Flight cancelled or delayed? Here are your rights during delays, refund process and other details (2024)

FAQs

Flight cancelled or delayed? Here are your rights during delays, refund process and other details? ›

The DOT rules lay out that passengers will be "entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered." DOT will also require airlines to give cash refunds if your bags are lost and not delivered within 12 hours.

Under the new rules, airlines must provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when flights are canceled or significantly delayed. It defines a significant delay as three hours for flights within the U.S. and six hours for international flights.

You're legally entitled to get compensation if the cancellation is the airline's responsibility and both the following apply: the replacement flight delays your arrival by 2 or more hours. your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure.

As mentioned above, if you decide not to continue with your travel itinerary, you are entitled to a full refund of the flight if a flight cancellation or significant delay was the fault of the airline. But even if you do continue with your travel plans, you are entitled to compensation for the inconvenience.

If you have been delayed for more than five hours and no longer wish to travel then you are entitled to a refund. If you are a transfer passenger and missed your connection flight because your first flight was delayed, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point.

The first rule requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed because their flights are cancelled or significantly changed, their checked bags are significantly delayed, or the ancillary services, like Wi-Fi, they purchased are not provided.

These new DOT rules clearly establish what constitutes a significant delay. For a domestic flight, it's three hours. For an international flight, it's six hours. The new rules also require the airlines to tell you if you're eligible for a refund – instead of you having to jump through hoops.

Claims for compensation

A passenger has one year from the date the flight delay of cancellation happened to make a compensation claim with the airline. The airline has 30 days to respond by either making the payment or saying why it believes compensation is not owed.

Can an airline refuse to refund a cancelled flight? ›

No matter the cause — weather-related or not — airlines must pay passengers back for the unused portion of their ticket if the passenger ultimately chooses not to fly. It's worth noting that the DOT does not define what constitutes a “significant delay.”

Airlines must provide alternative flights or refunds for canceled flights. Passengers can claim compensation ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 for cancellations within a fortnight of departure.

We know your time is valuable, and we'll do our best to get you back on track as soon as possible. If your flight is canceled or a delay causes you to miss your connection, we'll rebook you on the next flight with available seats. We will reroute your bags automatically when you check in for your new flights.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced new aviation rules to protect airline passengers from costly fees and delays. Under new federal rules, airline travelers are now guaranteed an automatic cash refund if a scheduled flight is delayed three or more hours domestically or delayed six hours internationally.

RULES FOR FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS

If a flight gets cancelled, then the airline has to inform the passenger less than two weeks, but atleast 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. The passenger can then ask for a seat on an alternate flight or seek a full refund from the airline.

If you know you can't make a scheduled flight, it's better to cancel your flight rather than be a no-show. If you cancel, you might receive a partial or whole credit for the fare purchased, to be applied to a future flight.

If your flight has been delayed for 2 hours or more, you are entitled to free-of-charge meals or refreshments, depending on the duration of your wait. If your domestic flight has kept you waiting for over 6 hours, the airline must communicate a reschedule time more than 24 hours before the original scheduled departure.

Claims for Compensation on United Airlines Flights

1. Delays - You are entitled to compensation if your United Airlines flight is delayed for three hours or longer. 2. Cancellations - You can submit a compensation claim if United Airlines cancels your flight less than 14 days before the scheduled departure.

An American Airlines passenger is entitled to compensation in the event of the following: Flight delay: If your American Airlines flight arrives at your destination more than 3 hours later than expected.