Can I get a refund if flight is delayed?

Schedule Change/Significant Delay - A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline made a significant schedule change and/or significantly delays a flight and the consumer chooses not to travel. DOT has not specifically defined what constitutes a “significant delay.”



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However, if your first flight is delayed for more than 3 hours, you may be entitled to compensation from the airline that caused the delay. In addition to compensation, the airline must offer you a choice between: Reimbursement of your ticket and a return flight to your departure airport if you have a connecting flight.

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So if your flight is delayed by 2 hours, there is no compensation. However, you can make a different claim. For example, if your flight is delayed by two hours or more, your airline must take care of you by offering you support services. These can be very different.

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There is no specific time limit for how long an airline can delay a flight, as it depends on the reason for the delay.

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There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed. Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers. If your flight is experiencing a long delay, ask airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room.

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In addition to compensation for your loss of time, if your delay exceeds 5 hours, you are entitled to a full or partial refund of your original ticket and a return flight to your point of departure, if needed.

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When a flight delay occurs, you are entitled to assistance and a choice between rerouting, reimbursement, or rebooking. If you arrive at your destination more than 3 hours after your scheduled arrival time, you are entitled to the same reimbursement, rerouting, and rebooking structure as a denied boarding.

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You can get a full flight ticket refund only if you booked a refundable ticket. However, airline ticket refund rules vary from airline to airline. Thus, it is better to refer to the airline's website or contact it directly for possible airfare reimbursement.

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Passengers are also entitled to compensation if they are delayed on the ground upon arrival, with a $50 credit for a delay of one to two hours, a $125 credit for a delay of two to three hours and a $200 credit for a delay of three hours or more.

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For the most part, it's up to individual airlines to decide how to compensate their passengers after a delay. “There's no specific policy on compensations, said Shaiy Howard, president and CEO of Travel by Shaiy, a travel agency based in South Florida. Just keep in mind that all airlines vary.

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You need to include each passenger's name, your flight details, the scheduled departure and arrival times, the length of the delay, and your bank account info for reimbursement. You should also be very clear about the amount you expect to receive and give the airline a specific timeframe in which to respond.

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Passengers who are denied boarding involuntarily due to oversales are entitled to compensation that is based on the price of their ticket, the length of time that they are delayed in getting to their destination because of being denied boarding, and whether their flight is a domestic flight or an international flight ...

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It provides up to a full refund of your prepaid, nonrefundable costs if you need to cancel a trip for a specific, unforeseen covered reason. Common travel insurance plans will cover reasons such as a death in the family, common carrier-related issues, or an unforeseen natural disaster.

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The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) considers a flight to be delayed when it is 15 minutes later than its scheduled time.

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According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), airlines are not required to provide a refund or compensation for flight delays, no matter how late they are.

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The credit maxes out at $200 for delays of six hours or more. Once passengers have boarded the aircraft, the compensation structure is $100 in credit for a delay between three and five hours, $175 in credit for a delay between five and six hours, or a $250 credit for a delay of six hours or more.

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Frontier Airlines bumped the biggest proportion of passengers of the 15 largest US carriers in early 2023. Of every 10,000 Frontier passengers, 3.73 were involuntarily denied boarding due to oversales, the DOT said. Allegiant, Delta, Endeavor, and Hawaiian didn't bump any passengers in the quarter, per the DOT.

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It's 400% for over four hour arrival delays with the same $1,550 limit. These are the amounts airlines must pay by law. They can pay more if they choose to. Airlines must offer the compensation at the airport on the same day.

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Here's a look at American carriers, starting with the worst for overbooking and descending to the best:
  • Spirit Airlines — 78 IDBs per million passengers.
  • Frontier Airlines — 55.
  • Southwest Airlines — 41.
  • Alaska Airlines — 28.
  • American Airlines — 24.
  • United Airlines — 13.
  • Delta Air Lines — 3.
  • JetBlue Airways — 2.


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If your Southwest flight has been delayed or cancelled, you can almost always get compensation from Southwest Airlines. This compensation typically comes as “LUV Vouchers” which is Southwest Airlines's reimbursement currency that you can use to book flights in the future.

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