and proof of cancellation to Hilton’s dedicated support team at GA.TOPIC@hilton.com. To ensure proper validation, Hilton has requested that all waiver submissions be processed through the Hotel Reservations and Customer Care (HRCC) team, rather than through standard web or app-based cancellation options. With thousands of flights potentially disrupted nationwide, the waiver gives guests flexibility to adjust or cancel bookings without financial penalty.
The timing of the FAA reductions, just weeks before the country’s busiest travel period, is already beginning to impact daily life across the US with long lines, rescheduled itineraries, and growing uncertainty at airports. By proactively easing cancellation restrictions, Hilton aims to reduce the stress and inconvenience for affected travelers navigating an increasingly unpredictable travel environment. As the situation evolves, the hospitality industry is expected to continue adapting policies to accommodate guests facing flight cancellations and delays resulting from the ongoing government shutdown.
Anthony’s Take: This is a generous policy and great to see Hilton getting ahead of what looks to be a mess next week as cancellations and delays are expected to continue.
(Image Credits: Hilton.)
(H/T: Loyalty Lobby.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
