Flight Cancelled, Delayed, or Lost Bags?
Start Here
Take a breath. You have more options than the rebooking line makes it feel like. Pick what's happening and I'll walk you through it, one calm step at a time.
This page gives you the tools and knowledge to handle travel disruptions like a pro — so you can get back to CHASING MEMORIES instead of chasing answers.
The First 5 Minutes
Whatever just happened, these five steps come first. They work for every situation below.
1
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ASK WHY
"Is this on the airline's side, or weather?" Ask them to note it in your record.
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2
WORK TWO LINES
Stand in line and call or chat with the airline. Whoever answers first wins.
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3
KNOW YOUR OPTIONS
Pull up Google Flights so you can suggest a specific flight.
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4
DOCUMENT IT
Screenshots, agent names, times, every receipt. Yes, even the $24 airport sandwich.
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5
GET IT IN HAND
A confirmed seat, a voucher, or a reference number before you walk away.
Passenger Rights 101
START HERE - THIS IS THE FOUNDATION OF IT ALL
LESSON 1
WHAT THE AIRLINES OWE YOU...
One question changes almost everything you're owed: was this the airline's fault, or out of its control? This lesson explains the difference in plain language, in under 10 minutes.
Watch the lesson
MY FLIGHT WAS CANCELED
KNOW THIS:
RIGHT NOW:
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Get in line and call or chat with the airline at the same time.
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Ask why it was cancelled, and ask them to note the reason in your record.
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Decide before you reach the front of the line: new flight, or refund?
Cancelled for any reason, even weather, and you choose not to travel? You're owed a full cash refund to your original payment. The catch: rebook or accept a voucher, and that refund goes away.
THE FLIGHT IS OVERSOLD,
OR I GOT BUMPED
RIGHT NOW:
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Thinking about volunteering? Decide your number before you walk up.
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Ask for cash instead of a voucher. The first offer isn't always the best one.
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Confirm your new flight and seats before you hand over your boarding pass.
KNOW THIS:
Bumped without volunteering, and you checked in on time? This is called "denied boarding". Federal law sets a minimum, paid in cash or a check at the airport. Up to 400% of one-way fare (based on how late you arrive)
MY FLIGHT IS DELAYED, I AM STUCK ON THE PLANE, OR I MISSED MY CONNECTION
FLIGHT DELAY:
STUCK ON THE TARMAC:
MISSED CONNECTION:
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No US law pays you for a delay. Your airline's own promises do the heavy lifting.
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Airline's fault? Many major airlines commit to a meal at 3+ hours and a hotel overnight.
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Weather? Little is required. Ask anyway. A kind ask costs nothing.
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Note the time the door closed. That's when the clock starts.
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At US airports, food and water are due within 2 hours.
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You get the option to get off after 3 hours domestic or 4 international, unless safety or air traffic control says no.
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Pack your own snacks. The legal minimum really is the minimum.
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One booking: the airline gets you to your final destination.
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Separate tickets (even on the same airline): you're starting fresh on leg two.
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Start before you land. Ask the flight attendant if your connection is being held, and check the app.
MY BAG IS LATE, LOST, OR DAMAGED
RIGHT NOW:
KNOW THIS:
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Don't leave the airport yet. Go to the airline's baggage office, usually near the carousel.
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File a report and get a file reference number.
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Show a photo of your bag, ask how to submit receipts, and ask them to deliver it to where you're staying.
Bag delayed on the way home? Different story, since you already have your own toothbrush. Still file the report before you leave the airport.
FLYING TO EUROPE, UK, OR CANADA
EUROPE (EU261):
UNITED KINGDOM (UK261):
CANADA (APPR):
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Covers: flights leaving any EU airport, or landing in the EU on an EU airline
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Cash: €250–€600 per person, by distance, if you arrive 3+ hours late
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Meals and a hotel: yes, even for weather
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Covers: flights leaving any UK airport, or landing in the UK on a UK airline
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Cash: £220–£520 per person, by distance, if you arrive 3+ hours late
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Meals and a hotel: yes, even for weather
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Covers: any flight to, from, or within Canada, on any airline
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Cash: $400–$1,000 CAD on large airlines, if you arrive 3+ hours late and it was the airline's fault
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Meals and a hotel: yes, unless it was outside the airline's control (like weather)
WATCH LESSON 6
WATCH LESSON 7
WATCH LESSON 8
FLYING ANYWHERE ELSE?
YOU STILL HAVE OPTIONS
KNOW THIS:
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The Montreal Convention covers international flights in 140+ countries. Get your actual delay expenses back with receipts, up to a treaty limit. Ask within 2 years.
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When you book, search "[country name] flight delay rights," then look up your airline's own delay policy.
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Check the fine print. Your airline's contract of carriage spells out what it promises.
TRAVEL INSURANCE FILLS THE
GAPS THE AIRLINES WON'T
KNOW THIS:
FROM LISA:
PLANS CAN COVER (VARIES):
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Airline promises mostly cover problems the airline caused. Weather, air traffic control, and a lot of the stuff in between? You're often on your own. That's the gap travel insurance is built to fill.
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We once sat on a tarmac in Germany for five hours with three kids. When the flight was finally cancelled, the hotel voucher line took five to six hours. We skipped it. Because we had travel insurance, we booked our own hotel from the terminal, ordered room service, and restocked our snacks the next morning. All reimbursed.
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Trip delay: meals, a hotel, and transportation after a set number of hours, often including weather
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Baggage delay: essentials like clothes and toiletries when your bag is late
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Missed connection: costs to catch up with a cruise, tour, or connecting flight
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Trip interruption and cancellation: money back for prepaid costs when you cancel or cut a trip short for a covered reason
WHAT EACH US AIRLINE PROMISES
WHEN IT'S THEIR FAULT
KNOW THIS:
When a delay or cancellation is caused by the airline (crew, maintenance, or scheduling), the major US airlines have made specific promises to the Department of Transportation. None of them promise cash for a delay, but here’s what you can ask for.
What all nine promise:
Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, and United
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A seat on their own next flight, at no charge
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A meal if you’re waiting 3+ hours
Where they differ:
Will they put you on a different airline?
Yes: Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, United
No: Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest
A hotel and a ride if you’re stuck overnight?
Yes: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, United
No: Frontier
Anything extra for a long wait?
Travel credit + miles: Alaska, Hawaiian
Travel credit: JetBlue, Southwest
Nothing listed: Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, United
Good to know: These promises don’t cover weather or air traffic control delays. Airlines can change their promises, so check the live DOT dashboard before you fly.
