Breaking · Flights & Access
Typhoon Champi Is Closing In on Guam, Here’s What You’re Owed If Your Flight Is Cancelled
Guam’s airport is cancelling United, Japan Airlines and Korean Air flights ahead of Typhoon Champi. Weather rarely earns compensation, but a refund is a different matter.
At a glance
- Published
- TopicFlights & Access
- Verified againstGuam Homeland Security / Office of Civil Defense
- Treks coveredAnnapurna Base Camp Trek — 9 Days
If your flight to or from Guam is cancelled because of Typhoon Champi, you will not get compensation, because a storm is outside the airline’s control. You can still ask for a refund if you decide not to travel, and many airlines will rebook you without a change fee. Which of those applies to you depends on your airline and your ticket. Check the airline’s own notice before you pay for anything.
Key facts
- Guam Homeland Security’s Joint Information Center (release No. 4, 17 October, 7:45 a.m. Guam time) put Champi about 340 miles east-southeast of Guam with sustained winds of 85 mph, moving west-northwest at 15 mph.
- A typhoon warning is in effect for Guam, Rota and adjacent waters. Damaging winds of 39 mph or more could begin as early as 8 p.m. Saturday 17 October.
- Typhoon-force winds of 74 mph or more could begin as early as 5 a.m. Sunday 18 October, with the centre forecast to pass just south of Guam.
- The Captain of the Port set Port Heavy Weather Condition ZULU for the ports of Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota from 07:00 on 17 October.
Which flights have already been cancelled
Airport schedules published on Saturday 17 October show cancellations on United, Japan Airlines and Korean Air, according to Russian Tourism News. The airport had not announced a full suspension, so some services were still operating, and conditions can change within hours.
| Airline | What was reported |
|---|---|
| United | Cancellations involving Tokyo Narita, Osaka Kansai, Honolulu, Manila and Saipan, plus Taipei, Chuuk and Koror services. Some Monday 19 October flights are already cancelled. |
| Japan Airlines | Guam to Tokyo Narita cancelled on 17 and 18 October. |
| Korean Air | Selected Seoul flights cancelled on Saturday and Sunday. |
The same report says disruption is expected through Sunday and into Monday. It does not mention airline weather waivers for Guam. We could not find a published United waiver for Champi, so do not assume one exists. Look for it under Important Travel Notices on the airline’s website.
What you are and are not owed
For a cancelled flight, the realistic outcomes are a rebooking or a refund. Cash compensation is not on the table. Compensation schemes such as EU261 do not apply to a US territory flown by a US carrier, and where a compensation scheme exists, it excludes extraordinary circumstances such as a typhoon. Our guide to extraordinary circumstances explains why weather sits on that list.
What this means for you
If the airline cancels your flight, say you want a refund to your original payment method if the new flight does not suit you. Do not accept a voucher by default. Ask for the answer in writing or by email so you have a record if the refund is slow.
On US-ticketed journeys, the Department of Transportation has required refunds when an airline cancels a flight and you choose not to travel on the alternative. Its automatic refund rule set a deadline of seven business days for card payments and 20 calendar days for other methods, according to Checkbook. Delay rules are being changed this month, so read our explainer on what US airlines now owe you for delays before you rely on a specific hour threshold. For a Japanese or Korean carrier, the rules of that airline’s home country and its conditions of carriage may apply instead, so ask which.
What to do today if you are booked this weekend
The first step is to check your flight status directly with the airline, not through a third-party site. Cancellations are being posted by route and by day, so a Monday flight may be cancelled before a Sunday one.
- Check the airline’s travel notice page and your booking for a change-fee waiver. If one appears, it normally has a date window and requires you to rebook within it.
- If you are already in Guam, follow the local government’s guidance. Five emergency evacuation centres opened at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday with a combined capacity of 1,964 people, and registration is required on arrival.
- Keep receipts for hotels and meals if you are stranded. Some airlines reimburse these after a weather cancellation, others do not, and your travel insurance may be the better route.
- Call your hotel. Many extend a stranded guest’s stay at a reduced rate.
Travel insurance and the storm
If you have not yet bought cover, a named storm that is already forecast is a known event, and insurers normally exclude it. We explain how that works in our known-event exclusion guide. If you bought a policy before Champi was named, read the section on weather delays and cancellations and call your insurer before you rebook, because paying for a new flight first can void a claim.
| Situation | Your likely option |
|---|---|
| Airline cancels your flight | Rebooking on the airline, or a refund if you choose not to travel |
| Flight still operating but you want to avoid the storm | Change only if the airline has issued a waiver |
| Stranded after cancellation | Airline care is discretionary, so claim on insurance |
| Delayed rather than cancelled | Check the airline’s conditions of carriage |
For the wider picture, see our flight rights guide by country and our guide to rebooking on another airline. If you are linking Guam to a Himalayan trip, the typhoon season in the Pacific has no bearing on autumn in Nepal, where our Annapurna Base Camp trek is running as normal.
We will update this article as Guam Homeland Security, the airport and the airlines publish new advice. Forecasts for this storm have varied between sources, so rely on the National Weather Service and the Guam government for the latest.
Cover photo: Josh Sorenson via Pexels (Pexels License). Section photos: Engin Akyurt via Pexels (Pexels licence); Angelyn Sanjorjo via Pexels (Pexels licence); Braeson Holland via Pexels (Pexels licence); Taras Chuiko via Pexels (Pexels licence); Kenneth Surillo via Pexels (Pexels licence).
Live travel desk
Related coverage
Flights & Access
easyJet Just Doubled Its Winter Seat Cuts to 1.4 Million, Here’s What You’re Owed If Your Flight Is Cancelled
easyJet will fly about 1.4 million fewer winter seats because of jet fuel costs. Here is your refund, rerouting and compensation position under UK law.
Breaking Flights & Access
Airlines Are Pausing Riyadh Flights After the Houthi Airport Attacks, Here’s What You’re Owed and What the UK Says
Lufthansa and Air India have paused Riyadh flights and the FCDO warns against all but essential travel there. Here is your refund right, and what you won’t get.
Breaking Flights & Access
Hurricane Simon Shut Puerto Vallarta Airport, Here’s What Airlines Owe You and What They Don’t
Puerto Vallarta’s airport stayed closed into Tuesday 13 October. You can rebook free or get a refund, but cash compensation for weather is not owed.
Flights & Access
Ryanair Cancelled More Than 1,000 Flights in September, Here’s What You’re Owed When Air Traffic Control Is to Blame
Ryanair blamed UK air traffic control, Belgian strikes and Etna ash. The CAA says cash compensation is unlikely, but refunds, rerouting and hotels are not optional.
Latest from the desk
Breaking Flights & Access
Italy's Air Traffic Network Failed and Halved Capacity, Here’s What You Are and Aren’t Owed If Your Flight Was Hit
A data network fault cut Italian air traffic capacity by half on 16 October. Care and rebooking are owed on EU flights, but cash compensation is the contested part.
Breaking Safety & Advisories
Hurricane Trudy Is Heading for Puerto Vallarta This Weekend, Here's What You Can Change and What You Can't Claim
Trudy is a Category 3 storm with Puerto Vallarta under a tropical storm watch. Here's what airlines owe you, the WestJet waiver and what insurance won't cover.
Breaking Safety & Advisories
Britain Just Widened Its Venezuela Warning, and the Real Risk Is Your Travel Insurance
The FCDO now advises against all travel to Amazonas and a 40km Colombian border zone. Here is what that does to your insurance and your flight plans.