Flight canceled or badly delayed? What U.S. airlines owe you, and what changes on Oct. 19

If a U.S. airline cancels your flight or significantly changes it and you decide not to travel, federal rules require the airline to refund your money automatically. The Department of Transportation's refund rule has applied to cancellations and significant changes since Oct. 28, 2024, according to the Federal Register. What the rules do not require is cash compensation for your lost time, and a change taking effect Oct. 19, 2026, will narrow the list of disruptions that count as the airline's responsibility for purposes of meals and hotel stays.

When you are owed a refund

Under the regulation, 14 CFR Part 260, an airline that sold you the ticket must give a full refund of the fare, including taxes and fees for extras, when your flight is canceled or "significantly delayed or changed" and you choose not to take the new flight or accept a voucher or credit. A flight counts as significantly delayed or changed if:

• It departs 3 or more hours earlier, or arrives 3 or more hours later, than originally scheduled on a domestic itinerary. For international itineraries, the threshold is 6 hours.
• It leaves from a different airport or lands at a different destination airport.
• Your new itinerary has more connections than the original.
• You are downgraded to a lower class of service.
• For travelers with a disability, the change routes you through different connecting airports or onto an aircraft missing an accessibility feature you need.

DOT's consumer refund page says the right to a refund for a canceled flight applies regardless of the reason for the cancellation.

Automatic means you do not have to ask

The refund is due automatically if the airline cancels and offers you no alternative, if you reject the rebooking or voucher it offers, or if you do not respond and the new flight leaves without you. Airlines may offer a voucher or travel credit instead, but the offer must clearly tell you that you have a right to a full refund.

Refunds must be "prompt": within 7 business days for credit card purchases and within 20 calendar days for cash, check, debit card or other payment methods. They must go back to the original form of payment unless you agree to something else, and airlines cannot keep a processing fee. If you booked through a travel agency that charged your card, the seller that processed the payment, known as the merchant of record, is responsible for the refund.

Delayed bags and services you paid for but did not get

• Checked bag fees. You are owed a refund of the bag fee if your bag is lost or significantly delayed: not delivered within 12 hours of arrival for domestic trips, or within 15 or 30 hours for international trips, depending on flight length. You must file a Mishandled Baggage Report with the airline.
• Extras. If you paid for a service such as Wi-Fi or seat selection and did not get it through no fault of your own, the airline must refund that fee.

One exception: renumbered flights

Under the regulation, a flight that is given a new flight number counts as a canceled flight. DOT has said it will not enforce the refund requirement when a flight is merely renumbered, you are rebooked on it and it operates without a significant change or delay. The pause runs until July 7, 2027 while DOT considers changing its definition of a canceled flight.

What airlines are not required to pay

No federal rule requires U.S. airlines to pay you cash for a delay. In December 2024, DOT asked for public comment on requiring cash compensation, free rebooking, meals, lodging and transportation for passengers affected by significant disruptions. On Nov. 17, 2025, the department withdrew that proposal, citing executive orders directing agencies to reduce regulatory burdens.

Meals, hotels and the DOT dashboard

Meals and hotel rooms come from airline promises rather than a federal mandate. The largest U.S. airlines "have generally committed to provide free rebooking, complimentary hotel accommodations, and meals or meal vouchers" when a cancellation or long delay is within the airline's control, DOT said in a December 2025 notice. Airlines are obligated to keep those commitments, and DOT shows what each airline promises on its Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard. Check it, and your airline's customer service plan, when your flight is disrupted.

What changes on Oct. 19

DOT ties the "controllable" standard on its dashboard to the category airlines use when they report delays caused by the carrier. A final rule taking effect Oct. 19, 2026, carries out a 2024 law that removes 10 events from that category, including:

• Unscheduled maintenance, including in response to an airworthiness directive, that cannot be deferred or must be handled before flight
• Aircraft damage caused by extreme weather, foreign object debris or sabotage
• Cybersecurity attacks, if the airline complies with cybersecurity rules
• Unexpected government system shutdowns or failures that affect safe operations
• Medical emergencies not caused by the airline, and removal of an unruly passenger
• Airport closures due to volcanic ash, wind or wind shear

DOT said that because of the change, "the number of delays and cancellations for which air carriers provide amenities and compensation to consumers is expected to be reduced." The rule does not change the refund requirements, which apply to cancellations and significant changes regardless of cause.

How to get your refund or complain

1. Decide quickly. If you do not want the rebooked flight, decline it in the airline's app or website, or in writing, and keep a record.
2. Do not accept a voucher by accident. Read any offer closely. You can choose the cash refund.
3. Watch the clock. Check your card statement after 7 business days, or 20 calendar days for other payment types.
4. File a complaint with the airline first. Federal rules require airlines to acknowledge a complaint in writing within 30 days and send a substantive response within 60 days.
5. Then go to DOT. If the airline does not resolve it, you can file a consumer complaint with DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change, so check DOT's consumer pages for the latest before you travel.