Snow Cancels Your New Chitose Airport Flight? Rebooking Rules and Campervan Rental Delays [2026]

When snow threatens to cancel your flight at New Chitose Airport, you deal with the airline first and the rental company second. The official pages of ANA, Skymark Airlines, and AIRDO say that for flights expected to be affected by bad weather, you can change or refund your ticket without a fee even before the cancellation is confirmed (official pages of each airline, checked 2026-10-05). On the other hand, ANA’s official page states that lodging and transport costs while you are stranded are the passenger’s responsibility when the cause is “bad weather, natural disasters, airport congestion, or other reasons not attributable to us” (checked 2026-10-05).

This article is for two kinds of readers: people planning a winter trip to Hokkaido who want to know what happens if heavy snow grounds flights, and people who are already stuck at the airport. The second half also sets out the order in which to make contact when a campervan or rental car pickup or return will be late. Rules differ by rental company, so I do not state whether an extension is possible or what it costs. I only write what to tell them and what to ask, as actions to take.

Where can you check flight status before heading to the airport on a snowy day?

There are two places to look. One is the flight status page and app of the airline you booked. The other is “Flight Status (All)” and “Important Notices” on the official website of the New Chitose Airport Terminal Building (New Chitose Airport official website, checked 2026-10-05).

The disaster response plan of Hokkaido Airports, which operates the airport (A2-BCP summary edition, dated August 1, 2023), says that in bad weather it will post the status of terminal opening and the outlook for resuming flights on its website, and will direct inquiries about flight status to each airline. The same plan also states that flight information display terminals will be placed at JR Sapporo Station and Odori Station on the subway, so that people do not crowd into the airport (New Chitose Airport A2-BCP summary edition, checked 2026-10-05). In other words, on days when cancellations pile up, there is a system for checking the situation in central Sapporo before you go to the airport.

On days when heavy snow is forecast, start checking the airline’s page from the day before boarding, and you will be in time to make changes before the cancellation is decided. The next section lays out the conditions for that procedure, company by company.

Can you rebook or get a refund before the cancellation is decided?

At many airlines, yes. ANA states that “even before a flight delay or cancellation is decided, for eligible flights expected to be affected, you may change (rebook) your flight without a fee.” Refunds are on the same terms. However, it also says that whether a flight is eligible is determined by what the flight status page shows, and that if you go through the procedure while no such notice is displayed, a fee may apply (ANA: Domestic Flights, Procedures for Delays and Cancellations, checked 2026-10-05).

This order of “wait for the eligibility notice, then act” is the same at the other airlines. Skymark includes cases “where operational impact is expected (the possibility of a weather check, a return to the departure airport, or a change of destination)”, and AIRDO says it will accept rebooking or refunds on request even for flights marked “weather check in progress”.

How do the rebooking conditions differ among ANA, Skymark, AIRDO, and JAL?

The differences tend to show up in how far out you can rebook and whether you can be moved to another airline or to ground transport. The table covers what I could confirm on the official pages.

Company	Fee	Rebooking conditions	Other airlines / other transport
ANA	No fee for changes or refunds	Once only. Within 7 days before or after the booked flight. Complete the procedure before the booked flight’s departure time	In bad weather, ANA flights only. Changes to other airlines or ground transport apply only when the cause is on ANA’s side, such as equipment failure
Skymark Airlines	No fee for changes or refunds	Delays of 60 minutes or more, cancellations, or when operational impact is expected. Rebooking once. Procedures are possible even after the scheduled departure time, within 10 days of the scheduled departure date	No rebooking onto other airlines or other transport
AIRDO	No fee or fare difference	Rebooking possible on request even for “weather check in progress”. Rebooking is limited to AIRDO flights	AIRDO flights only. Full refund if you cancel the trip
JAL	Check the official page	Check the official page	Check the official page

The table shows that no company assumes you will switch to another airline’s flight. The approach is to move you to a later flight of the same company that has empty seats. If heavy snow lasts several days, the flights you would be moved to fill up quickly. The options in that case are covered in the next sections.

What if you cannot get a replacement flight and have to spend the night at the airport?

The disaster response plan of Hokkaido Airports, which operates New Chitose Airport, lists stockpiles of 17,000 simple emergency meals, 6,000 blankets, and 4,000 sleeping bags. It also says blankets are distributed first to people who need special consideration (A2-BCP summary edition, checked 2026-10-05). However, these are stockpile quantities on paper. Whether the building is opened overnight that day, and where blankets are handed out, are decided by the airport’s announcements on the day.

The plan says terminal opening status is posted on the website in four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. As evening approaches, check the signs inside the terminal and “Important Notices” on the official website to confirm whether the building will be open. Securing a place to stay first is more reliable than assuming you can sleep at the airport. While you look for a replacement flight, check for vacancies at lodging in parallel.

Will the airline pay for lodging and transport while you are stranded?

If the cause is bad weather, ANA’s official page states plainly: “Cases where the customer bears the cost: reasons not attributable to us, such as bad weather, natural disasters, or airport congestion.” The company bears the cost in cases of “reasons attributable to us, such as equipment failure” (ANA: Procedures for Delays and Cancellations, checked 2026-10-05). The cost rules of other companies could not be obtained in this round of checking, so please check each airline’s official page.

