In this article: 9 sections
My flight was cancelled: am I owed a refund?
Usually yes, if you do not want the alternative. Since October 28, 2024, US Department of Transportation rules have required airlines to refund the full fare, including taxes and fees, when they cancel or significantly change a flight to, from or within the US and you decline rebooking and any voucher or credit. Nonrefundable tickets are included.
The details are below, starting with what the DOT counts as a significant change. Flying from the EU or the UK? You have extra rights, covered further down. This is general information, not legal advice.
What counts as a significant change under US rules?
The DOT lists specific changes. The main ones: departing three or more hours earlier, or arriving three or more hours later, on a domestic itinerary, or six or more hours on an international one; a different departure or arrival airport; more connections than you booked; or a downgrade to a lower class of service.
For travelers with a disability, the rule adds two more: a change to different connecting airports, or a substitute aircraft missing accessibility features they need.
If you fly business class, the downgrade rule is the one to know. The regulation defines class of service by cabin, naming first, business, premium economy and economy, so being moved from business to premium economy or economy counts as a significant change.
Is the refund automatic, and how fast should it arrive?
Yes, once the conditions are met. An automatic refund means the airline issues it without waiting for a separate request. It is due when the airline cancels and offers no alternative, when you reject the changed flight, rebooking and any voucher, or when you do not respond and the offered flight departs without you.
The rule sets deadlines and terms:
- Credit card purchases: refunded within 7 business days
- Cash, check, debit card and other payments: refunded within 20 calendar days
- Form of payment: the original form of payment, unless you agree to a cash equivalent
- Amount: the full airfare, including taxes and ancillary fees, such as fees you paid for seats or bags
- No processing fee: airlines may not keep a fee for issuing a refund that is due
Can the airline give me a voucher instead of a refund?
Only if you agree. An airline may offer a voucher or credit as an alternative, but the offer must clearly state your right to a full refund, and the airline cannot treat you as having accepted unless you affirmatively agree. A voucher offered instead of a required refund must stay valid for at least five years from issue.
The airline must also disclose the voucher’s material restrictions when it makes the offer, such as its validity period, advance purchase requirements, capacity limits and blackout dates. Read those before you click accept. Under the rule, accepting the voucher or the new flight is what ends your right to the refund.
What if I booked through a travel agency?
The same refund rights apply, and the agency may be the one that refunds you. When an agency is the merchant of record, meaning the company that processed your payment as shown on your card statement, DOT rules require it to make a prompt refund on request, in the original form of payment.
How it works:
- The airline confirms eligibility. When you ask for a refund through the agency, the airline that cancelled or changed the flight must tell the agency without delay whether you qualify.
- Deadlines apply to agencies too. For credit card purchases, a prompt refund is one made within 7 business days of the agency receiving that information from the airline. For other forms of payment, the deadline is 20 calendar days.
- Service fees. An agency may keep its own service fee only if the fee was for more than processing payment for a flight you found yourself, was charged per passenger, and its amount and non-refundable nature were clearly disclosed when you bought.
What are my rights on a flight from the EU or the UK?
European rules go further. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, if you depart from an EU airport on any airline, or fly into the EU from outside on an EU airline, a cancellation gives you a choice of refund within seven days or rerouting, care while you wait and, in many cases, fixed compensation. The UK has similar rules.
EU261 basics
- Who is covered: as above. On flights into the EU, not if you already received benefits or compensation and assistance in the country you left.
- Refund or rerouting: the full cost of the ticket for the parts not flown, within seven days, or rerouting as soon as possible or on a later date that suits you.
- How refunds are paid: cash, bank transfer or check. Vouchers only with your signed agreement.
- Care: meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the wait, and a hotel and transport to it if you are rerouted the next day or later.
- Compensation: 600 euros on flights of more than 3,500 kilometers between the EU and a non-EU country, such as flights from Europe to the US. It is not due if you were told at least two weeks before departure, if you were rerouted within set time limits, or if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided.
- Downgrades: if you are placed in a lower class, the airline must reimburse a percentage of the ticket price within seven days, 75% on longer flights such as those between Europe and the US.
The EU has adopted amendments to Regulation 261/2004 that apply from October 23, 2027. Until then, the rules above apply.
UK261 basics
- Who is covered: flights departing from a UK airport on any airline, flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline, and flights arriving in the EU on a UK airline.
- Refund or new flight: you choose between a refund for all the parts of the ticket you have not used, or an alternative flight as soon as possible or on a later date that suits you.
- Care: food and drink, a means to communicate, and accommodation and transport if you are rerouted the next day.
- Compensation: possible if you were told less than 14 days before departure and the cause was not extraordinary circumstances such as extreme weather or air traffic control strikes. For long-haul flights over 3,500 kilometers, such as London to New York, the fixed amount is 520 pounds, or 260 pounds in some cases where the new flight arrives less than four hours late.
- Downgrades: 75% of the flight price for journeys over 3,500 kilometers.
What should I do when the airline cancels my flight?
Decide first whether you still want to travel. If you do, accept the rebooking that works best. If you do not, decline the new flight and any voucher, and ask for the refund in writing. Keep screenshots of the cancellation notice, every offer and your reply.
Two more things:
- On flights from Europe, ask for your rights in writing. EU261 requires an airline that cancels a flight to give each affected passenger a written notice of the rules on compensation and assistance.
- Keep receipts for meals and hotels while you wait, if the airline does not provide them.
The bottom line
If the airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from or within the US and you don’t want the alternative, say no to it and to any voucher. You are then owed a full refund, within 7 business days if you paid by card. Flights from the EU and the UK come with more: rerouting, care while you wait and, often, compensation. If you booked with us and your flight is cancelled or changed, call customer service at +1 (855) 955-2040 or message us on WhatsApp, 24/7. Planning a new trip? Ask for a quote or call sales at +1 (888) 322-7999.
Sources
- 14 CFR Part 260: Refunds for airline fare and ancillary service fees, eCFR (current rule text)
- Refunds and Other Consumer Protections, Federal Register final rule, April 26, 2024 (compliance date; agency refunds)
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, EUR-Lex (text and 2027 amendments)
- Cancellations, UK Civil Aviation Authority
- Downgrading, UK Civil Aviation Authority
