What to Do When Your Flight Is Canceled

Flights get canceled for many reasons. Bad weather, issues with the plane, problems with air traffic control, or the airline staff having maxed out their hours. Whatever the reason, it's never good news for travelers

When your flight is cancelled, it’s hard to know what to do next. How much the airline will help you depends on the airline and why the flight was canceled. Airlines are less likely to help if the flight is canceled due to things outside of their control, like weather or Airport Traffic Control (ATC).

It is important to stay updated on your flight status, since cancellations can occur days before your scheduled flight. Airlines will notify you about delays or cancellations via email, text, over the airport loudspeaker, or by app notification. Check your flight status frequently before you depart.

Wherever you are when your flight is cancelled, you need to move fast. Planes and hotels fill up quickly. Most airlines will help you rebook immediately through their website, app, or at the airport customer service desk. If you go to the service desk, expect a long line of everyone from your flight trying to rebook. It's best practice to rebook online at the same time you’re waiting in line to make sure you get a spot.

• Travel Tips: Research other airlines and see which flights are available within 6 hours of your canceled flight. If you are waiting in line for a representative at the airport, have some suggestions on alternative flights to see if they will compensate you for the switch. If you have lounge access for your airline, you can connect with the agents in there for help. 

There's also a chance that all other flights may be fully booked. Passengers on early-day flights are more likely to secure a seat on a flight the same day. If your late-night flight is canceled, you might need to wait until the next day. If you can't go home, you might need to get a hotel or spend the night at the airport.

It is important to remember that airline agents do not have control over flight cancellations. They are there to help you find an alternative solution to ensure that you can still enjoy your trip or make it home with minimal delays. You can ask if the airline can provide a hotel or meal voucher. Most airlines will provide them and will help with ground transportation to your hotel. But there might not be many hotel rooms available, and you may have to pay extra for transportation. Keep in mind, also, that airlines are not obligated to provide meal or transportation vouchers.

• Travel Reminder: After your flight is rebooked, start figuring out where your bags are. Some airlines will transport your bags to your new flight. Others, like Delta, will track your bag in their app.

If you must pay for a hotel stay, extra transportation, or meals due to a canceled flight, keep the receipts. Some airlines will reimburse you for them. But they will only reimburse you if the delay is not because of bad weather or ATC (Airport Traffic Control). Each airline has specific solutions and policies, so be aware that there may be more rules that apply to your situation. You can find more information in the airline's help centers on their website.

• Travel Tip: Don't forget to check your credit card benefits. With some credit cards, like Chase, you may have travel protections that can reimburse you for extra meals or hotel stays. Keep your receipts for any additional expenses caused by the cancellation and contact your bank to file a claim. Remember to review your card's insurance policy to understand the coverage, which may include not only cancellations but also delays and baggage damages. Here is a list of credit cards that offer trip delay insurance.

To check if your airline will compensate you for a cancelation or delay, we have put together a list of what airlines will cover. We have also included airline service contact information, so you don’t need to dig for it yourself.

As of April 24th, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation has mandated that all airlines are now required to provide cash refunds if there is a 3-hour domestic or 6-hour international delay or cancellation to a flight's scheduled arrival or departure. It's an automatic process, not a process that requires making a request or filling out a form. This also means that you can expect a refund for your credit card within 7 days or for any other forms of payment within 20 days.

For different airlines:

This is a list of how each airline handles cancelations or refunds specifically. Links are included to help direct to your airline's cancelation information if you have more questions.

American Airlines

Customer Service line: 800-433-7300

Specific Policies:

• Changing Flights,
  • They will provide suggestions directly, and you can accept it within either the app or the web under ‘Your Trips’
  • Go to the kiosk at the airport and scan your boarding pass or your confirmation code to switch flight information.
• For Refunds: Request a refund through a request form

Delta

Customer Service line: 800-325-8847 or use their message portal

Specific Policies:

• Flight Changes: You can either use a Delta kiosk at check-in or go to the Delta app under ‘My Trips;’ there will be flight suggestions provided.
• Refunds: After you get the confirmation that your flight has been canceled or there is a delay of more than 2 hours you can cancel your flight under ‘My trips’ within your account and then fill out a request form. Refunds can be in the form of travel credits or refunds in the same form as you paid.
• Reimbursement for accommodation expenses: If you have had a delay of over 3 hours, you can submit a request form for any hotel, transportation, or meal expenses incurred because of the delay if it's not due to ATC (Air Traffic Control) delays or weather.
• They will try to reroute checked baggage to new flights, and you can track the bags in the app under ‘Track My Bags.’

Frontier

Customer Service line: Text or Call 801-401-900

Specific Policies:

• Flight Changes: They will email you with different options
• For Refunds: Fill out a refund request; they won’t atomically process a refund for your flight. They will refund your fare and any other optional services you paid for, like seat assignments or baggage.
• Make sure to grab your bags because they won’t be automatically moved to your new flight

JetBlue

Customer Service line: Only a chat portal

Specific Policies:

• Flight Changes: you can call JetBlue or go into the site under ‘Manage Trips’ to rebook
• For Refunds: you can either receive travel credit or a refund if you can’t rebook within 2 hours of your flight.
• You won't receive compensation for delays due to air traffic control, flight cancellations, or approaching storms, unless a fee waiver is issued or you proactively cancel your flight due to delays of less than 3 hours.

Southwest

Customer Service line: Dependent on location and language

Specific Policies:

• Flight Changes: In most cases, they will automatically rebook you for another flight with Southwest and will text, call, or email you with that updated information. They also have a self-service option where you can change your flight’s date/time by up to 14 days (about 2 weeks) from the original date without an extra cost.
• For Refunds: Request a LUV Voucher or method of payment refund for the value of your reservation
  • Fill out a Delay Form
  • Note: You don’t need to fill these out for each passenger, based on the reservation.
  • This process can take up to 30 days (about 4 and a half weeks) to find out if you are eligible for a voucher.

United Airlines

Customer Service line: (800) 864-8331

Specific Policies:

• Flight Changes: You can go to a kiosk in the check-in area and click “view flight options” after entering your current flight information or their service center at the airport to look for alternative flights. Within the United App you can change your flight information and see your bag information. This is also where you can connect with their customer service.
• For Refunds: You will need to fill out a request form
  • Refunds will be issued within seven days of the request if you pay by credit card or if you use other methods, then it can take up to 20 days (about 3 weeks) to be processed.
  • Suppose you need proof of your cancellation or delay. In that case, you can email delayletter@united.com and provide the traveler's name on the reservation, confirmation number, flight number, dates of travel, and personal contact details.