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Flight Cancellation Compensation: Your Rights for Domestic & International Routes

Flight Cancellation Compensation: Your Rights for Domestic & International Routes

Anton Radchenko
Reviewed by a licensed lawyer Anton Radchenko.
Last Updated: January 28, 2025

Claim up to $650 in canceled flight compensation

In 2023, 16.3 million flights were canceled in the United States according to the US Department of Transportation. Surprisingly, this number reflects the lowest cancellation rate the US has seen in a decade, but if you’re like most people, that still looks like a pretty big number.

Wondering what you’re entitled to if your flight is canceled and whether you can get compensation?  In this article, we’re going to explain the complexities of flight cancellation compensation in the US, and show you what you can do to ensure you get what you’re entitled to.

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Key Points

  1. Passengers on US airlines can claim up to $650 if their scheduled flight was departing from EU or UK airports.
  2. US airlines are not required by law to compensate passengers for canceled domestic flights. 
  3. Each individual airline determines what they will provide to passengers if their flight is canceled.

US Flight Compensation Regulations

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If your flight is canceled, the airline will offer you an alternate flight or a full refund, including fees for checked baggage, seat selection, and other add-ons.

The Department of Transportation enforces your rights as an airline passenger in the United States. Currently, no federal laws are in place requiring airlines to compensate passengers for delayed or canceled flights. Instead, airlines make their own rules on how to assist passengers in these situations.

However, the DOT does require airlines to give you a refund for canceled flights if you don’t accept any of their rebooking options. This rule applies to all ticketed passengers even if your ticket is non-refundable.

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How US Airlines Will Help You  

Even though domestic flights in the United States aren’t eligible for canceled flight compensation, you can still get some assistance in addition to a rebooking or a refund.

Alaska Airlines

  • They’ll rebook you on another Alaska flight or with another airline with no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel
  • Travel voucher or credit if your cancellation causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your alternate flight
  • They offer frequent flyer miles for cancellation that causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight

Allegiant

  • They’ll rebook you on another Allegiant flight or with another airline with no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel

Delta

  • They’ll rebook you on another Delta flight or with another airline with no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel

American

  • They’ll rebook you on another American flight or with another airline with no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel

Hawaiian

  • They’ll rebook you on another Hawaiian flight or with another airline with no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel

Spirit

  • They’ll rebook you on another Delta flight for no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel

Southwest

  • They’ll rebook you on another Delta flight for no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel

Frontier

  • They’ll rebook you on another Delta flight for no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight

JetBlue

  • They’ll rebook you on another JetBlue flight or with another airline with no extra charge
  • Free meals if your canceled flight causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your replacement flight
  • Free hotel stay for overnight cancellation
  • Free transport to and from a hotel
  • Travel voucher or credit if your cancellation causes you to wait 3 or more hours for your alternate flight

Canceled Flight Compensation for International Flights

If you’re flying internationally, then the rules for flight cancellations are generally determined by the Montreal Convention, but this can vary based on your airline and the destination.

Canceled Flight Compensation for International Flights

Cancellation compensation for flights to Europe or the United Kingdom

  • If you’re traveling to the EU or UK on an airline from those regions, then your rights for flight cancellation compensation are protected by EU 261 and UK 261 both of which provide as much as $650 (€600) in compensation for canceled flights that are within the airline’s control.
  • If you fly to the EU or UK on a US based airline, then you will be protected by a combination of US DOT rules and those of the Montreal Convention.
  • If you depart from an EU or UK airport on a US airline, then your rights are also protected by the regulations in those regions. So, if your flight is canceled, then you could claim as much as $650 (€600) in compensation even if you’re a US passenger on a US airline.
tip

No matter where you travel, your air passenger rights are based on the airline and the route you’re traveling, and not on your citizenship or country of residence.

Cancellation compensation for flights to Canada

If you’re flying to Canada from the US, you will be protected by a combination of the US DOT rules and Canadian regulations no matter where your airline is based. So, based on Canadian laws, if your flight was canceled with less than 2 weeks notice, you could claim up to $700 USD in compensation as long as the cancellation was within the airline’s control.

Steps to Take When Your Flight is Canceled

Steps to Take When Your Flight is Canceled

If you’ve traveled to the EU, UK, or Canada on a US airline, and your departing flight was canceled, then you will have to take specific steps in order to successfully claim canceled flight compensation.

Even though the regulations in these regions require airlines to compensate you under the right circumstances, it doesn’t mean they’ll just send you a payment. You’ll have to support your claim with the right documentation.

If your flight is canceled, take these steps:

  1. Keep track of your travel documents including your boarding pass, booking receipt, and other proof of travel.
  2. Find out from airline staff why your flight was canceled and write down what they say.
  3. Ask to be rebooked on a different flight or ask for a refund.
  4. Remember what time you arrived at your final destination and document it.
  5. Avoid signing waivers or accepting vouchers (these may eliminate your right to compensation).
  6. If you need overnight accommodation, as a result of your canceled flight, request this from the airline. 
  7. If you have any out-of-pocket expenses, keep all your receipts so you can submit them as part of your claim.

For more detailed information on what to do when your flight is canceled, take a look at our guide that walks you through each step and gives you helpful tips on how to quickly get rebooked and manage flight cancellations like a pro.

let AirAdvisor handle the compensation claim process for you

How to Get Compensated for a Canceled flight?

You can file a claim directly with the airline to seek compensation or submit your details to a flight compensation company such as AirAdvisor.

Trying to find your way through the maze of airline regulations can be especially challenging, but help is available! AirAdvisor’s professional legal team has been helping passengers get airline compensation since 2017, and to date, we’ve assisted more than 400,000 passengers get the money they’re owed for flight disruptions.

Plus, we work on a no-win, no-fee basis, which means that you can trust our legal professionals to handle your flight cancellation claim for you completely risk-free. Best of all, our fees are lower than our competitors, and we don’t get paid unless you do!

So, if you’ve had a canceled flight in the last 3 years, let AirAdvisor handle the compensation claim process for you. We’ll save you the time, effort, and expense of court costs, and you could be awarded up to $650! Gotta love that, right?

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New Proposed US Regulations: Airline Passengers Bill of Rights

(2024 Update) New Proposed US Regulations: Airline Passengers Bill of Rights

Currently, airline passengers in the US have very few protections especially when compared to the UK, EU, and Canada. But in 2021, a Passengers Bill of Rights was introduced to the Senate that, if passed, would give passengers protections similar to the rights enjoyed by travelers in other regions.

The proposed legislation has specific protections for delays, overbooking, access to information and other rights. But when it comes to canceled flights, the new rules would require airlines to compensate you up to $1,350 USD when your flight is canceled. The rules would also require airlines to rebook you on another flight at no extra charge and provide you with assistance for food, refreshments, and lodging.

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