Rights, in real situations
Flights & travel
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Flights & travel
My airline cancelled my flight. Do I have to accept a voucher?Federal rule · specific setting
Federal rule · specific setting
For this situationA flight to, from or within the US, bought directly from the airline. This guide covers cancellation, not a change of mind.
No. If you decline the replacement flight and other compensation, you are entitled to a refund. A nonrefundable ticket does not remove this right when the airline cancels.
What to do next
- Keep the cancellation notice and booking number.
- Tell the airline you decline rebooking and credit. Keep a copy.
- For a credit-card purchase, check for the refund within 7 business days after rejecting the alternative.
Words you can use
My booking is [NUMBER]. The airline cancelled [FLIGHT / DATE]. I decline replacement travel and vouchers. Please refund my original payment.
Replace the brackets with your details. Keep only what is true for you.
What could change this answer?
- Booked through a travel agency? Check who charged your card. The airline or agency that charged you is responsible for the ticket refund.
- Already travelled or accepted compensation? This guide does not establish a full-fare refund.
Links open the named service. REYETS does not send or file anything.
Federal rule. State or local protections may add to it. Legal review pending.
Can I get a refund if I simply decide not to fly?Background reading
Background reading
A nonrefundable ticket usually is not refundable just because you change your mind when the flight operates as scheduled. Check the ticket terms and any applicable cancellation window.
This is background information, not a state-specific answer. Legal review pending.
What if the airline moves me to a cheaper cabin?Background reading
Background reading
If you travel in the lower cabin, US rules entitle you to the difference in fare. That is different from a refund of the entire trip.
This is background information, not a state-specific answer. Legal review pending.
Where can I complain about an airline?Background reading
Background reading
Start with the airline’s consumer-relations contact and keep your booking, receipts and correspondence. You can also send a complaint through the US Department of Transportation’s aviation consumer site.
Use the complaint link in the DOT guide below. Submitting a complaint does not guarantee compensation.
This is background information, not a state-specific answer. Legal review pending.
I booked the wrong flight directly with the airline an hour ago. Is there a 24-hour cancellation right?Federal rule · specific setting
Federal rule · specific setting
For this situationA ticket booked directly with an airline for covered US air travel, at least seven days before scheduled departure.
For bookings made at least seven days before departure, airlines must offer either a 24-hour unpaid hold or cancellation within 24 hours with a full refund. They do not have to offer both.
What to do next
- Find the booking timestamp, departure date and the airline’s published 24-hour policy immediately.
- If the airline provides the cancellation option, use its official cancellation process before the window closes and request the full refund.
- Save the cancellation confirmation and payment record. Follow up if the promised refund does not arrive.
What could change this answer?
- A booking less than seven days before departure may only receive protections offered voluntarily by the airline.
- This rule does not require free date changes or name corrections. A cancellation and a ticket change are different requests.
Links open the named service. REYETS does not send or file anything.
Federal rule. State or local protections may add to it. Legal review pending.
I checked in on time but an oversold flight denied me a seat. Can the airline owe compensation?Federal rule · specific setting
Federal rule · specific setting
For this situationInvoluntary denied boarding caused by oversales on a flight covered by DOT’s bumping rules, departing a US airport.
Possibly. On covered departures from a US airport, involuntary bumping can require payment when you have a confirmed reservation, meet check-in and gate deadlines, and cannot be rerouted to arrive within one hour of your original arrival time.
What to do next
- Ask whether the denial is involuntary and caused by oversales. Save your confirmed booking and evidence you arrived on time.
- Request the written denied-boarding explanation and compensation rules from the airline.
- Compare the replacement flight’s scheduled arrival with the original. Ask for the payment calculation and keep any offer in writing.
What could change this answer?
- Flights departing foreign airports and aircraft with fewer than 30 seats are excluded from these DOT compensation rules.
- The amount depends on delay, fare and itinerary, subject to limits. A travel voucher is not the only possible payment form.
Links open the named service. REYETS does not send or file anything.
Federal rule. State or local protections may add to it. Legal review pending.
