Nearly 5,000 flights were canceled across the US after an FAA ground stop. Here's what to do if your trip was affected.

Nearly 7,500 flights were canceled after a nationwide air traffic control outage on Friday. This is considered an uncontrollable disruption, so airlines aren't required to provide freebies. Here's what you can do if your flight is delayed or canceled. US airlines are canceling thousands of flights after a rare air traffic control outage affected the US. As of 10:45 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, FlightAware data showed that nearly 7,500 flights to, within, and from the US had been canceled since the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop — meaning no flights could depart — around 3:45 p.m. The stop was lifted around 8:30 p.m., but after so many cancellations, flight chaos is nearly guaranteed to stretch into the weekend. If you're wondering what your options are as the terminals pile up with people frantically trying to get a hotel or food voucher — don't rely on your airline to help out.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.