Erika Kullberg’s Guide to Flight Cancellation Compensation: How To Get What You’re Owed

If you’ve ever seen the dreaded “Canceled” flash on the airport departures board, you know how confusing and frustrating it can be. 

Is your trip over before it’s even started? Can you get a new flight? What if the new flight isn’t until tomorrow?

Before you panic, know that you may be entitled to some compensation if your flight is canceled. And if the airline can’t get you on another flight (or you choose not to take another flight), they must refund your ticket.

Understanding U.S. Flight Cancellations

First things first: If your U.S. flight is canceled for any reason, the airline must rebook you or offer you a full refund.

Some airlines will also offer food and hotel vouchers if it’s several hours before they can rebook you or you’re stranded overnight.

There are lots of reasons a flight might get canceled, from bad weather to mechanical delays to crew and staffing issues — and the reason for the cancellation determines what compensation you’re entitled to. 

Common reasons for cancellations

Lots of things can keep a plane on the ground. These are some of the most common reasons a flight gets canceled:

• Weather (including conditions at the destination)
• Air traffic control (congestion, staffing, and equipment issues)
• Crew delays
• Mechanical failures
• Repair delays

Now, one of the most important things to know about flight cancellations is they can be controllable or uncontrollable — and this will determine what compensation you’re entitled to. 

• Controllable delays are things within the airline’s control, like a crew shortage or maintenance issues.
• Uncontrollable delays are outside the airline’s control, like bad weather, natural disasters, air traffic control problems, and other “force majeure” issues.

When can you receive compensation for a cancellation?

To be eligible for services, refunds, and other amenities during a cancellation, your flight needs to be canceled for reasons within the airline’s control.

Under federal regulations, the airline isn’t responsible for taking care of you when the cancellation was due to something outside their control, like a hurricane or a labor strike impacting the flight.

So when will you be eligible for compensation? Well, in any other situation where the airline is at fault for the cancellation. 

Most commonly, these are crew scheduling hiccups, mechanical failures, and repair delays.

Your Rights When Your Flight is Canceled

Every major U.S. airline has committed to providing their customers with certain levels of care when things don’t go as planned. These promises are monitored and enforced by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Policies differ between airlines (spoiler: some airlines provide more comprehensive care than others!) but some things are the same regardless of the airline you’re flying.

Airline	Cancellation compensation
Alaska Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with Alaska or partner airline – Meal vouchers for controllable delays 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – Travel credit or frequent flier miles as bonus compensation for controllable delays
Allegiant Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with Allegiant – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – No travel credits or frequent flier miles
American Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with American or partner airline – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – No travel credits or frequent flier miles
Delta Air Lines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with Delta or partner airline – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – No travel credits or frequent flier miles
Frontier Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with Frontier – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – No hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – No travel credits or frequent flier miles
Hawaiian Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with Hawaiian or partner airline – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – Travel credit or frequent flier miles as bonus compensation for controllable delays
JetBlue Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with JetBlue – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – Travel credit as bonus compensation for controllable delays
Southwest Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with Southwest – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – Travel credit as bonus compensation for controllable delays
Spirit Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with Spirit – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – No travel credits or frequent flier miles
United Airlines flight cancellation	– Rebooking at no extra cost with United or partner airline – Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours – Hotel accommodations for controllable overnight delays – No travel credits or frequent flier miles

Rebooking and refunds

Right off the bat, you are entitled to a new flight, rebooked for you for free. If the new route works for you, then great! All you have to do is check in.

If the airline is unable to rebook you on a new flight or you decide not to accept the new flight, the airline owes you a full, automatic refund for the flight you ended up not taking.

If the rebooked flight can’t get you to your destination in time, the airline might rebook you on a partner airline. Airlines that currently offer this service are: 

• Alaska
• American
• Delta
• Hawaiian
• JetBlue
• United

If you’re in this situation, ask the airline representative for assistance with getting on a flight with a different airline.

Care and assistance

If you’re already at the airport when your flight gets canceled, you might be stuck for a while waiting for the next flight. 

