What is considered a significant delay airline?

Now, the DOT has defined language and timing so that a significant delay would be defined as one that affects the departure or arrival time of a domestic flight by three hours or more (or by at least six hours for an international flight).



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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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Delayed Flight
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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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's no official requirement for passengers to receive a refund or reimbursement as a result of a flight delay, though the DOT's delay and cancellation dashboard can help travelers better understand what they're entitled to.

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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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For delays five hours or longer, the airline must refund your ticket, and if you missed a connecting flight due to the delay, the airline must provide transportation to the connecting airport.

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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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For domestic flights in the U.S., airlines have to pay you 200% of the value of your one-way ticket up to $775 if you arrive at your destination one to two hours past your originally scheduled itinerary or 400% of the one-way ticket price, up to $1,550 if your arrival delay is longer than two hours.

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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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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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The average Southwest Airlines hourly pay ranges from approximately $19 per hour for a Baggage Handler to $82 per hour for a Pilot. Southwest Airlines employees rate the overall compensation and benefits package 4.1/5 stars.

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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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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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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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If airlines cancel a flight for any reason, passengers are legally entitled to a full refund, including for ticket price, taxes, baggage fees, extra charges and ancillary fees.

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“Making up lost time can be tough for pilots, as we can only theoretically fly at certain maximum speeds.” While the plane may be able to go slightly faster, additional fuel burn has to be taken into consideration—and in many cases, it's not worth it to the airline's bottom line.

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Travel insurance and flight delays
In addition to your airline being obligated to look after you, most travel insurance policies provide cover for travel delay, which becomes applicable if your flight is delayed by more than 12 hours due to strike, adverse weather or mechanical breakdown.

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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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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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