We have been stuck on the plane for two hours. Must the airline provide water?Federal rule · specific setting
Federal rule · specific setting
For this situationA ground delay at a US airport when passengers cannot get off, on an airline covered by DOT’s tarmac-delay rule.
During a covered tarmac delay at a US airport, the airline must provide drinking water and a snack no later than two hours after the delay starts, unless safety or security prevents service.
What to do next
- Note when the aircraft doors closed before departure, or when the arriving aircraft landed, and keep later announcements.
- Ask the crew about water and a snack once the delay approaches two hours. Explain urgent medical needs separately.
- After the trip, send the airline your flight number, airport, timeline and what was provided; use DOT’s complaint route if necessary.
What could change this answer?
- The rule requires a snack, not a full meal. Safety or security can temporarily prevent service.
- A delay at a foreign airport is outside this US tarmac rule. Separate rules govern when passengers must be allowed off.
Links open the named service. REYETS does not send or file anything.
Federal rule. State or local protections may add to it. Legal review pending.
My checked bag is delayed. Can I claim the toiletries and clothes I need meanwhile?Federal rule · specific setting
Federal rule · specific setting
For this situationNecessary incidental expenses while checked baggage is delayed in covered domestic or international air travel.
Airlines must reimburse reasonable, documented, actual incidental expenses caused by delayed baggage, subject to applicable liability limits. They cannot impose an arbitrary daily reimbursement cap.
What to do next
- File a missing-baggage claim with the airline as soon as possible. Save the bag tag and claim reference.
- Buy reasonably necessary replacement items, keep itemized receipts and note why you needed them during the delay.
- Submit the expense claim through the airline’s baggage process and keep a copy of any denial or arbitrary daily-limit policy.
What could change this answer?
- Domestic and international liability limits differ. A domestic connection on an international itinerary can follow international rules.
- A lost-bag settlement and refund of a baggage fee are separate issues; ask the airline how to request each applicable remedy.
Links open the named service. REYETS does not send or file anything.
Federal rule. State or local protections may add to it. Legal review pending.
Airport staff refuse the disability assistance I requested. Who can resolve it before my flight?Federal rule · specific setting
Federal rule · specific setting
For this situationA disability-related airline accommodation or service problem on air travel covered by the Air Carrier Access Act.
Ask for the airline’s Complaint Resolution Official, or CRO. This person is trained in disability air-travel rules and can resolve complaints for the airline; access may be by telephone.
What to do next
- Tell airline staff what assistance was requested, what happened and that you want to speak with the CRO.
- Save the flight details, assistance request and names or roles of staff involved. Record the time without delaying needed assistance.
- Send a written disability complaint to the airline promptly; its required response process generally applies to complaints sent within 45 days of the incident.
What could change this answer?
- Airlines generally must address a timely written disability complaint within 30 days.
- DOT’s disability hotline can help with urgent issues during its published operating hours; an online complaint is not an immediate rescue service.
Links open the named service. REYETS does not send or file anything.
Federal rule. State or local protections may add to it. Legal review pending.
I paid the airline for Wi-Fi but it never worked. Can I get that fee back?Federal rule · specific setting
Federal rule · specific setting
For this situationAn optional airline service purchased for a flight to, from or within the US, such as paid in-flight Wi-Fi.
Yes, if the paid service was unavailable through no fault of yours. DOT rules require a refund of the fee for an airline’s optional service that was not provided.
What to do next
- Keep the separate service receipt, flight number and date. Save an error message or airline notice showing the outage.
- Tell the airline which paid service was unavailable and request a refund of that fee.
- Keep the request and response, then use DOT’s complaint process if the airline does not address the missing service.
What could change this answer?
- If you bought the service through a ticket agent, DOT directs you to request this fee refund from the airline.
- An inability caused by your own device or failure to use an available service may not meet the rule’s no-fault requirement.
Links open the named service. REYETS does not send or file anything.
Federal rule. State or local protections may add to it. Legal review pending.
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These guides cover the situations they name. They are source-checked drafts, not a complete state law library or a lawyer’s review. County rules are not inferred from your state.
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