Every major U.S. airline has committed to providing meal vouchers to passengers who are stuck waiting longer than 3 hours due to a controllable flight interruption. 

These vouchers are typically accepted at most food establishments in the airport. 

And most U.S. airlines (except Frontier) have also committed to providing complimentary hotel accommodations if you’re stuck overnight because of a controllable delay.

But remember, if the flight was canceled for a reason outside the airline’s control, food and hotels might not be provided.

You can check what each airline has promised to provide on the DOT’s Airline Cancellation Dashboard.

Right to compensation

While you can’t expect cash compensation from any airline, they still want to keep their customers happy. So, some promise other forms of compensation when flights get canceled.

For example, if you’ve been delayed from your destination by 3 hours or longer, Alaska, Hawaiian, JetBlue, and Southwest promise travel credits. Alaska and Hawaiian also offer frequent flier miles.

Be warned, though, that travel credits aren’t as good as straight-up getting your money back. Airlines benefit from giving out credits because they’re not out any money, but if you never use that credit, you’ll be out that cash. 

But if the travel credits and frequent flier miles are in addition to the refund or rebooking, then you’re all good!

Compensation isn’t promised by the other airlines, but it’s not unheard of to receive it. For example, I recently flew on Delta and had a flight canceled. That night, I got an email notifying me that I had received 10,000 miles in my Delta account for the inconvenience.

U.S. vs. EU Flight Cancellation Rights

Flight rights in the United States are governed by the DOT, but when you’re traveling abroad, you may be covered by EU261, a regulation under the European Union.

EU261 applies to any flights departing from the EU (even if it’s a U.S. carrier) and on EU airlines arriving in the EU. So, for example, a United flight from Paris to New York would fall under EU261, but the opposite direction on United wouldn’t.

EU261 duty of care

In the U.S., airlines only provide food and drink vouchers if the cause of the delay was within the airline’s control. But EU261 requires travelers be provided with “reasonable support” — namely food and drink, and a hotel if you’re rebooked for the following day. 

This is called “duty of care,” and it kicks in based on your delay length — for short flights, it's after 2 hours; for longer flights, it's after 3-4 hours.

EU261 compensation

Unlike in the U.S., EU261 entitles you to cash compensation when your flight gets canceled for controllable reasons and they didn’t notify you within 2 weeks of departure. 

You can claim between €250 and €600, depending on the distance of your flight: the longer the distance, the more money you’re owed.

READ MORE: Domestic vs. International Flight Delay Compensation 

How To Claim Compensation

So, your flight has been canceled and it’s the airline’s fault. What next? 

Well, if you’re eligible for a refund (such as if you chose not to accept a rescheduled flight), it will come to you automatically. 

But maybe the gate agent wasn’t able to print you a meal voucher. Or perhaps you had to arrange your own accommodations when the mechanical issues held you up overnight. 

You might be eligible for reimbursement from the airline. Here’s what to do.

1. Read your airline’s rules 

Since there are no standardized requirements for care in the U.S., your first step is to identify exactly what you’re entitled to from the airline. 

Lucky for you, I read all the fine print and outlined what you’re entitled to for each airline!

• Alaska Airlines
• Allegiant Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Frontier Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• Spirit Airlines
• United Airlines

2. Collect documentation

To file a claim or complaint with an airline, you’ll need some basic information. You should be prepared with copies of your:

• Boarding pass
• Flight number
• Reservation confirmation number (check your email for this)
• Flight date
• Origin
• Destination

These pieces of information help validate your claim. Before you fly, it’s a good idea to have pictures of these or write them down in a note on your phone!

3. Submit the claim

Many airlines have online forms you can submit for reimbursement or compensation.

If you can’t find the airline’s reimbursement or compensation form online, reach out through their chat option or email customer service. Some airlines also have a phone number you can call.

If you’re still at the airport as the cancellation is unfolding, I recommend you approach the gate agent to get the full scoop on where you can file the claim with that airline.

4. Escalate if necessary

It’s not unheard of for a claim to get denied, and if this happens, you’ll need to escalate the issue. 

