SPOKANE, Wash. — Holiday travel can be stressful at times, especially if your flight gets delayed or canceled. Luckily, there are regulations for how airlines must compensate in these instances.
According to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), if your airline cancels your flight, has significant schedule changes/delays or changes your service class you are entitled to a refund.
Now, the confusing part is that every airline operates differently and all have a different carriage contracts.
If you are flying on Southwest, you will get a full refund back to the original form of payment if a flight is canceled. But the airline is not entitled to book you on another flight, you will have to go online or talk to a service agent at the airport to find another seat.
Now, for American Airlines, they classify a significant delay to be at least four hours. If your flight is delayed more than four hours you are entitled to a full refund.
All airlines will provide a refund for any of these instances:
Flight cancellationIf your nonstop flight was changed to a connection flightIf your flight carrier has changedIf you have been downgraded
Now, a big thing to keep in mind is that if your flight is delayed due to weather, these airlines have no obligation to give you a refund. If you do cancel your flight due to weather delays you may receive flight credit onto your account.
Finally, if you voluntarily cancel your flight last minute you will not receive a refund unless you booked a refundable ticket. If you cancel way in advance you may be more likely to receive a refund.
If you have not received a refund from an airline under any of these circumstances, call the US Department of Transportation so they can help you contact that specific airline.
