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If your flight is delayed or cancelled, check the operating airline’s latest update, contact the airline promptly, and decide whether you still want to travel before accepting a refund or credit. Ask what will happen to any connection, meals, and overnight accommodation, and save the airline’s messages and your receipts. The assistance and refund rules depend on your itinerary and the laws that cover it; the U.S. and UK rules below are not universal.
What to do first at the airport
Start with the airline responsible for operating your flight. If your ticket shows one airline’s flight number but another airline operates the plane, check the booking or ask staff to confirm which carrier is handling the disruption.
- Check the airline’s direct updates. Open its app or website and check texts, email, and push notifications. Compare those updates with the airport flight board; if they differ, ask the airline which status and itinerary it is acting on. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) says airlines must provide timely flight-status information in its flight cancellation and delay dashboard.
- Ask what the estimate means for your trip. Ask for the current departure estimate, the stated reason for the disruption if available, and whether the delay could put a connection or onward travel at risk. Estimates can change, so check again rather than treating the first time given as final. The DOT’s Fly Rights guide explains passenger information and disruption issues.
- Tell the airline about every affected connection. Ask whether it can offer a different itinerary and whether options on a partner airline are available. If your first flight is delayed, do not assume a connection is protected or that another carrier will accept your ticket; ask the airline handling the disrupted flight what it can arrange.
- Ask about immediate assistance. Ask whether meals, a hotel, transport to a hotel, or communication help are available under the airline’s policy or passenger-rights rules that apply to your itinerary. Save the answer, any instructions, and screenshots of offers.
- Check your bags if the trip is cancelled or rerouted. Ask whether checked bags will be returned to you or forwarded to the new itinerary. Procedures vary, and there is no universal baggage process established for every disruption.
Should you accept a refund, a new flight, or a travel credit?
Choose based on whether you still want to make the trip. A refund returns eligible ticket money; rerouting keeps you travelling under a changed itinerary; a travel credit is not the same as a cash refund. Before accepting an offer, check the new arrival time, connections, unused segments, and any accommodation or onward arrangements that depend on your original schedule.
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| Situation | Choice to consider | Important consequence |
|---|---|---|
| You still want to travel | Ask for rerouting options and compare the earliest practical arrival with the itinerary offered. | In the U.S., taking the significantly changed or alternative flight generally removes the DOT refund entitlement for that flight. Alternative-flight offers may have response deadlines. See the DOT refund rules. |
| You no longer want to travel after a U.S. cancellation or qualifying significant change | You may reject alternative transportation and seek an eligible refund rather than accepting a travel credit. | Eligibility depends on DOT’s rules and the circumstances. Refunds are generally due within seven business days for credit-card payments or 20 calendar days for other payment methods in covered situations. If an online travel agency or other ticket agent was the merchant of record, it may be responsible for refunding the airfare. See DOT refund rules. |
| Your flight is covered by UK rules and is cancelled | Choose between the applicable refund or rerouting options according to whether you still intend to travel. | Accepting a refund usually does not suit someone who still wants to complete the trip. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) describes cancellation choices in its cancellation guidance. |
Ask for the options and any deadline in writing if possible. Do not assume an airline must endorse your ticket to another carrier: the DOT says there is no general U.S. rule requiring it, although airlines commonly rebook passengers on their next available flight after a cancellation.
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Will the airline pay for food or a hotel?
Ask directly; do not assume the same care rules apply to every flight. In the U.S., the DOT points passengers to each airline’s customer-service commitments for meals and hotels. Check the carrier’s entry on the DOT dashboard and ask staff what it will provide for your disruption.
For flights covered by UK261, the CAA says care is due after a delay of two hours for flights under 1,500 km, three hours for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and four hours for flights over 3,500 km. Its guidance states: “You should receive the following from your airline regardless of the reason for the delay:” The listed care includes food and drink, two phone calls or emails, and overnight accommodation with transport between the airport and hotel if needed. Check the CAA’s delay guidance for coverage and details.
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If the airline cannot arrange care
For a UK-covered flight, the CAA says you may make reasonable arrangements yourself and claim the costs from the airline later if it cannot organise the care. If time permits, ask staff what it considers reasonable before paying. Keep itemised invoices and receipts, and choose essential, proportionate options: the CAA says luxury hotels, luxury meals, and alcohol are unlikely to be treated as reasonable expenses. This guidance does not mean that every expense is reimbursable in every jurisdiction.
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Which rules apply to your flight?
Passenger rights depend on the route and circumstances, not only on the airline’s home country. The U.S. and UK guidance below has different coverage and should not be treated as a worldwide rulebook.
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Flights covered by U.S. rules
Under DOT rules, a passenger can generally obtain a refund after an airline cancellation if they choose not to travel or accept travel credits or other compensation. Refund rights also apply to DOT-defined significant changes or delays when the passenger declines the alternative offered. Taking the changed or alternative flight generally means there is no refund for that flight under these rules. For eligible refunds, the DOT states that payment is generally due within seven business days for credit-card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods. If a ticket agent was the merchant of record, that agent may be responsible for the airfare refund. See the DOT’s refund guidance.
For domestic U.S. itineraries, passengers generally are not entitled to compensation solely because a flight was delayed or cancelled. Meals, lodging, and other assistance may depend on an airline’s commitments, including whether the disruption qualifies under its policy. International itineraries may involve other legal frameworks, including the Montreal Convention; the DOT’s Fly Rights guide does not determine the outcome of an individual international claim.
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Flights covered by UK rules
UK-law coverage applies to flights departing a UK airport on any airline; arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline; or arriving in the EU on a UK airline. Confirm that your itinerary is covered before relying on the thresholds. The CAA’s cancellation guidance and the GOV.UK passenger-rights summary explain the scope.
For a covered delay of at least five hours, a passenger may choose not to travel and seek a refund for flights not yet taken. Compensation is separate from care and a refund: the CAA says it may be available for an arrival delay of more than three hours, subject to conditions including the cause of the disruption and, for cancellations, how much notice was given and what alternative flight was offered. Check the current CAA guidance before making a claim, because eligibility depends on the specific flight and circumstances.
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What records should you keep?
Save evidence while you are still at the airport, when messages and offers are easiest to find. Keep:
- Your original itinerary, booking reference, and boarding passes.
- Airline app alerts, emails, texts, and screenshots of status-board changes or rebooking offers.
- The names of staff you speak with, the time of the conversation, and any case or claim reference number.
- Written confirmation of the reason given for the disruption, any care the airline offered, and any response deadline.
- Itemised receipts for necessary food, accommodation, and transport you paid for yourself.
For a UK-covered claim, the CAA says compensation and expense claims are made to the airline and may use separate procedures. If the airline’s final response is unsatisfactory, or it has taken more than eight weeks to respond, you may be able to use an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider or the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team, depending on the airline. Keep the airline’s written response with your records. U.S. passengers can consult the DOT’s aviation consumer protection information for complaint options.
What if you are stuck on the plane?
For tarmac delays on domestic flights operated by most U.S. airlines, the DOT describes a three-hour limit, with exceptions for safety, security, or air-traffic-control reasons. It also says food and water must be provided no later than two hours after a tarmac delay begins, and lavatories and medical attention must remain available subject to the applicable rules. These limits do not apply universally to every flight; see the DOT’s Fly Rights guide for details.
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