Refunds

Travel plans sometimes change and you may want a refund for a purchased airline ticket or fees for other related services such as baggage transport or seat selection. This page contains useful information to determine whether you are entitled to a refund of the ticket price or fees charged for services related to air travel. This page also contains useful information about rebooking on alternative transportation and compensation offered by airlines in lieu of a refund.

Am I entitled to a refund of the ticket price?

In the following situations, consumers are entitled to a refund of the ticket price.

Cancelled Flight - A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline cancelled a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel or accept travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation offered by the airline
Schedule Change/Significant Delay - A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline significantly delays a flight or significantly changes a flight and the consumer chooses not to travel or accept travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation offered by the airline.
- What is a “significant change” or “significant delay?”
  - Early departure - The consumer is scheduled to depart from the origination airport 3 hours or more for domestic itineraries and 6 hours or more for international itineraries earlier than the original scheduled departure time;
  - Late arrival - The consumer is scheduled to arrive at the destination airport 3 hours or more for domestic itineraries or 6 hours or more for international itineraries later than the original scheduled arrival time;
  - Change in origin or destination airports - The consumer is scheduled to depart from a different origin airport or arrive at a different destination airport;
  - More connections - The consumer is scheduled to travel on an itinerary with more connection points than that of the original itinerary;
  - Downgrades - The consumer is involuntarily downgraded to a lower class of service;
    - A consumer is entitled to a refund if the consumer was involuntarily moved to a lower class of service and because of that, the consumer decides not to travel or accept travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation offered by the airline.
    - If the downgraded consumer continues to travel on the flight, the consumer is not entitled to a refund of the full airfare, but the airline must refund the difference between the original fare and the downgraded fare.
  - Change in connecting airports for passengers with a disability - The consumer who is an individual with a disability is scheduled to travel through one or more connecting airports different from the original itinerary; or
  - Change in aircraft for passengers with a disability - The consumer who is an individual with a disability is scheduled to travel on substitute aircraft on which one or more accessibility features needed by the consumer are unavailable.
Fully refundable ticket - Consumers who purchase fully refundable tickets are entitled to a refund when they do not use the purchased ticket.

Airlines are required to notify you of your right to a refund.

Airlines are required to notify you about flight cancellations and significant delays/changes and your right to receive a refund. If you subscribe to receive notifications by email, text message, or mobile app push notice, these notifications must be provided to you by the notification method to which you have subscribed.

In the following situations, consumers are not entitled to a refund of the ticket price (except under very limited circumstances):

Consumer Traveled - If you chose to take a significantly delayed/changed flight or an alternative flight offered by the airline, you are not entitled to a refund under DOT rules.
- Although you are not entitled to a refund if you decide to take a significantly changed/delayed flight, you may be entitled to compensation for certain expenses and/or amenities if the delay was due to something in the airline’s control and causes a long enough inconvenience during travel. For more information on U.S. airline commitments to provide compensation and amenities for cancellations and delays within their control, review the airline’s customer service plan or the airline customer service dashboard.
Consumer purchased a non-refundable ticket - Consumers who purchase non-refundable tickets and decide not to travel or arrive to the airport late are not entitled to a refund when the flight operates as scheduled.
Consumer received unsatisfactory service - A consumer who takes a flight but has a bad customer service experience with the airline or the flight is not entitled to a refund.

Am I entitled to a refund of fees related to ancillary services?

In the following situations, consumers are entitled to a refund of fees related to ancillary services.

What are “ancillary services?”
- “Ancillary services” are any optional services related to air travel that an airline provides for a fee, beyond passenger air transportation.
- Such services may include but are not limited to: transport of checked or carry-on baggage, advance seat selection, access to in-flight entertainment programs or Wi-Fi, in-flight beverages, snacks, meals, pillows and blankets, seat upgrades, and lounge access.
A consumer is entitled to a refund of fees paid for ancillary services if the ancillary service was unavailable through no fault of the consumer (e.g., broken Wi-Fi, airline cancelled the flight, consumer involuntarily denied boarding).

Am I entitled to a refund of fees related to checked luggage?

In the following situations, consumers are entitled to a refund of fees related to checked luggage.

A consumer is entitled to a refund if the consumer paid a baggage fee and his or her baggage has been declared lost by the airline or has been significantly delayed.
When is a checked bag considered “lost?”
- Airlines may have different policies to determine when a bag is officially lost. Most airlines will declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight, but this can vary from one airline to another.
When is a checked bag considered “significantly delayed?”
- For domestic flights, a bag is considered to have been “significantly delayed” if the bag is not delivered within 12 hours after your flight has arrived;
- For international flights (a flight between a U.S. airport and a foreign airport), a bag is considered to have been significantly delayed if the bag is not delivered:
  - within 15 hours after your flight has arrived if your flight is 12 hours or less in duration, and
  - within 30 hours if your flight is more than 12 hours in duration.
- To calculate how many hours your bag has been delayed, use the time you were given the opportunity to deplane from a flight at your final destination airport as the beginning of the delay and the time you picked up the bag from the arrival airport or the bag was delivered to a location that you and the airline have agreed on as the end of the delay.
- To receive a refund of the baggage fee for a significantly delayed bag, you must file a mishandled baggage report with the airline. You are encouraged to file the report as soon as you learn that your bag did not arrive with you at the destination.
Are there any exceptions that apply to refunding bag fees for lost or significantly delayed baggage?
- Yes, there are some exceptions. An airline is not required to provide you with a refund of your checked baggage fee for a significantly delayed bag and is not required to deliver your baggage on time in the following circumstances:
  - International Checked Baggage – If your baggage is significantly delayed because you failed to pick up and re-check your baggage at the first international entry point to the U.S.;
  - Failure to pick up a bag – If your baggage is significantly delayed because you failed to pick up a checked bag that arrived on time to your ticketed final destination (e.g., you voluntarily did not travel to the ticketed final destination or you left the airport without retrieving your bag); and
  - Agreement with Airline – If you voluntarily agree to travel without your checked bag on the same flight you are taking because you check-in late or are flying standby and agree to a new baggage delivery date and location.
    - Note: In these situations, airlines must not require you to waive your right to a refund of the bag fee if your baggage is lost and must not require you to waive your right to reimbursement of incidental expenses arising from delayed bags beyond the agreed upon delivery date or from lost, damaged, or pilfered bags.
For more information about lost, damaged, or delayed baggage, please visit our baggage webpage.

