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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesYour options after a flight delay depend first on the route and the rules that apply—not just how long you have been waiting. Refunds, rebooking, meals or a hotel, compensation, and baggage claims are separate remedies, and qualifying for one does not automatically qualify you for the others. This guide covers the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union; it is not a worldwide summary. The official guidance summarized here was accessed on 4 October 2026, and rules or monetary limits can change.
Which passenger-rights rules apply to my flight?
Start with the airports on your itinerary, the airline operating the flight, and whether your connections are on one booking. A flight sold under one airline’s name may be operated by another; the operating carrier can matter, especially under EU rules. If your itinerary crosses jurisdictions, check the rules for the particular route rather than assuming that the airline’s home country governs every segment.
| Regime | Route coverage described in official guidance | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| United States | The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) guidance covers refunds and U.S. baggage rules for flights within its scope. | For a refund, check whether the flight was cancelled or significantly changed or delayed, and whether you will take the offered travel. For baggage, use the U.S. rules only where they apply. |
| United Kingdom | UK rules cover flights departing a UK airport on any airline; certain flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline; and flights arriving in the EU on a UK airline, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). | Check the departure and arrival airports, carrier, delay at the final destination, and whether the itinerary is one booking or separate tickets. |
| European Union | EU passenger rights can cover a flight departing the EU and, in specified cases, a flight from outside the EU operated by an EU-licensed carrier, according to the European Commission. | For a code-share, the Commission says to address a complaint to the airline that operated the flight. |
These are jurisdiction-specific summaries, not a determination of an individual claim. The U.S. DOT, UK Government and CAA, and European Commission provide the official guidance for their respective regimes.
Should I accept a rebooking or ask for a refund?
Before accepting a changed itinerary, decide whether you still want to travel. In the United States, accepting a significantly changed or delayed flight or an offered alternative generally means you are not entitled to a ticket refund under the DOT refund rules. If you want to abandon the trip, declining the alternative may preserve a refund right, but the applicable threshold and route matter. Note any response deadline: an airline does not have to keep a rebooking offer open indefinitely.
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United States: when a significant change can trigger a refund
DOT says a refund is due when an airline cancels a flight and the passenger declines travel, credits, vouchers, or other compensation. A refund may also be due after a significant delay or change if the passenger declines to travel or take the alternatives. DOT defines significant changes to include scheduled arrival at least three hours later on a domestic itinerary or six hours later on an international itinerary. Certain airport changes, added connections, and involuntary downgrades also count. Those are U.S. refund criteria, not universal delay thresholds.
Airlines often offer another flight after a cancellation or significant change, but DOT says they are not required to rebook passengers on alternative flights. If an airline offers alternative transportation, it must tell the passenger about the refund right. Rejecting the offer—or not responding and not taking it—can result in an automatic refund. For a credit-card payment, DOT says refunds are due within seven business days after rejection; for other payment methods, within 20 calendar days. Where the passenger does not respond and does not travel, DOT describes timing in relation to the delayed or changed flight or the alternative flight.
United Kingdom: delayed flight and cancelled flight choices
For a flight covered by UK law, a passenger whose flight is delayed at least five hours can choose not to travel and seek a refund for the unused flights on the booking. For a cancellation, the UK Government guide describes a choice of a refund within seven days and, where applicable, a return flight to the first departure point at the earliest opportunity, or rerouting under comparable conditions. On a multi-flight journey abandoned after a qualifying connecting-flight delay, the CAA says the airline remains responsible for arranging return to the original departure point.
European Union: reimbursement or rerouting
The European Commission’s passenger-rights guidance describes reimbursement or rerouting, as well as care, for qualifying disruption. It says a refund after cancellation should be received within seven days. The specific choices and eligibility depend on the applicable EU rules and circumstances; do not assume that a U.S. or UK delay threshold is the EU threshold.
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Who pays for meals, a hotel, or transport while I wait?
Care during a disruption is distinct from a ticket refund and from compensation. Whether meals, accommodation, or transport are owed depends on the regime and the flight circumstances.
United Kingdom
For covered UK flights, the Government guide says a long delay of at least two hours triggers care and support such as meals and refreshments. If an overnight stay is required, it says hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and accommodation should be provided. CAA guidance sets care thresholds by flight distance: at least two hours for flights under 1,500 km, three hours for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and further details on its current guidance. For a missed connection on one booking, care may be due if the replacement flight crosses the relevant threshold, including overnight accommodation when needed.
European Union
EU guidance says an airline must still offer assistance and care while a passenger waits for alternative transport even when extraordinary circumstances remove a right to compensation.
United States
For U.S. delays, distinguish an airline’s own commitments and amenities from a legal requirement. DOT materials describe airline commitments for disruptions within the airline’s control, including information on the DOT customer-service dashboard. DOT’s Fly Rights guide says there is no federal requirement to provide meals or hotel rooms during domestic delays, and airline policies vary. Ask the carrier what it will provide for your disruption; do not assume every delay entitles you to a federally mandated hotel or meal.
