How to Get Paid for Airline Delays

Flight delays are burdensome, but depending on the details of the delay, you may be able to get some money for your troubles.

Major airlines will generally rebook your flight at no cost and offer additional compensation for significant travel disruptions. And sometimes, it's possible to get more compensation than what airlines commit to publicly; you just have to ask.

Here’s what to know about flight delay compensation in the U.S. and Europe.

If a flight delay causes you to miss a connection, airlines will generally rebook you at no cost.

Beyond that, major airlines have publicly committed to offering compensation for disrupted flights. But often, it's not automatic; you'll have to ask for it.

You can generally get compensated if your delay stretches overnight, causes you to miss a connection or goes on for more than three hours. And even if your delay doesn’t fall into these categories, it’s still worth asking.

To qualify for compensation, the delay typically has to be considered controllable by the airline, including maintenance delays, crew scheduling problems, fuel or baggage loading issues and cabin cleaning delays.

What compensation can you get?

Hotels, food and vouchers. On the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website, you can see what airlines have publicly committed to giving delayed passengers.

Every major U.S. airline except Frontier covers hotel accommodations (and transportation to that hotel) for passengers affected by controllable overnight cancellations. Additionally, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Southwest Airlines provide a credit or travel voucher when a cancellation results in a passenger waiting for three hours or more from the scheduled departure time. The amount of additional compensation will depend on the airline.

Full cash refund. Airlines in the U.S. are required to offer a cash refund for flights that are canceled or “significantly changed,” under a DOT rule implemented in 2024.

Significant changes include:

• Departure or arrival times that are more than three hours domestically and six hours internationally; 

• Airport changes, including connection changes to a different airport; 

• An increase in the number of connections; 

• Downgrades to a lower class of service — for example, from business class to coach; 

• Aircraft changes that are less accessible or accommodating to a disabled person. 

To receive a cash refund, you’ll have to decline any alternative transportation or travel credits offered by the airline, such as rebooking another flight. This applies even if you’re flying on a nonrefundable ticket.

Airlines based in the European Union must abide by Flight Compensation Regulation 261/2004, more commonly known as EU 261, which requires airlines to compensate passengers when they experience a controllable delay, cancellation or overbooking. You must be traveling on an eligible flight for EU 261 protections to kick in.

Eligible flights include those departing from or bound for an EU member nation and operated by an EU-based air carrier. Flights bound for the EU from non-EU nations on airlines that are not EU-based do not qualify. If you’re flying on a codeshare itinerary, you’ll qualify for compensation based on the airline operating the flight, not the airline from which you purchased the ticket.

There are 27 member nations of the EU. The EU 261 rules also apply to flights to or from Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion Island, Mayotte, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands (but not the Faroe Islands). They also cover flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

What compensation can you get?

Cash compensation. If you experience a controllable delay and reach your final destination more than three hours beyond the scheduled time, you’re entitled to compensation based on the length of your flight.

• 250 euros for flights that are 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) or less. 

• 400 euros for flights within the EU that are more than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers (932 and 2,175 miles).

• 600 euros for flights greater than 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles).

If an airline re-routes a passenger and they arrive at their destination within a set amount of time, the compensation listed above can be reduced by 50% depending on the length of the delay. If the delay is greater than five hours at departure, passengers are eligible for reimbursement for the full price of the ticket.

Hotels, food and vouchers. Additionally, complimentary passenger assistance from the airline may be available for meals, refreshments and accommodations depending on the duration of the delay and the distance of your flight.

Full cash refund. If your flight is canceled, you have the right to choose between reimbursement or rebooking. You’ll qualify for additional compensation — up to 600 euros — if the cancellation happens less than 14 days before the scheduled departure date.

Certain travel credit cards come with travel protections, such as trip delay and cancellation insurance. These benefits are usually extended when you pay for your flight with the card and experience a delay by a significant amount of time, usually between six and 12 hours. Even better, these benefits typically apply to delays for both controllable and uncontrollable reasons, such as weather. Benefits differ between issuers, so be sure to check your card details to see what's covered.

» Learn more: Does travel insurance cover award flights?