Flight Cancelled or Delayed? Your Exact Rights and How to Claim Compensation

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has clear rules for domestic flights:

Cancellations — full refund required: If an airline cancels your flight for ANY reason — weather, mechanical, staffing — you are entitled to a full cash refund of your ticket price if you choose not to travel. The airline cannot force you to accept a voucher or travel credit instead of a refund. This is federal law regardless of ticket type (including non-refundable tickets).

Significant delays: As of 2024, the DOT finalized rules requiring automatic refunds for significant delays: 3+ hours for domestic flights, 6+ hours for international flights. Airlines must proactively offer refunds — you don't have to ask.

What airlines do NOT have to provide under US law: Cash compensation for delays or cancellations beyond the ticket refund (hotel, meals, other flights). However, many airlines have voluntarily committed to providing meals and hotels for controllable delays (mechanical, staffing) — not weather. Check the DOT's Airline Customer Service Dashboard at transportation.gov.

EU Regulation 261/2004 applies to:

• All flights departing from an EU/EEA airport (any airline)
• All flights arriving in the EU/EEA on an EU-based carrier

Cash compensation amounts (one-way, per passenger):

• Under 1,500 km (short haul): €250 delay of 3+ hours
• 1,500–3,500 km (medium haul): €400 delay of 3+ hours
• Over 3,500 km (long haul): €300 delay of 3–4 hours, €600 delay of 4+ hours

Exception: If the delay/cancellation was caused by 'extraordinary circumstances' beyond the airline's control (genuine weather events, air traffic control strikes, political instability). Mechanical failures typically do NOT qualify as extraordinary circumstances.

Right to care: For delays of 2+ hours, airlines must provide meals, refreshments, and communications (phone calls or emails). For delays requiring overnight stays, hotel accommodation and transport must be provided.

Claim limitation period: UK: 6 years (England and Wales), 5 years (Scotland). EU member states: 2–5 years depending on country.

Montreal Convention (international flights) and DOT rules (domestic) govern baggage claims:

Lost baggage compensation:

• International flights (Montreal Convention): Up to approximately $1,700 USD (1,288 SDR, adjusted annually)
• Domestic US flights: Up to $3,800 per passenger (DOT rules, updated 2015)

Filing timeline: Lost baggage must be reported immediately at the airport. For delayed baggage, you can claim reasonable expenses for necessities while waiting. For damaged bags, report before leaving the airport — many airlines won't accept damage claims filed later.

What you need: Baggage claim receipt, Property Irregularity Report (PIR) filed at the airport, receipts for expenses incurred, itemized list of bag contents with estimated values.

Pro tip: Credit cards with travel benefits often provide additional lost luggage insurance. Check your card benefits before filing solely with the airline.

Your demand letter should:

Identify the flight: Flight number, date, origin and destination airports, your booking reference.

Describe the disruption: Exact delay time or cancellation details, when you were notified, how you were rerouted.

State the applicable regulation: For US domestic, cite DOT refund rules (14 CFR Part 250 for overbooking; 14 CFR 374 for consumer protection). For EU261 flights, cite the specific regulation and the compensation amount for your route distance.

Itemize your losses: Ticket price (if requesting refund), out-of-pocket expenses (hotel, meals, alternate transport), consequential losses (missed non-refundable hotel bookings, event tickets, etc.).

Set a response deadline: '30 days from the date of this letter.'

Send to: The airline's customer relations department by email AND certified mail. Find the address at the airline's website or the DOT's Air Consumer website.

DOT Complaint: File at transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint. The DOT logs complaints and contacts airlines. While the DOT doesn't adjudicate individual complaints, a filed complaint creates a formal record and airlines often respond to settle.

If you're involuntarily bumped from a flight (denied boarding after having a confirmed reservation and arriving at the gate on time), DOT rules require compensation:

Domestic flights:

• Delay of 1–2 hours: 200% of one-way fare, max $775
• Delay of 2+ hours: 400% of one-way fare, max $1,550

International flights:

• Delay of 1–4 hours: 200% of one-way fare, max $775
• Delay of 4+ hours: 400% of one-way fare, max $1,550

You must be paid at the airport, in cash or check. You can negotiate for a travel voucher of higher value if you prefer.

Voluntary bumping: If you volunteer to give up your seat, negotiate hard before agreeing — airlines will often offer more than their initial bid if flights are full.