Flight Canceled or Delayed in the U.S.: What Airlines Owe You and How to Claim It

What Are You Entitled to When Your Flight is Canceled or Delayed in the U.S.?

When an airline flight is canceled in the U.S., you are entitled to several protections. The key takeaway is this: if your flight is canceled, or changed in way that is significant (typically a 3-hour time change at a minimum, or a downgrade in service or a switch in airports), and you decline a proposed alternative, you can ask for your money back, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket.

Under DOT’s refund rule, if an airline cancels a flight, you are entitled to a prompt refund if you do not accept the airline's alternative offer of a ticket on another flight or a travel credit. This is true even if the cancellation is for reasons beyond the airline’s control. The passenger should get the refund for the fare itself, any fees for checked bag charges, and any accident insurance that’s part of the ticket. They have a right to that refund, if you decline the offered alternative, and get it back within 7-20 business days.

DOT's airline cancellation and delay dashboard further clarifies that airlines must provide a prompt refund, including for non-refundable tickets, when they cancel a passenger’s flight or make a significant change, and the passenger does not accept the alternative offered.

What is significant? The final refund rule defines a “significant change” to include departure or arrival times that change by more than 3 hours for flights within the US and more than 6 hours for international flights, a different airport, more connections than booked, or downgrade in the class of service, including if a premium fare is way downgraded, like from business to economy.

There is no cash compensation you are absolutely entitled to when your flight is cancelled or delayed, unlike what’s true in Europe. When, they noted that the U.S. refund rules were focused on refund rights, not a general legal right to cash payments when flights are delayed. Similarly, there are no special out-of-pocket expenses that the airline has to pay you for, like meals.

This period of time after a cancellation or significant change is just an inconvenience that the airline owes you some support for, but games out as not a large amount of money. Also, for real disruption in getting to your destination as booked, like getting canceled out of an important appointment, there’s nothing comparable to EU261 regulations that DOT has rolled out, which pay 250-600 euros to passengers for long delays or cancellations.

DOT has fined American Airlines and Spirit Airlines in 2022-2023 for violating refund rules that require airlines to pay out on refunds for canceled flights in a timely manner, using credit card payment. DOT is indicating that it is focused on making sure airlines are providing the correct refund amounts and process for those.

But if something is lost or delayed for more than 12 hours, in airport, transit on the plane, or baggage carousels, there’s liability from the U.S. government and the airlines, but the outputs aren't in cash. Liability isn’t more than $2,100 per passenger, and less if baggage arrived late but wasn't permanently misplaced or damaged beyond repair. This liability standard comes from the Montreal Convention liability arrangements for these situations, where the liability limits were established under the Montreal Convention.

If you are trying to make a delay or cancellation claim on a U.S. airline, you are going to want to start by asking the carrier what the situation is, and see if they will give you a refund for your flight, or an operating alternative you are content with, and what is owed to you as a customer travelling on one of their airplanes. If you're not getting results, try the carrier customer service department or filing a complaint with airlines.

If that doesn't work, it’s on to filing with DOT. Ultimately, if the airline still doesn't deliver on what they owe you, you may be able to initiate a chargeback on your credit-card purchases. You can expect.

The bottom line for the stranded passenger is this: if an airline cancels or significantly changes your flight, and you decline a booking offer they make, you are entitled to a refund in the standard airline-owed way.