Cancelled flight refund: what US airlines owe you

If an airline cancels your flight to, from, or within the US, or significantly changes or delays it, and you choose not to take the new flight or a voucher, you're owed a full refund. That covers nonrefundable tickets, taxes, and fees for extras, and it goes back to your original form of payment. These DOT rules have applied since October 28, 2024. What US rules don't require is extra cash compensation on top of the refund.

What counts as a cancellation or significant change

Under the DOT refund rule (14 CFR Part 260), you can qualify for a refund when the airline:

• Cancels a flight that was on its schedule when you bought your ticket
• Moves your departure 3 or more hours earlier, or your arrival 3 or more hours later, on a domestic trip (6 or more hours for international trips)
• Changes your departure or arrival airport
• Adds connections to your itinerary
• Downgrades you to a lower class of service
• For travelers with a disability, routes you through different connecting airports or switches to an aircraft without the accessibility features you need

One recent wrinkle: DOT isn't enforcing the refund requirement when an airline only renumbers a flight and the flight otherwise operates without a significant change or delay. That pause runs through July 7, 2027, while DOT works on a rule that could redefine what counts as a cancelled flight. The rest of the refund rule still applies.

How to get your refund, step by step

1. Decide before you accept anything. If you fly on the changed flight, accept rebooking, or agree to a voucher or credit, you generally give up the cash refund. The airline can't treat you as accepting a voucher unless you affirmatively agree to it.

2. Look for the refund option. Airlines have to notify you of your right to a refund when they cancel or significantly change your flight. Check your email, texts, and the airline's app. If you don't respond to an offered alternative flight and it leaves without you, the refund is still due.

3. Ask in writing if nothing happens. Use the airline's refund form or chat, and save your confirmation code, the cancellation or change notice, and your receipts.

4. Know the deadline. Refunds are due within 7 business days if you paid by credit card and within 20 calendar days for other payment methods. The money has to go back to your original form of payment (including miles) unless you agree to a cash equivalent, and the airline can't keep a processing fee.

5. Booked through a travel site? The company that charged your card (called the merchant of record) is generally the one responsible for your refund.

6. Escalate if you need to. File a complaint with DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. You can also ask your card issuer about disputing the charge.

Refunds for delayed bags and paid extras

The same rule covers two refunds people often miss.

Delayed checked bags. You're owed a refund of your bag fee if your checked bag isn't delivered within:

• 12 hours of arrival for domestic trips
• 15 hours for international trips where the nonstop flight between the US and the foreign airport is 12 hours or less
• 30 hours for international trips where that nonstop flight is longer than 12 hours

The catch: you have to file a Mishandled Baggage Report with the airline. Do it at the airport before you leave, if you can.

Extras you paid for but didn't get. If you paid for something like seat selection, Wi-Fi, or an upgrade and didn't receive it through no fault of your own, the fee should come back to you. When the problem hit everyone (say, Wi-Fi was down for the whole flight), the refund should be automatic. If it only affected you, tell the airline. That notice counts as your refund request.

What US rules don't cover: delay compensation

Unlike the EU, the US doesn't require airlines to pay cash compensation for delays or cancellations. DOT floated the idea in a December 2024 advance notice, then formally withdrew it on November 17, 2025.

What you can lean on instead are the airlines' own commitments. In that November 2025 notice, DOT said all 10 of the largest US airlines commit to a meal and free rebooking on the same airline when a delay or cancellation is within the airline's control, and 9 of them commit to a hotel and ground transportation for controllable overnight disruptions. DOT tracks these commitments on its dashboard at FlightRights.gov, so check it before you head to the counter.

This is general information, not legal advice. DOT has a rulemaking in progress, so check the DOT refunds page for the latest.

Tips and gotchas

• Screenshot the change notice right away. Times in airline apps can update, and you want a record of what changed and when.
• A refund covers your original ticket only. If you book a pricier last-minute flight on another airline, the refund won't cover the difference.
• Vouchers come with rules. If you choose a voucher or credit offered instead of a refund, DOT requires it to stay valid for at least five years from when it's issued, and the airline has to disclose any restrictions up front.
• Report the bag before you leave. Without a Mishandled Baggage Report, the airline doesn't owe you the bag fee refund.
• Keep everything. Boarding passes, receipts for paid extras, and chat transcripts make complaints much easier.

How Stu will help

Stu is in development and has a waitlist. Once it launches, Stu will help you notice when a cancelled or changed flight may mean you're owed a refund, and walk you through asking for it. Stu will always ask before acting, and you'll review and send any request yourself.

Sources

• eCFR: 14 CFR Part 260, Refunds for Airline Fare and Ancillary Service Fees
• US DOT: Refunds
• Federal Register: Refunds and Other Consumer Protections, final rule (April 26, 2024)
• Federal Register: Airline Passenger Rights, withdrawal (November 17, 2025)
• Federal Register: Airline Refunds and Other Consumer Protections, enforcement notice (July 7, 2026)
• US DOT: File a consumer complaint
• US DOT: Airline delay and cancellation dashboard (FlightRights.gov)