Airlines owe you more than an apology.
When a flight goes wrong, refund or rerouting, care while you wait, and fixed compensation may be separate rights. Which ones apply depends on the itinerary and the rule. Here is the map in plain words, before any talk of our service.
The three rights, in order
1. Refund or rebooking when the rules require it
When an airline cancels a flight, major passenger-rights regimes and airline contracts generally require a refund of the unused ticket or alternative transportation. In the US, DOT rules require an automatic refund when a flight is canceled or significantly changed and you reject the alternative. Exact timing, form and coverage vary by jurisdiction and itinerary.
2. Care while you wait
EU and UK rules can require meals, communication and a hotel during a qualifying wait even when extraordinary circumstances caused it. Turkish, Israeli and Canadian rules also provide care in covered situations, but their conditions differ. Keep receipts whenever the airline should have helped and did not.
3. Cash compensation on top
Some regimes add fixed compensation for the disruption itself when their route, timing and cause tests are met and no exemption applies. The published amounts are usually per eligible passenger and are separate from care and refund rights.
Every scheme's published amounts are on one page: compensation amounts.
What airlines are quiet about
Vouchers are optional
An offer of miles or a travel voucher does not extinguish a cash right. You can decline it, take the cash the rules set, or take the voucher only if it genuinely beats the cash.
A refund can cover more than one segment
When connected flights are on one booking and the trip no longer serves its purpose, some regimes also cover unused onward or return segments and fees for services never provided. The exact scope depends on the rule and ticket.
Compensation is per passenger, not per booking
Each eligible passenger can have a separate claim. Rules for infants, free tickets and staff fares vary, so those tickets need individual review.
Old flights still count
These rights do not expire when you leave the airport. Depending on the rules and the country, claims stay alive for years; the deadlines below are the ones that matter.
The deadlines
Deadlines are why an old boarding pass is worth a two-minute check now rather than next year.
Put your rights to work.
The check is free, and the answer names the rule your money comes from.
Check Eligibility