Flight cancelled or delayed: what the airline owes you

When you get a cash refund

Federal refund rules (14 CFR part 260) apply to flights to, from or within the United States. The airline that sold you the ticket must give "a full and prompt refund of the airfare, including any taxes and ancillary fees" for "any cancelled flight or significantly delayed or changed flight where the consumer chooses not to":

(i) Fly on the significantly delayed or changed flight or accept rebooking on an alternative flight; or (ii) Accept any voucher, credit, or other form of compensation offered by the air carrier… — 14 CFR 260.6(a)(1), read Oct 29, 2026

That covers nonrefundable tickets too. The refund is automatic (you shouldn't have to fight for it) when:

• the flight is cancelled and you're offered no alternative flight and no voucher or credit;
• you reject the changed flight, the rebooking, and any voucher or credit; or
• you don't respond to the offer and the changed flight leaves without you, or you don't take the voucher by the date the original flight was due to leave. 260.6(a)(2)

Paid extras you couldn't use because of the cancellation, such as a seat assignment, Wi-Fi or a bag fee, must be refunded too. 14 CFR 260.4

What counts as a "significant" change

A delay or schedule change is significant when, because of it, you are:

Source: definition of "significantly delayed or changed flight", 14 CFR 260.2, eCFR current as of Oct 27, 2026.

How fast the refund must arrive

"Prompt" has a fixed meaning: within 7 business days for credit card purchases, and within 20 calendar days for cash, check, debit card or other payment types, counted from the date the refund became due. 14 CFR 260.2

Vouchers and credits

An airline can offer a voucher or credit instead of the refund, but only on these terms:

• It has to be offered as an explicit alternative, and you have to actively agree. The airline "must not deem a consumer to have accepted" a credit unless the consumer "affirmatively agrees". 14 CFR 260.7
• A voucher or credit offered in place of a required refund must stay valid for at least five years from the date it's issued, and the airline must tell you the expiry date. 260.6(c)
• Restrictions such as blackout dates or advance-purchase rules have to be disclosed when the credit is offered. 14 CFR 260.8

The renumbered-flight exception (until July 7, 2027)

Under the rule's wording, a flight that gets a new flight number counts as "cancelled". On July 7, 2026, DOT extended a pause on enforcing that for flights that are only renumbered: if you're rebooked on the renumbered flight and it runs without a significant change or delay, DOT won't enforce the refund requirement. The pause expires July 7, 2027. If the renumbering comes with a significant change (3+ hours, a different airport, a downgrade), the refund rules still apply. 91 FR 41556 (July 7, 2026)

Meals, hotels and rebooking

These are promises each airline makes in its customer service plan, collected on DOT's Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard. They apply when the airline caused the problem (DOT's examples include maintenance and crew problems), not weather. DOT says an airline with a red "x" "may provide these services and amenities in some instances in their discretion".

Controllable cancellations, per DOT's dashboard. "Rebook on another airline" means a partner or an airline it has an agreement with. "Credit/voucher", "Miles" and "Cash" are for a cancellation that leaves you waiting 3+ hours from the scheduled departure. Read on Oct 29, 2026 from a search-engine copy of the DOT page, because transportation.gov blocks our reader; check the live dashboard before relying on a single cell.

Stuck on the tarmac

• Domestic flights: the airline must give you the chance to get off the plane before a tarmac delay passes 3 hours; international flights, 4 hours (with safety, security and air traffic control exceptions).
• Food and drinking water must be provided no later than 2 hours into a tarmac delay, unless the pilot decides safety or security rules it out. 14 CFR 259.4

What to do, step by step

1. Decide: new flight or money? If the change is significant and you don't want the new flight, say so in writing (app chat, email or the airline's refund form) and ask for a refund to your original payment method. Don't accept a credit you don't want.
2. Screenshot everything. Original itinerary, the change notice, and any message offering a credit. Times matter because the 3-hour and 6-hour thresholds are measured against your original schedule.
3. If the airline caused it, ask for what it promised. Meal vouchers after a 3-hour wait and a hotel for an overnight cancellation (see the table). Keep receipts if you pay yourself, and claim them afterwards.
4. Count the days. 7 business days for a credit card refund, 20 calendar days otherwise.
5. Complain to the airline in writing. Airlines must acknowledge a written complaint within 30 days and send a substantive answer within 60 days. 14 CFR 259.7
6. Still stuck? File with DOT. Use DOT's air travel complaint form and attach your evidence. If you paid by credit card, you can also ask your card issuer about a dispute.

Sources

• 14 CFR part 260, Refunds for airline fare and ancillary service fees: eCFR (version current as of Oct 27, 2026; read Oct 29, 2026).
• 14 CFR 259.4 (tarmac delays) and 259.7 (complaint responses): eCFR (read Oct 29, 2026).
• DOT, Notification of enforcement discretion, Airline Refunds and Other Consumer Protections, 91 FR 41556–41557, July 7, 2026: govinfo.gov (read Oct 29, 2026).
• DOT, Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard: transportation.gov (search-engine copy read Oct 29, 2026).