Flight cancelled: the DOT refund rule and the 24-hour rule

A cancellation or a big change gets you a refund, on any airline

The rule covers flights to, from and within the US, on any airline, US or foreign. A cancelled flight counts. So does a significant change: the departure or arrival moves 3 hours or more on a domestic trip or 6 hours or more on an international one, the airline switches your departure or arrival airport, adds connections, or downgrades your cabin. A switch to a less accessible aircraft for a disabled passenger counts too.

The key is that you decline the alternative. If you accept the rebooking, you're traveling on the new flight. If you don't, you get your money back, and you don't have to argue that the airline caused the problem.

Card refunds are due in 7 business days, and vouchers are optional

The refund goes back to the original form of payment. That means within 7 business days for a card and within 20 calendar days for other payment types. It covers the unused ticket and any paid extras you didn't get, such as bag fees, seat fees and Wi-Fi.

Airlines may offer a voucher or travel credit, and sometimes it's a fair deal if you already know you'll fly them again. They can't force one on you, though. If the agent at the desk or the app pushes a credit and you'd rather have cash, say you're declining the alternative and asking for a refund. Then ask for it in writing.

Bags have a rule of their own. If your checked bag isn't delivered within 12 hours of arrival on a domestic flight, or within 15 to 30 hours on an international one, you can ask for the bag fee back. This refund isn't automatic, so you have to request it.

A delay doesn't pay cash in the US, unlike Europe

Here's where a lot of people get let down. The US has nothing like EU-style cash compensation for a delay. What you get instead are the commitments each airline posts on the DOT customer-service dashboard, such as meals, hotels and rebooking when the delay was within the airline's control. They differ by airline, and flightrights.gov lists them. The airline's own contract of carriage covers the rest.

Weather and air-traffic delays count as uncontrollable. Most US airlines owe you no hotel or meals for them, but they'll rebook you at no cost, and if the trip ends up cancelled, the refund rule still applies.

Flights departing from the EU or the UK work differently, and so do flights arriving there on an EU or UK airline. On those, EU261 or UK261 sets fixed compensation of 250 to 600 euros for cancellations and delays of 3 hours or more, unless the cause was extraordinary circumstances.

The 24-hour rule covers changing your own mind, not the airline's

If you bought the ticket directly from a US airline, or through a US-based agent for a flight to or from the US, you can cancel within 24 hours of buying it for a full refund, as long as the flight is at least 7 days away. Some airlines offer a 24-hour hold instead.

After that window, the fare rules decide. Basic Economy is usually non-refundable and can't be changed. Standard economy on the big US airlines has no change fee on domestic and many international routes, but you get a credit, not cash. Refundable fares cost whatever premium the fare rules list.

There's one refund on an unused non-refundable ticket that people often forget. On many tickets, the taxes and the September 11th fee come back if you ask for them.

Through a booking site, the refund is where it stalls

Refund complaints are the number-one complaint about online travel agencies in the US. The rule still applies when you bought through one, but the money often goes from the airline to the booking site before it reaches you, and that's the step where it can sit.

Contacting the airline directly often helps. Airlines frequently refund the booking site, and once they have, the booking site owes you the money. Ask the airline whether the refund has already been issued and when, and write down what they tell you.

I spent $400 through Expedia for a Vegas trip end of this month for spirit. I can’t get a hold of them

The order to push, and the form that exists for it

Start with a written refund request to the airline, on its site or in its app. If you bought through a booking site, make the request there too and save the chat transcript. Keep every case number, date and name.

If the airline doesn't answer, DOT runs an Aviation Consumer Protection complaint form for airline tickets. If you paid for a service you didn't get, a card dispute is the backstop. Card issuers usually allow one within 60 to 120 days of the charge. A dispute is strongest when the service wasn't delivered, a refund rule applies, and you have a written refusal. Even then it can fail. For a US company you can also file a BBB complaint and contact your state attorney general's consumer office.

The travel agent is no longer returning our calls or emails.

The hotel and the rest of the trip run on their own terms

The flight rule doesn't reach your hotel. "Free cancellation until" a date means exactly that, and "non-refundable" means you lose the whole amount. Prepaid rates on booking sites, like Expedia, Booking.com's "pay now" rates, Priceline Express Deals and Hotwire, are the hardest to get back.

Here's what's at stake on a short trip. Our Los Angeles to Las Vegas page for Oct 30–Nov 1, 2026 came to $697 for two, flights and Harrah's Las Vegas included, as we found it on Oct 15, 2026. A cancelled flight gets you the airfare back. Whether you get the hotel money back depends on the rate you chose.

With a package, the seller's terms apply, and the cancellation penalties grow as the date gets closer. On a cruise, the line's penalty schedule applies, and so do its rules for any airfare you bought through the line. A "cancel for any reason" travel insurance policy is the only real flexibility, and it costs 10 to 12% of the trip.