October 18, 2026 — United Airlines cancelled most of its Guam flying this weekend as Super Typhoon Champi passed just south of the island, and disruption is expected to continue into Monday, October 19.
What happened
Champi passed about 10 miles south of Guam at around 4:26 a.m. local time on Sunday, October 18. By about 5 p.m. Sunday, the departure and arrival board at A.B. Won Pat International Airport showed 35 cancelled flights between late Sunday afternoon and midday Monday, and 19 of them were United’s. The airport stayed open, but there was almost no flight activity.
United Monday departures listed as cancelled include UA200 to Honolulu, UA151 to Osaka Kansai and UA196 to Tokyo Narita. United also cancelled flights to several regional Pacific destinations. Korean Air, Jin Air, Air Seoul, Air Busan, Japan Airlines and Philippine Airlines cancelled Guam flights too.
Guam remained at Condition of Readiness 1, its highest emergency level, and the White House approved a federal emergency declaration. About half the island had power back by 7:50 a.m. Sunday.
United’s travel waiver
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Tickets covered | Bought on or before October 14, 2026 |
| Original travel dates | October 15–19, 2026 |
| Cities | Guam, Saipan, Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Kwajalein, Majuro |
| Rebooking window | United flights departing October 14–25, 2026 |
| Same cabin and cities | No change fee and no fare difference |
| Different destination | Change fee waived; a fare difference may apply |
When flights restart
Airport listings showed service restarting on the afternoon of Monday, October 19. The first arrivals listed were a Star Marianas flight from Rota at noon, JL941 from Narita at 2:40 p.m., then KE415 from Incheon and UA827 from Narita. A listing is not a guarantee, and the date for a full return to normal schedules is TBA.
What it means for non-revs
- Treat Guam as closed to standby through at least Monday, October 19. Do not set out for GUM until United confirms that flights are operating again.
- Expect poor standby chances for about a week after the restart. The waiver lets ticketed customers move to any United flight through October 25, so the first flights back will fill with rebooked passengers on Honolulu, Narita, Osaka and the Micronesia island routes.
- The island hopper and Micronesia flights fill first. Seats on Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Kwajalein and Majuro services are limited even in normal times.
- If you are stuck on Guam or Saipan, list on several flights. Only consider a Japan Airlines or Korean Air routing once those carriers are flying again, and check that your airline has a ZED or interline agreement with them first.
Sources
- AeroCorner — Typhoon Champi Guam Flight Cancellations
- RusTourismNews — Super Typhoon Champi Leaves Half of Guam Without Power as Flight Cancellations Extend Into Monday
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