What if the airline offers to rebook me on alternative transportation?

Alternative Flight Offers - Although not required by DOT, airlines often offer to rebook consumers on alternative flights following a flight cancellation or significant delay/change.
- When making these offers, airlines must let you know that you are entitled to a refund if you don’t accept the offer.
  - If you reject the offer or if you do not respond to the offer, a refund must be issued to you automatically without you having to make a request. In these situations, airlines will typically cancel your reservation on the significantly delayed flight or new flight.
- A refund is due within 7 business days after you reject an offer if you paid for the ticket with a credit card, and within 20 calendar days after you reject the offer if you paid for the ticket with another form of payment, such as a check or cash.
- If you do not respond to an airline’s offer for alternative transportation and do not fly on the offered alternative flight, the airline must provide the refund to the original form of payment within 7 business days for credit card payments or 20 calendar days for other payments (e.g., cash or check) after the significantly delayed or changed flight or alternative flight departs from its destination.
Deadlines to Accept Offers - When an airline lets you know that your flight has been significantly changed or offers to rebook you on another flight, it is not required to keep the offer open indefinitely and can set a deadline for you to accept the offer. If you intend to travel on the changed or rebooked flight, it is important to let the airline know that you accept the rebooking as soon as you can or before the response deadline set by the airline.

What if the airline offers me travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation in lieu of a refund?

Airlines may offer travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation in lieu of a refund.
When making such an offer, airlines must also let you know that you are entitled to a refund.
The travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation airlines offer must be valid for at least five years and airlines must disclose to you any material restrictions, limitations, or conditions on the credits or vouchers.

What if I purchased or reserved my ticket through a ticket agent?

Refund of the Ticket Price - Ticket agents (i.e., travel agents or online travel agencies) that are the “merchants of record” are required to make “proper” refunds of airfare when a flight to, from, or within the United States is cancelled or significantly changed by an airline.
- What is a “merchant of record?”
  - A “merchant of record” is the entity that is shown in the financial charge statement for the ticket purchase, such as your debit or credit card charge statement.
  - If you purchased your ticket through a local or online ticket agent, it is important to find out which entity, the airline or the ticket agent, is the merchant of record. Merchants of record are responsible for issuing refunds when they are due.
Refund of Ancillary Service Fees - Ticket agents are not responsible for refunding optional service fees if the service is not provided or baggage fees if a checked bag is significantly delayed or lost. Even if a ticket agent is the merchant of record for the ancillary service fee (including the checked baggage fee) that you paid, you must request a refund from the airline.

What should I do if I am entitled to a refund and would like to receive one from an airline?

If you purchased your tickets directly from an airline, you are entitled to an automatic refund when the airline cancels or significantly delays/changes your flight and you don’t accept: 1) the significantly changed flight; 2) a rebooked flight; 3) a travel credit or voucher; or 4) alternative compensation (such as frequent flyer miles).
The automatic refund must be provided within 7 business days (for credit card purchases) or 20 business days (for cash purchases) after the airline becomes aware that you don’t accept the alternative to a refund (e.g., reject the offer of alternative transportation or compensation, don’t respond to an offer and don’t take the alternative transportation).
You should pay close attention to emails, text messages, or mobile app notifications in the event your flight schedule changes so you are fully informed of the options airlines offer and your rights to a refund.

Can I cancel a ticket reservation or purchase within 24 hours of booking?

For airline tickets that are purchased at least seven days before a flight’s scheduled departure date and time, airlines are required to either:
- allow consumers to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund without a penalty for 24 hours, or
- allow consumers to reserve a ticket (place it on hold) at the quoted prices without paying for the ticket for 24 hours.
Airlines are not required to offer both a hold and a refund option. Check your airline’s policy before purchasing a ticket. However, if an airline accepts a reservation without payment, it must allow the consumer to cancel the reservation within 24 hours without penalty. If an airline requires payment with a reservation, it must allow the consumer to cancel the payment and reservation within 24 hours and receive a full refund.
Although airlines must hold a reservation for 24 hours or provide a refund to consumers at their request within 24 hours of making a reservation, airlines are not required to make changes to a ticket free of charge (for example - change your ticket to a different date or correct a misspelled name on the reservation).
- In some cases, instead of paying for a change fee and a potential difference between the original ticket price and the current ticket price, it may be cheaper to request a refund for the ticket and rebook. However, please keep in mind that ticket prices can change quickly.

Does the 24-hour refund/reservation requirement apply to tickets purchased or reserved through a travel agent or online travel agency?

No, the 24-hour refund/reservation requirement for airlines does not apply to tickets booked through online travel agencies, travel agents, or other third-party agents. However, these agents are free to apply the same or similar procedures to provide equivalent or similar customer service.
If you purchased your ticket through an online travel agency (or other agent), you should contact the travel agent directly to obtain a refund before contacting the airline.

Last updated: Friday, November 7, 2025