It’s every traveler’s worst nightmare: you’re at the airport waiting for your flight to board when the dreaded announcement comes.
Your flight has been delayed — or worse, canceled.
Flight delays and cancellations can wreak havoc on your travel plans, from being late for an important event to missing a connecting flight.
What compensation are you entitled to?
Here’s What Airlines Must Provide For Delayed And Cancelled Flights
In the United States, all airlines must rebook passengers on a later flight at no additional cost if a flight is canceled or delayed more than 3 hours.
Airlines must also provide the option for passengers to cancel and receive a full refund if their flight is significantly delayed or canceled, according to NerdWallet.
Beyond that, different airlines offer compensation for flight delays and cancellations that are “controllable” (i.e., it’s the airline’s fault, such as a maintenance issue or missing cabin crew) and not issues like weather or air traffic control delays that are out of their hands.
Here’s what 10 major U.S. airlines offer in terms of compensation:
Alaska Airlines
You can get rebooked on a later flight with a partner airline at no additional cost. Alaska Airlines also provides meal vouchers and hotel accommodations in the case of overnight delays.
Allegiant Air
Allegiant does not offer the option to rebook for free on a partner airline for delayed flights. They will, however, provide hotel accommodations if there’s an overnight delay, as well as meal vouchers for flights delayed longer than 3 hours for a controllable reason.
American Airlines
American Airlines will rebook you on a later flight with a partner airline at no additional cost. They will also provide meal vouchers and hotel accommodations in the case of overnight delays.
Delta Air Lines
Similarly, Delta offers the option to rebook on a partner airline at no extra cost, free meal vouchers, and hotel accommodations for overnight delays.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines does not offer the option to rebook another flight on a partner airline for free, nor do they offer hotel vouchers for overnight delays. They may, however, offer free meal vouchers at the airport for flights delayed more than 3 hours.
Hawaiian Airlines
You can get rebooked on a later flight on a partner airline at no additional cost. Hawaiian Airlines also provides meal vouchers and hotel accommodations in the case of overnight delays.
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways is another airline that offers the option to rebook on another flight with one of the airline’s partners. They also provide meal vouchers and hotel accommodations for extremely delayed flights.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest does not offer the option to rebook on a partner airline at no extra cost if your flight is delayed, but they do provide meal vouchers and hotel accommodations in the event of an overnight delay.
Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines does not offer the option to rebook on a partner airline for free. However, they do offer hotel vouchers for controllable overnight delays/cancellations. They may also offer free meal vouchers at the airport for flights delayed more than 3 hours.
United Airlines
United Airlines will rebook you on a later flight on a partner airline at no additional cost. They will also provide meal vouchers and hotel accommodations in the case of overnight delays.
The Importance Of Travel Insurance
Although airlines are obligated to provide certain options in the event of a delayed or canceled flight and may offer additional compensation depending on the circumstances, the best way to protect yourself is to have travel insurance.
Travel insurance protects you against all kinds of trip interruptions, including flight delays, canceled flights, missed connections, lost luggage, and other flight problems.
It can give you additional peace of mind and provide you with more compensation than the airlines alone are obligated to offer.
