The cost of flight delays or cancellations can quickly add up. On top of the inconvenience of being stuck in an airport for hours on end, missing a family gathering or a day of vacation, flight disruptions can get expensive — from extra meals at the airport to, in the worst cases, an unexpected night in a hotel.
In some cases, though, the airline might be willing to pay for some of those costs — specifically, when the disruption is due to an issue like maintenance or staffing (in other words, when the problem is the airline’s fault).
You just might need to ask … and to know what your rights are.
In late 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled an airline customer service dashboard that spells out how the 10 largest U.S. carriers accommodate passengers in the event of a cancellation or significant delay within the airline’s control.
The page, found at the web address FlightRights.gov, shows the commitments each airline has made in their customer service plans. The DOT claims most airlines firmed up and clarified those commitments during the dashboard creation process.
For their part, airlines contend that they were already providing most of these accommodations for passengers. Some airlines even view the exercise as unfair. For example, a low-cost carrier that lacks an interline agreement with other airlines might still book passengers on other airlines by paying full price for tickets. In other words, just because something is not listed here doesn’t mean an airline won’t provide it.
Don’t expect these types of accommodations for delays or cancellations that are outside an airline’s control, like those due to weather or air traffic control. Passengers are generally given little to nothing in the event of one of those delays or cancellations.
Here’s what each airline has committed to, according to the dashboard.
Alaska Airlines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Credit/travel voucher and/or frequent flyer miles when cancellation results in passenger waiting three hours or more from the scheduled departure time
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Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Credit/travel voucher and/or frequent flyer miles when cancellation results in passenger waiting three hours or more from the scheduled departure time
Allegiant Air
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
American Airlines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Delta Air Lines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Frontier Airlines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
Hawaiian Airlines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
JetBlue
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Credit/travel voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting three hours or more beyond scheduled departure time
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Credit/travel voucher when delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more beyond scheduled departure time
Southwest Airlines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Spirit Airlines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
United Airlines
Commitments for controllable cancellations
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Commitments for controllable delays
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Rebook passenger on another airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting three hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Family seating dashboard
In early 2023, the DOT added another aspect to its air travel consumer dashboard: a section that evaluates whether airlines — to the DOT’s liking — guarantee fee-free family seating.
The specific standard is that the airline guarantees “adjacent seats for child 13 or under and an accompanying adult at no additional cost for all fare types.”
Only three of the 10 U.S. airlines the agency evaluated passed:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- JetBlue
However, there are a few caveats to consider here. Southwest Airlines has open seating and allows up to two adults traveling with a child age six or younger to board early as part of the “Family Boarding” group; this group boards after the A Group is on the plane (at which point there typically will be plenty of adjacent seats remaining).
Delta Air Lines says it “strives to seat family members together upon request” and urges travelers who can’t find seats together online to contact the airline’s reservations desk. And United Airlines this year touted its new seat assignment technology designed to seat parents together with children under age 12.
Bottom line
The significance of the DOT’s dashboard is less about the actual dashboard — though that can certainly be helpful for consumers when booking a flight.
The process of creating the dashboard required airlines to formally clarify some of their existing policies, which, in the department’s view, makes them more enforceable. For example, say a flight is canceled due to a mechanical issue and a passenger files a formal complaint that the airline did not provide a hotel voucher. If the airline has previously said it provides hotel vouchers, the DOT believes it has more power to take action against the airline.
Again, though, remember that these cancellation and delay guarantees apply to “controllable” disruptions, where the airline is technically at fault. This means a snowstorm or thunderstorm generally won’t earn you coverage for that extra hotel night or meal. That’s where you may want to consider booking your flight with a credit card that includes travel insurance protections.
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