What Happens to Flights Cancelled or Delayed by Typhoons | Fee-Free Refund & Rescheduling Conditions

Flights During Typhoons & Severe Weather
0 Yen Fees
Fee-free refunds & changes apply once affected flights are announced

When booked flights are cancelled or delayed due to approaching typhoons or severe weather, or when airlines officially designate flights as “flights with anticipated operational impact,” passengers can receive a full refund or reschedule onto alternative flights operated by the same carrier with 0 yen in cancellation or refund handling fees. Special relief applies even before a flight’s cancellation is definitively confirmed. However, hotel accommodations and event tickets represent legally separate contracts from air tickets and remain subject to individual hotel policies and cancellation fees. Below, we break down official airline rules and the exact procedural steps to take.

First, Confirm: Does Your Flight Qualify?

The departure or arrival airport of your scheduled flight falls within the projected path or storm warning zone of a typhoon and has been designated on the airline’s official website as a “flight with anticipated operational impact.”
Your scheduled flight has already been officially designated as “cancelled” or “substantially delayed (including conditional operation)” due to adverse weather.
The cancellation or change is handled under the airline’s special irregular operations framework due to force majeure (weather conditions), rather than a voluntary cancellation for personal reasons.
The request is made within the airline’s official refund validity window (e.g., within 1 year and 30 days from travel commencement date for ANA, or within 4 days after the flight date for online processing).
You have verified whether your ticket was purchased directly from the airline’s official website or through a third-party travel agency/online travel agent (OTA).

If your booking satisfies these conditions, you are entitled to a full refund or a complimentary flight change without paying standard cancellation penalties or handling charges. If your circumstances differ in even a single aspect, you will need to check the detailed terms via your travel agency or through the airline matrix table provided below. Verifying your operational flight status online from your smartphone before traveling to the airport is your single most crucial first step.

Step-by-Step Flight Refund and Rescheduling Guide (Steps 1–5)

Step	Actions & Key Verification Points
STEP 1Check Flight Operational Announcements	Visit the homepage or “Flight Status / Irregular Operations” page of your airline to confirm whether your flight is listed under “flights with anticipated impact” or “cancelled flights.” Fee waivers become active the instant your route is included on this list.
STEP 2Choose Between Refund or Rebooking	Decide whether to abandon your travel for a 100% full refund or reschedule onto an earlier or later alternative flight without fee. Once a refund request is finalized, the original seat reservation is forfeited and cannot be converted back into a rebooking.
STEP 3Log in to Reservation Management	Enter your reservation number, confirmation number, and passenger name to access your booking. When special weather relief is active, dedicated “Special Change / Refund (Adverse Weather)” guidance buttons appear automatically on screen.
STEP 4Execute Cancellation or Refund Procedure	Follow on-screen instructions, select “Refund,” and proceed to the final confirmation screen. Ensure the screen explicitly displays 0 yen for the cancellation charge under fee-free weather relief before confirming.
STEP 5Verify Refund Completion & Method	Save your refund confirmation number or updated boarding pass details. If payment was made by credit card, refunds are credited back to the card account within 1 to 2 billing cycles, while cash or direct debit purchases require bank transfer entry.

Airport ticketing counters and customer telephone lines inevitably suffer massive queues lasting several hours whenever a typhoon approaches. Once your flight is designated as affected on the official website, you can complete fee-free procedures online in just a few minutes through the reservation management portal. Rather than staying on hold with a call center, processing your request through the official website’s My Page is by far the fastest and smoothest route.

Severe Weather Policy Matrix Across Major Japanese Airlines

Airline	Cancellation & Refund Fees	Rebooking (Date Change) Scope	Application Period & Deadlines
All Nippon Airways (ANA)	0 yen (100% full refund)	Rebooking available onto ANA flights and designated alternative partner carriers	Within 1 year and 30 days from travel commencement date (within 4 days after flight date via web)
Skymark Airlines	0 yen (100% full refund)	Rebooking available onto open seats on Skymark flights within 30 days before/after scheduled date	Within 30 days from the scheduled flight departure date
Peach Aviation (LCC)	0 yen (100% full refund via original payment or Peach Points)	Rebooking available onto open Peach flights within 14 days of scheduled date	Within 10 days from the scheduled flight departure date
Jetstar Japan (LCC)	0 yen (100% full refund via voucher or original payment)	Rebooking available onto open Jetstar flights within 14 days of scheduled date	Within designated online deadline stated in operational notices

Notably, not only full-service carriers like ANA, but even low-cost carriers (LCCs) like Peach and Jetstar—which normally enforce strict non-refundable or costly cancellation policies—uniformly provide 0 yen fee-free exemptions when flights are designated as weather-affected due to force majeure. While promotional tickets and early-bird fares ordinarily enforce steep penalties, as analyzed in our guides on How Flights Get Cheaper by the Day You Fly and the fare rules in ANA Domestic Time Sale Fare Guidelines, adverse weather policies completely override these standard restrictions. Every ticket tier enjoys full financial protection under severe weather exemptions.

