If your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed due to weather or other events outside American's control, they are only required to rebook you or refund your ticket — they are not required to pay for hotels, meals, or other expenses you incur.
This analysis describes what American Airlines's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This clause establishes the operational scope of American Airlines' performance obligations and liability exposure for service disruptions attributable to external events rather than carrier operations or decisions. The provision defines which categories of flight disruptions trigger limited remedies rather than full liability.
The updated Terms of Use no longer include explicit statements about how American Airlines uses performance cookies to analyze site usage and track popular pages, or how functional cookies remember your preferences like language and region settings. Previously, the terms disclosed that cookies are essential to site operation and cannot be rejected. The removal of these disclosures means users visiting the American Airlines website will not find this granular explanation of cookie purposes in the terms themselves, though cookie collection may continue through other disclosure mechanisms such as a separate privacy policy or cookie banner.
View change record →This provision means that in weather-related or other force majeure cancellations, American's only obligation is to rebook you or refund your fare — any additional costs like hotels, meals, or alternate transportation are your responsibility unless American voluntarily provides vouchers.
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"American will not be liable for failing to operate any flight as scheduled, or for cancelling, diverting, or delaying any flight where such failure is caused by events beyond American's reasonable control, including but not limited to weather conditions, acts of God, strikes, civil unrest, government action, or air traffic control decisions. In such circumstances, American's obligations are limited to rebooking the passenger on the next available American Airlines flight at no additional charge, or, at the passenger's option, a full refund of the unused portion of the ticket.— Excerpt from American Airlines's American Airlines Terms of Use
1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Force majeure exclusions in airline contracts are broadly permissible under U.S. law and the Airline Deregulation Act (49 U.S.C. § 41713), which preempts most state law claims related to airline service. DOT's 2024 Refund Rule (effective October 28, 2024) requires automatic cash refunds for cancelled flights and significant delays regardless of cause, partially constraining this provision. The Montreal Convention Article 19 (delay liability) and Article 20 (exoneration for carrier due diligence) are also relevant for international flights. 2)
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This clause establishes the operational scope of American Airlines' performance obligations and liability exposure for service disruptions attributable to external events rather than carrier operations or decisions. The provision defines which categories of flight disruptions trigger limited remedies rather than full liability.
This provision means that in weather-related or other force majeure cancellations, American's only obligation is to rebook you or refund your fare — any additional costs like hotels, meals, or alternate transportation are your responsibility unless American voluntarily provides vouchers.
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