How to Get a Refund for a Canceled or Delayed Flight

The flight was canceled or pushed back by hours, the app offered a voucher or a seat on a later plane, and the voucher got tapped. The Department of Transportation publishes separate rules on cash refunds, and accepting the voucher is the step that closes them.

Check the thresholds the DOT refunds page publishes

The Department of Transportation's refunds page covers two situations: a canceled flight, regardless of the reason, and a significant change or significant delay. It defines a significant change as a departure 3 hours or more earlier, or an arrival 3 hours or more later, on a domestic itinerary, and 6 hours or more on an international one. A different origin or destination airport, more connection points, and an involuntary downgrade are also on its list, as of September 2026.

Decline the voucher and the rebooking to keep the cash option open

The same page says the refund is automatic when a passenger does not accept the changed flight, a rebooked flight, a travel credit or voucher, or alternative compensation such as miles, and that it returns to the original form of payment. It gives the timing as within 7 business days for a credit card purchase and within 20 calendar days for cash or check. Vouchers offered in place of a refund must be valid for at least five years. A voucher taken knowingly is a choice, and the page treats acceptance as ending the refund path.

Claim bag fees and paid extras separately

The refunds page handles those separately. A checked bag counts as significantly delayed if it is not delivered within 12 hours after a domestic flight arrives, within 15 hours for an international flight of 12 hours or less, or within 30 hours for one longer than that, and a mishandled baggage report has to be filed with the airline first. For paid extras the page names advance seat selection, Wi-Fi, and in-flight entertainment, refundable when the service was unavailable through no fault of the consumer.

Ask the airline in writing and keep the record

The DOT page on filing a consumer complaint says to give the airline a chance to resolve the problem first, and that DOT requires airlines to acknowledge a complaint within 30 days and respond in writing within 60 days. Save the cancellation notice, the rebooking offer, the baggage report number, and any receipts.

File an aviation consumer complaint with DOT

That page links the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection's online complaint form. It says DOT will direct the named airline or ticket agent to respond to the passenger and copy DOT, and that complaints feed the monthly Air Travel Consumer Report.

If the ticket came from an online travel agency. The refunds page says a ticket agent that is the merchant of record is responsible for refunding airfare when a flight to, from, or within the United States is canceled or significantly changed. Optional service fee refunds are requested from the airline.

If only the flight number changed. A notification of enforcement discretion published in July 2026 extends a pause on enforcing the cancellation refund requirements for flights that are merely renumbered, through July 7, 2027.

Sources. DOT refunds page, file a consumer complaint, aviation consumer complaint form, notification of enforcement discretion.