Crucial Pitfalls and Misconceptions

Fee-Free Cancellation Is Available Once Affected Flights Are Announced — Even Before Official Cancellation

A widespread misconception among travelers is assuming that cancellation fees will be charged unless they wait until a flight is formally cancelled. In practice, airlines announce “Airports and Flights with Anticipated Weather Impact” one or two days in advance based on typhoon trajectory forecasts. Once your flight appears on this official advisory list, you immediately obtain the legal right to voluntarily cancel for a 100% refund or reschedule at 0 yen, even though the flight’s ultimate operational status remains undecided. If your priority is avoiding being stranded at your destination or airport, acting at this stage without waiting for final cancellation is the most prudent choice.

Hotel and Event Cancellation Fees Are Not Automatically Waived with Flight Cancellations

Even if flight cancellations prevent you from traveling to your destination, cancellation fees for booked hotels or scheduled concerts and festivals are not automatically waived. An air ticket contract and a hotel accommodation contract are legally independent transactions. For instance, when an outdoor music festival in Miyazaki was cancelled due to an approaching typhoon, local hotels faced hundreds of room cancellations; while some operators granted courtesy waivers, this was entirely discretionary, not a statutory obligation. You must contact your accommodation directly to inquire if their policy includes exceptions for transit cancellations. Unannounced no-shows are billed at 100%.

Tickets Purchased Through Travel Agencies or Dynamic Packages Cannot Be Refunded Directly via Airline Websites

If you booked a flight-and-hotel package through travel booking platforms such as Rakuten Travel, Jalan, or Ikyu, or purchased tickets through high-street agencies like JTB, you cannot process refunds directly on the airline’s website. Because your contractual counterparty is the travel agency, cancellation must be submitted through the agency’s dedicated support channel. Managing sale tickets and package reservations involves distinct points of contact, as detailed in our guide on Jetstar Promotional Terms and Reservation Management. Attempting to cancel only the air portion on an airline site may invalidate your entire package booking.

What Happens After the Typhoon Passes or Deadlines Expire

Even after a typhoon has passed and flights resume normal schedules, tickets for flights that were designated under weather-relief measures can still be refunded or changed retroactively, provided you act within the carrier’s grace period. For example, ANA permits refunds up to 1 year and 30 days from the travel commencement date. However, self-service online processing through airline websites is often restricted to a much shorter window—such as within 4 days after the scheduled flight date. Once this online window closes, procedures require phone support or airport counter visits, adding substantial administrative delay. Completing your refund or exchange online within a few days of the disrupted flight date is strongly advised.

Frequently Asked Questions: Hotel Cancellations, Rebooking, and Agency Bookings

If only the outbound leg of a round-trip ticket is cancelled, can the return flight also be cancelled free of charge?

Yes. If both flights were purchased under a single reservation code (a single booking dossier), a weather disruption to the outbound flight allows both the outbound and return flights to be cancelled together for a 100% refund with 0 yen in fees. Since travel to the destination cannot occur, this comprehensive relief is standard practice. However, if the outbound and return journeys were booked separately as independent one-way tickets on different airlines, standard cancellation fees will apply to the return leg unless that specific carrier also designates its flight as weather-affected.

Will I be charged a fare difference when selecting an alternative flight?

No. When rebooking under irregular weather policies, no fare difference is charged even if the standard fare for the new flight is significantly higher than your original purchase price. For instance, if you booked a deeply discounted early-bird ticket and reschedule onto a standard-fare flight with remaining seats, the change costs 0 yen. Complimentary upgrades across fare categories represent a major benefit of force majeure rules. Conversely, no partial refunds are issued if the new flight happens to be cheaper.

Are hotel expenses or ground transport costs reimbursed if a cancellation requires an overnight airport stay?

No. In cases of flight cancellations resulting from natural disasters and weather events, airlines bear no legal fault due to force majeure, and therefore do not provide reimbursement for lodging, meals, or alternative ground transport (such as bullet trains or taxis). Airlines only provide compensation when disruptions stem from internal technical faults or company equipment issues. To safeguard against lodging expenses caused by weather disruptions, having comprehensive travel insurance or credit card flight delay coverage is essential.

SOURCES

ANA Official Weather-Related Refund Guide (Domestic) (Confirmation Date: September 25, 2026)
Skymark Official Flight Delay, Cancellation & Refund Policy (Confirmation Date: September 25, 2026)
Peach Official Flight Suspension & Delay Information (Confirmation Date: September 25, 2026)

Source: Official Airline Severe Weather Domestic Conditions of Carriage / Confirmation Date: September 25, 2026