Take it up with the airline first by sending a complaint to the corporate office. There’s a good chance it will get sorted out quickly and easily if you keep the complaint within the airline. 

In fact, the DOT requires airlines to acknowledge complaints within 30 days of receiving them and to respond within 60 days.

However, you may need to take your complaint higher if you still aren’t receiving compensation after taking it to the corporate level. You can lodge a formal complaint against the airline with the DOT, which acts like a watchdog and enforces the airline’s own policies.

READ MORE: What To Do if Your Flight or Hotel Booking Is Canceled

Tips for Avoiding Costly Cancellations

Flight cancellations not only delay you to your destination, but they can come with unexpected and frustrating costs as well. 

To protect your wallet, consider two options: travel insurance and credit card coverage.

Buy travel insurance

You might think of travel insurance as coverage for lost luggage and medical emergencies while on vacation. But travel insurance covers more than that!

Travel insurance reimburses you when your flight is canceled and you have to shell out cash for necessities like food, drink, and overnight accommodations. It will also cover you for prepaid, nonrefundable costs that you miss because of the cancellation.

For example, let’s say you have a nice hotel room booked and an early morning walking tour for your destination, but the flight cancellation means you’re going to miss the first night in your sweet suite and the tour — both of which you paid for upfront.

But if you have trip cancellation insurance, you could get reimbursed for those costs (assuming you couldn’t get your money back from the hotel or tour operator).

Look for policies that include trip delay and cancellation coverage so you’re protected in case of a flight interruption. 

READ MORE: How To Choose the Right Trip Cancellation Policy

Use credit card coverage 

While travel insurance is a must, your credit card might actually include it already!

Some credit cards include travel insurance coverage as a benefit, and during a flight cancellation, the credit card company will cover necessary expenses that rack up while you wait.

For example, both the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will reimburse you up to $500 per ticket when your flight is delayed over 6-12 hours or requires overnight stay. 

And if your entire trip has to be canceled — say, because of a bad snowstorm that has flights grounded for days — you can get up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable expenses

However, there’s one catch: You need to have used the credit card to buy the flights in order to receive coverage.

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Tips for Dealing with Flight Cancellations

Most importantly, know your rights! When your flight gets canceled, the airline either needs to get you on a new flight or refund you for the ticket if they can't provide an alternate flight. 

Beyond that, read up on the ins and outs of your airline’s policies so you get what else you’re owed, like meal vouchers or complimentary hotel rooms.

Next, document everything. Keep a timeline of the cancellation so you know when you become eligible for bonus miles and travel credits. 

Make sure to also have your original flight number, the confirmation number, and a copy of your boarding pass.

Lastly, be persistent (but polite) when asking for compensation. The airlines owe you according to their policies, but they also want to keep your business. You never know what you might receive as compensation when you ask!

FAQs About Flight Cancellations

Can I get compensation if I accept an alternative flight?

If you accept an alternate flight, you will not be eligible for a ticket refund. If the alternate flight departs the next day, you may be eligible for a free hotel stay, depending on the airline. 

The DOT Airline Cancellation Dashboard shows exactly what you’re entitled to by airline.

What if my connecting flight is canceled?

If your connecting flight is canceled, the airline should rebook you to your destination regardless, though it may be through a different (or additional) connection.

How long do airlines have to pay compensation?

A new rule from the DOT requires airlines to make refunds “promptly,” which is defined as 7 days.

What is the time limit for filing a claim?

There is no universal standard for how long you have to file a claim with an airline after something happens. 

My best advice is to file a complaint as soon as possible — definitely within a month after it happens.

TL;DR: How To Deal With Flight Cancellations

There’s no getting around it — flight cancellations are really inconvenient. But when you know your rights as a passenger, you’re well on your way to getting compensation for the trouble. 

Though you won’t get cash back (unless you’re in the EU), there are still meal vouchers and hotel rooms up for grabs if you’re eligible. And if you ask for more perks (lounge access, seat upgrades, etc.), they very well might accommodate you to keep your business!

Don’t let a canceled flight ruin your whole trip — or cost you an arm and a leg! 

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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.