Assume that a snow cancellation is at your own expense, and budget for lodging and extra transport so you are not caught off guard. Whether your travel insurance, or the travel accident insurance that comes with your credit card, includes “flight delay expense” coverage is something to confirm in the terms of the policy you hold.

If you want to get back to Honshu, are there options other than flying?

The Hokkaido District Transport Bureau and Hokkaido Airports hold a “coordination meeting” aimed at reducing the number of people stranded at airports by heavy snow. The sixth meeting was held on July 4, 2025 (Hokkaido District Transport Bureau and Hokkaido Airports press release, checked 2026-10-05). As part of this cooperation, it was announced that from January 17, 2023, when many cancellations of Honshu-bound flights are expected, a free connecting bus to Tomakomai Nishi Port (two departures from New Chitose Airport, at 15:00 and 17:00) would be run temporarily, and information on ferries departing from and arriving at Tomakomai Port would be provided inside the airport (Tomakomai Port Development and Hokkaido Airports announcement dated January 17, 2023, checked 2026-10-05).

This is an announcement from 2023. Whether the same arrangement is in place this season, and what the boarding point and times would be, should be confirmed with the airport’s guidance on the day. You spend the night aboard a ferry, so it can be an option for people who cannot move their return date. However, if you are traveling with a rental vehicle, switching while holding your luggage and the question of where to return the vehicle raises a different problem. That is covered in the next section, on contacting the rental company.

If your rental car or campervan pickup or return will be late, whom do you contact, and in what order?

The order is airline, rental company, then lodging. Even if you contact the rental company first, they cannot move your booking until your new arrival time is set. First get your replacement flight confirmed with the airline, then contact the rental company with that flight number and arrival time in hand.

If pickup will be late, ask whether they can handle pickup outside business hours, whether you can switch to next-day pickup, and what happens to the charges for the delayed time. If return will be late, ask whether you can extend, whether another booking is already in for that day, and how much the extension fee is. These rules differ by company and cannot be stated uniformly in this article. Check the terms from your booking and the company’s contact information at hand.

For which bases handle late-night or early-morning pickup, see Bases That Handle Late-Night and Early-Morning Campervan Pickup, and for cancellation and itinerary change rules, see Campervan Rental Cancellation Fees and Payment Methods: All Companies Compared. If you will be changing your dates, opening these two first will give you a sense of what to ask.

What should you tell the rental company, and what should you ask?

Before you call, have your booking number and your replacement flight number and arrival time ready. Rather than handling it by email alone, speaking by phone during their reception hours lets you settle the pickup time on the spot. The table sets out what to tell them and what to ask.

Situation	What to tell them	What to ask
Pickup will be late	Booking number, replacement flight number and arrival time, name of the lead driver	Whether pickup outside business hours is possible, whether you can switch to next-day pickup, whether the charge changes because of the late pickup
Return will be late	Booking number, the date and time you expect to be able to return, where you are now	Whether you can extend, the extension fee, how it fits with the next booking, whether the return location can be changed
Cancelling the trip altogether	Booking number, the reason for cancelling (flight cancelled due to heavy snow)	How the cancellation fee is handled, the method and timing of the refund

If you will be arriving late at night, avoid heading to pick up the vehicle on unfamiliar snowy roads. Switching to a plan where you stay near the airport that night and pick up the next morning is safer. For points to watch when driving in winter, see Bad Weather Tips for Campervan Trips in Hokkaido.

What can you do at the booking stage to prepare for snow cancellations?

If you build in slack in your schedule and check the rental company’s rules at the time of booking, you will have more room to maneuver on the day. Whether you rent at New Chitose Airport or in Sapporo also changes the route to pickup. For a comparison, see Campervan Rental Comparison: Departing from Sapporo vs. New Chitose Airport, and for bases near the airport, see Campervan Rental from New Chitose Airport.

During busy periods such as the New Year holidays, it is safer to assume that you will have fewer choices of replacement flights and lodging. You can look over itineraries for that period in Hokkaido New Year Campervan Trip Guide. If you do not set the pickup date on the night of your first day, and instead plan on staying in Sapporo or Chitose on day one, you can reduce the impact of a delay. For general contact with rental companies about problems, Campervan Rental Problems and What to Do is a useful reference.

• From the day before boarding, check the airline’s flight status page and app notifications
• If a cancellation or “weather check in progress” notice appears, start the rebooking or refund procedure without waiting for a decision
• Call the rental company once your replacement flight number and arrival time are set
• Read the rules on pickup changes, extensions, and cancellations in your booking terms beforehand
• If you are at the airport at night, check “Important Notices” on the official website to see whether the building is open, and look for lodging vacancies in parallel
• Keep a reserve for lodging and extra transport, on the assumption that bad weather is at your own expense

Pages to read next

• Hokkaido Campervan Rental Cancellation Fees and Payment Methods: All Companies Compared
• Can You Pick Up a Campervan Late at Night or Early in the Morning?
• Bad Weather Tips for Campervan Trips in Hokkaido
• Hokkaido New Year Campervan Trip Guide

Featured photo: aokomoriuta (青子守歌), “Snowing Shin-Chitose Airport 20090220” (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)