Short version: if your domestic flight is delayed 3 hours or more, or cancelled, and you decide not to fly, the airline must refund your ticket in cash (your original payment method). U.S. law doesn't require compensation on top of that. Meals and hotels depend on the airline's own promises, and usually only when the delay was the airline's fault.
The refund rule
Since 2024, U.S. Department of Transportation rules make refunds automatic when an airline cancels or "significantly changes" a flight and you don't accept the alternative. For a domestic flight, a significant change includes a departure or arrival 3 or more hours off the original time (6 hours for international), a change of airport, or extra connections.
- Cash, not credit. The refund goes back to how you paid. You can accept a voucher or miles instead, but you don't have to.
- Fees too. Unused seat and bag fees are refunded, and a checked bag fee is refunded if the bag is significantly delayed.
- Only if you don't travel. If you fly on the delayed flight or take the rebooking, the refund right ends.
- Timing. Credit-card refunds within 7 business days; other payment methods within 20 days.
How often does it come to that? Of flights already an hour late, 20% ended up arriving 3+ hours late; of flights already two hours late, 48%. See the odds for your delay →
Meals, hotels and rebooking
These come from each airline's own customer service commitments, not from law. Most large U.S. airlines commit to:
- rebooking on their next available flight at no extra cost;
- a meal voucher or cash when a delay within their control reaches 3 hours;
- a hotel room and ground transport when a delay or cancellation within their control strands you overnight.
"Within their control" means crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling or baggage loading. Weather and air traffic control delays usually don't qualify. Commitments differ by airline and change: check the DOT airline customer service dashboard for yours.
How to claim
- Decline to travel before you board or accept a new flight, and say you want a refund.
- Ask for the delay reason and keep screenshots of the delay notices and times.
- If the airline offers a voucher, you can say no.
- If the refund doesn't arrive, file a complaint with the U.S. DOT. Airlines must answer DOT complaints.
Questions
Do U.S. airlines owe cash compensation for a delayed flight?
No. Unlike the EU or UK, U.S. law requires no cash compensation for delays or cancellations. A 2024 proposal to require it was withdrawn in 2025. What you can claim is a refund, if you choose not to travel, plus whatever the airline itself commits to.
When can I get a refund for a delayed domestic flight?
When the departure or arrival is delayed by 3 hours or more on a domestic flight (6 hours on an international one) and you choose not to travel, or the airline cancels and you decline the rebooking. The refund is in your original form of payment, not a voucher, and covers unused fees such as bag and seat fees.
Will the airline give me a hotel or meal voucher?
Not by law. Most large U.S. airlines commit, in their customer service plans, to meal vouchers for delays of 3 hours or more and hotel rooms for overnight delays, but only when the cause is within their control (crew, maintenance), not weather or air traffic control. The DOT dashboard lists each airline’s commitments.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Rules and airline commitments change, and enforcement details can shift; the official sources are the DOT's refunds page and customer service dashboard. Last checked November 2026.