Who compensates my flight if it is delayed or canceled by falling space debris?

MIAMI – Isaac Newton once said, “What goes up must come down,” but for airlines that ferry more than 2 billion passengers across North America, this law of physics can work against those companies, especially when space debris is free-falling through the atmosphere.Fortunately, the risk of space debris is not an everyday occurrence, but it is becoming a more common event than you might think.In the first two and a half months of 2025, there were at least two high-profile episodes where a SpaceX rocket explosion sent commercial aircraft scrambling for safety, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to send out alerts to pilots about the dangers.Both instances involved test flights of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, where launches occurred from the company’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and flew over Florida, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the northern Caribbean.Videos obtained by FOX Weather after both instances showed debris lighting up the sky and plummeting to the ground as onlookers looked with a sort of astonishment.Fortunately, in both cases, no aircraft or bystanders on the ground were hit by the debris, but thousands of passengers were inconvenienced as planes were either sent into a holding pattern or prevented from departing until the coast was considered clear.WATCH: SPACEX STARSHIP EXPLODES, SHOOTING GLITTER OF DEBRIS FALLING ACROSS NIGHT SKYSo the question arises: Who is responsible for flight delays or cancellations caused by falling space debris?FOX Weather checked with numerous sources impacted by the most recent event over the skies of Florida and the nearby islands, and they, too, were a bit stumped.Local airports that warned passengers about the delay had no idea; many airlines never provided a response, and the FAA, which was in charge of making sure pilots were alerted to the disruption, referred us to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which simply stated, “Thank you for reaching out. We are working on your inquiry.”So, FOX Weather went through an updated U.S. DOT passenger Bill of Rights, and the answer to what happens in the event of falling space debris might surprise you.According to the bill, if an airline cancels a passenger’s flight or makes a significant change to a flight, regardless of the reason, airlines are required to provide a refund to the passenger if the traveler chooses not to continue onward to their destination.When a flight is canceled for reasons not within the company’s control, airlines offer accommodations such as rebooking passengers at no cost, meal vouchers, complimentary ground transportation, lodging and more – the sky is really the limit, so to speak.But remember, events such as extreme weather, national emergencies or various unpredictable occurrences are not in an airline’s control, and an event such as falling space debris, while not explicitly stated by the U.S. DOT, likely falls under the “uncontrollable events” category.”Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements,” transportation officials have previously advised passengers. “If you are delayed, ask the airline staff if it will pay for meals or a phone call. Some airlines, often those charging very low fares, do not provide any amenities to stranded passengers. Others may not offer amenities if the delay is caused by bad weather or something else beyond the airline’s control.”HOW THUNDERSTORMS HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY CAN WREAK HAVOC ON AIR TRAVELInternational laws are a bit more black and white when it comes to space debris leading to damage or injuries, none of which have occurred during recent debris scares.According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, “A launching State shall be absolutely liable to pay compensation for damage caused by its space object on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft in flight.”While the odds of being impacted by falling space debris are still extremely low, it is more likely to occur than buying a winning ticket for a major lottery, and the issue is not going away.In fact, according to researchers at Canada’s University of British Columbia, the threat of space debris is increasing at an alarming rate.Using air traffic data from 2023, researchers calculated the probability of rocket debris re-entering busy airspace at 26%, and that was before a series of SpaceX mishaps.After none of the recent events did SpaceX publicly address any delays passengers faced while on the ground or in the air.The company released a brief statement after the March explosion that read, “During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. We will review the data from today’s flight test to better understand the root cause. As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability.”