What to Do When Your Plane Is Diverted—Including How to Claim Compensation

Say you’re en route to Miami when the pilot announces that the plane has been diverted to Tallahassee. Maybe there was severe weather in Miami, maybe the plane had mechanical issues, or maybe there was an onboard medical emergency. Either way, rather than landing in Miami, you’re stranded in Tallahassee until things get sorted.

It’s not a good feeling, but flight diversions, which occur when flights land somewhere other than the destination on your ticket, do happen. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 0.25 percent of flights were diverted between January and November 2024.

What should you do? Wait for them to book you a new flight? Rent a car and drive the rest of the way? Here is what to expect if your flight is diverted, including how to claim compensation.

What to Expect If Your Plane Is Diverted

The main reasons for plane diversions are severe weather at your destination, a mechanical issue with the plane, or a medical emergency on board. Sometimes a plane will have to unexpectedly land at the nearest airport if there’s not enough fuel or if there is a passenger disruption.

The best scenario is that the problem is quickly fixed and you can reboard the same plane and continue to your destination. But sometimes, the flight will be canceled, and you’ll have to wait until the airline rebooks you on another flight—and it can take some time to conjure up another plane or find seats for 200 stranded passengers.

It shouldn’t matter whether the plane was diverted due to weather, which is considered a force majeure event (an event outside the airline’s control), or if the plane had a mechanical issue, which would most often be the responsibility of the airline. Either way, most U.S. airlines’ contracts of carriage include provisions to get you to the airport listed on your original ticket. Typically, they’ll rebook you on the next available flight, but they also have the right to arrange alternative transportation on another airline or a bus or train, if that makes sense. While they are obligated to get you to your final destination, accommodations, meals, and other incidentals may not always be covered.

Let’s say you were diverted to Tallahassee at 10 p.m., and there are no flights to Miami until 6 a.m. the following day. If the diversion was due to a force majeure event, airlines are off the hook for providing overnight accommodations or additional amenities, like food vouchers. For example, United’s contract of carriage states: “Lodging will not be furnished when such interruption is due to circumstances outside UA’s control.” However, when the diversion is the fault of the airline, they will often provide lodging and meal vouchers.

Compensation for Flight Diversions

You may be eligible for compensation for the unused portion of your ticket, but you have to first turn down the option to rebook on an alternate flight or form of transportation and say no to any other compensation, like an airline voucher. This right to a refund, even for travelers with non-refundable tickets, is part of a new “automatic refund rule” that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced in 2024. The rule requires all airlines flying to, from, or within the U.S. to provide passengers with an automatic refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed for any reason, including “uncontrollable” factors like weather.

However, the DOT reiterated in an email interview with Travel + Leisure that "as long as passengers were ultimately transported to their destinations, the Department does not view the refund requirement as applying to these diversion situations."

Airlines for America (A4A), a trade association that represents all the major U.S. airlines, shared with T+L via email that, “A4A carriers provide automatic refunds if the passenger chooses not to be rebooked—regardless of whether the significant delay or cancellation is within the carrier’s control—and also provide reimbursements for food, transportation, and lodging for significant controllable delays.”

Plane Diversion Compensation Rules Outside the U.S.

The DOT has made it clear what airline passengers are entitled to when their flight is canceled, changed, or diverted in the U.S., but what happens when a diversion happens on an international flight?

If your flight is in the European Union (EU) or arrives or departs from the EU, their passenger rights apply. In the case of diversions, when a flight is diverted to another airport it is treated as a canceled flight. And according to EU provisions, when your flight is canceled, you can choose between reimbursement, rerouting, or return. That said, compensation will not be available if the carrier can prove that the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as weather.

In general, the DOT says that when it comes to international itineraries, passengers can request reimbursement for expenses caused by a delayed or canceled flight by filing a claim with the airline according to Article 19 of the Montreal Convention.

Related: What to Do If You Miss Your Connecting Flight—and How to Get Compensated

How Travel Insurance Can Help

While airlines are typically responsible for getting you to your final destination or for refunding you for the unused portion of the ticket, they won’t always take care of things like lodging and meals when the diversion is deemed “uncontrollable."

This is where travel insurance comes in. The right type of travel insurance will not only cover these sorts of additional costs—it should make the reimbursement process simple while supplying you with additional travel assistance during the delay.

Just make sure to review your travel insurance policy specifically for flight diversion coverage, and then meticulously document and keep receipts for any expenses you incur if you experience a diversion.

Tips for Handling a Flight Diversion

Since flight diversions can occur at any time, with no warning, you should always bring essentials like medications on the plane with you. It’s also smart to pack a phone charger and a change of clothes in your carry-on bag in case you have to spend the night somewhere unexpectedly.

If you have travel insurance or plan to claim compensation from the airline, save your receipts. If you want to continue to your original destination as planned, research potential alternatives, including other flights or ground transportation options, while the airline sorts out flight arrangements.

And finally, there are a few things you can do to avoid the negative effects of a flight diversion. For example, flying early in the day will give you more time to get to your original destination if there is a flight diversion. 

Related: You Might Be Entitled to Compensation If Your Bag Is Delayed — What to Know

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