The short answer
Maybe. It depends on your card, the exact language in your benefits certificate, and whether "FAA equipment failure" counts as a covered cause. Most people assume their premium credit card covers any flight disruption. It often doesn't.
Which cards cover trip delays
The major premium cards with trip delay benefits:
| Card | Delay threshold | Max per ticket | Max per trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 6 hours | $500 | $500 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | 12 hours | $500 | $500 |
| Capital One Venture X | 6 hours | $500 | $1,250 |
| Amex Platinum | 6 hours | $500 | $500 |
| Amex Gold | 12 hours | $300 | $300 |
These benefits typically cover meals, hotel, and ground transportation incurred during the delay — not the ticket itself (that's the airline's refund obligation).
The gray zone nobody talks about
Here's where it gets complicated. Most card benefits explicitly list their covered causes:
- Weather (covered)
- Mechanical failure of the aircraft (covered)
- Airline labor strikes (covered)
- Hijacking (covered)
Notice what's missing: air traffic control disruptions, FAA system failures, and government-ordered ground stops.
These are not the same as "mechanical failure." Your plane might be perfectly fine. The airline might be ready to fly. The FAA told everyone to stay on the ground because their router crashed. That's not a weather event. It's not an equipment failure on the airline's side.
What actually happened with past claims
During the January 2023 NOTAM outage, travelers reported mixed results filing trip delay claims. Some insurers paid out. Others denied claims on the grounds that air traffic control issues are not an explicitly covered hazard.
The November 13, 2026 failure is arguably different: the FAA's own equipment (legacy routers and switches) failed during a software update. Transportation Secretary Duffy explicitly called it an equipment failure. If you file a claim and describe it as "equipment failure" — which is technically accurate — you may have a stronger case than citing "air traffic control disruption."
How to file the claim
1. Keep every receipt. Meals, hotel, ground transportation, even bottled water. The benefits reimburse actual expenses, not a flat payment.
2. Get documentation from the airline. Ask for written confirmation of the delay length and cause. A boarding pass showing the delayed time works too.
3. Call the benefits administrator, not the card issuer. Chase cards use Eclaimsline. Amex uses different providers depending on the card. The number is on the back of your card or in your benefits guide.
4. Use the words "equipment failure." When describing the cause, reference the FAA's routers and switches failing. Do not say "ground stop" or "air traffic control delay" — use the language that matches covered causes.
5. File within the deadline. Most cards require claims within 20-60 days of the incident.
What the cards definitely don't cover
- The cost of your ticket (that's a DOT refund issue, not insurance)
- Missed connections on separately booked tickets
- Pre-paid hotel nights you can't use (check your hotel's cancellation policy first)
- "Inconvenience" or emotional distress
- Expenses you would have incurred anyway (dinner you were going to eat regardless)
If you don't have a premium card
Standard travel insurance policies vary widely. Check your policy for these terms:
- "Air traffic control" as a named covered cause
- "Government action" or "government-ordered delay"
- "Common carrier delay" (broader language that may cover FAA disruptions)
If your policy has "common carrier delay" language, you likely have coverage. If it only lists specific causes and doesn't mention ATC or government action, you probably don't.
The bottom line
Don't assume you're covered. Don't assume you're not. Read the actual certificate of benefits (not the marketing page — the legal document). File the claim describing the cause as equipment failure. The worst that happens is they say no.
For your airline refund rights (separate from insurance), see the passenger rights guide.