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Can I claim compensation for a delayed flight?
Compensation is not the same as a refund or care. For covered UK flights, the Government guide says passengers may qualify when they arrive at their final destination more than three hours late and the cause is attributable to the airline. It lists bad weather, natural disasters, air-traffic-control decisions, bird strikes, and political instability as examples of circumstances outside the airline’s control where compensation is not due. The CAA says to claim compensation from the airline; a compensation claim and an expenses claim may need to be submitted separately.
EU guidance says arrival at the final destination three or more hours late may qualify for compensation if extraordinary circumstances did not cause the delay. The cause can be important: the European Commission distinguishes internal airline staff strikes from external action such as strikes by air-traffic controllers or airport staff. Do not treat every strike as automatically inside or outside the airline’s control.
Even if extraordinary circumstances mean compensation is unavailable, EU care and reimbursement or rerouting rights may remain. A decision about compensation alone does not settle the other remedies.
What if a delayed first flight makes me miss a connection?
Check whether all flight segments are on one booking or whether you bought separate tickets for a self-transfer. In UK CAA guidance, a protected multi-flight booking is assessed using the distance between the first and last airport. For a missed connection caused by a delayed first flight, care may be due while waiting for a replacement flight if the applicable threshold is crossed; compensation can depend on arrival more than three hours late at the final destination. The wait at the connection airport by itself is not the relevant final-arrival measure.
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With separate self-transfer bookings, the CAA says there is no statutory right to care, compensation, or onward transport to the final destination if a delay causes a missed flight on another booking. Each individual flight can still have its own entitlements. A missed onward flight is therefore not automatically protected just because both flights are part of the same overall trip.
For an EU code-share, the European Commission says responsibility rests with the airline that operated the flight. Send a complaint about the disruption to that operating carrier.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should I do if my checked bag is delayed or damaged?
Report a missing checked bag to the airline promptly, obtain the mishandled-baggage report reference, and keep receipts for necessary purchases. Your baggage claim is separate from a claim about the flight delay.
U.S. baggage-delay expenses and checked-bag fee refunds
DOT says airlines are responsible for locating checked baggage that does not arrive. For a delayed bag, they must compensate passengers for reasonable, verifiable, actual incidental expenses during the delay, subject to applicable maximum liability limits. An airline cannot impose an arbitrary daily cap, such as a fixed $50 per day.
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DOT’s separate rules for refunding a checked-bag fee use these “significantly delayed” thresholds: 12 hours after arrival for domestic flights; 15 hours after arrival for international flights of 12 hours or less; and 30 hours after arrival for international flights longer than 12 hours. To claim the fee refund, you must file a mishandled-baggage report. DOT recommends reporting as soon as you learn the bag did not arrive. Exceptions include, for example, failing to collect and recheck baggage at the first U.S. international entry point.
DOT states that the Montreal Convention limit for baggage on most covered international flights is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger, approximately $2,175 at the conversion stated on its page. For domestic U.S. travel, it states a maximum permitted liability amount of $4,700 per passenger. These are time-sensitive limits, not guaranteed payouts: actual recovery can depend on proof, depreciation, treaty coverage, and carrier liability. Check DOT’s current baggage guidance for the applicable limit and conversion before making a claim.
United Kingdom baggage claims
The UK Government guide says airlines are liable for lost or damaged baggage based on the baggage’s value. It notes that most airlines reimburse essentials when baggage is delayed away from home, but this is not a promise that every purchase will be covered. Check the airline’s procedure and retain receipts.
What should I do at the airport and after the trip?
- Check the itinerary and updates. Identify the operating carrier and monitor its app, email, and text messages. DOT says airlines must notify passengers of cancellations and significant delays or changes and of the right to a refund.
- Choose whether to continue or stop travelling. Before accepting a changed itinerary, compare it with your plans and check the applicable refund threshold. If you intend to accept rebooking, note the airline’s response deadline.
- Ask what assistance applies. Ask the airline about care under the rules for your route. Keep receipts for reasonable expenses in case you need to claim them.
- Report a missing bag immediately. Get the mishandled-baggage report reference and save receipts for necessary purchases while the bag is delayed.
- Keep your records together. Save the original itinerary, delay or cancellation notices, receipts, baggage report reference, and written responses from the airline.
- Escalate a UK claim if needed. The CAA says to claim expenses and compensation from the airline first. If its final response is unsatisfactory, or it takes more than eight weeks to respond, escalate to the airline’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider if it participates, or to the CAA’s PACT service.
How do I know which remedy to claim?
Match the claim to the problem rather than treating “flight delay compensation” as one all-purpose request. A refund concerns the ticket when you do not take the qualifying travel; rerouting is a way to continue the journey; care covers support while waiting under applicable rules; compensation depends on separate eligibility conditions; and a baggage claim concerns the bag, fee, or actual expenses caused by its delay or damage. Keep the evidence for each claim and submit it to the carrier responsible under the applicable regime.
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