The airline cancelled my flight. What am I entitled to?
Published September 20, 2026 · Policies verified September 20, 2026
If the airline cancels and you do not travel, you get your money back. Not a voucher, not a credit, and not only when the airline was at fault — a refund, in cash, without having to ask for it.
Flights Cheap Fare is an independent travel agency — not an airline and not affiliated with any airline. Any service fee we charge is disclosed before you pay, and we tell you when the airline offers the same thing free.
The core entitlement
Under the U.S. Department of Transportation's automatic refund rule, a cancelled flight entitles you to a refund regardless of the reason for the cancellation, if the airline does not rebook you or you do not accept the rebooking or other compensation offered.
Weather counts. A crew shortage counts. An air traffic programme counts. The refund right does not depend on fault — that distinction matters for hotels and meals, not for your ticket money.
The refund must be automatic, in cash or the original form of payment, paid within seven business days for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other methods, and it must cover the full price including taxes and airline fees, minus any portion of the trip you already flew.
What you can lose by accepting
Here is the trap, and airlines are not shy about it: a voucher cannot replace your refund unless you affirmatively choose it. But if you click accept on the credit, you have chosen. The offer often arrives first, by email or in the app, before anyone mentions the word refund.
If you do prefer a voucher — sometimes they are worth more than the fare — it must be valid for at least five years from issue. Anything shorter is not compliant.
Equally, taking the rebooked flight ends the refund entitlement. That is entirely reasonable, since you got where you were going. Just make it a decision rather than a default.
Hotels, meals and the fault question
Federal rules do not require an airline to feed or house you. What exists instead is a set of commitments individual U.S. airlines have made for disruptions within their control, published on the DOT's flightrights.gov dashboard.
So the practical order of operations during a cancellation is: decide whether you still want to travel, and say so clearly. If yes, get rebooked fast, because seats deplete. If no, decline everything and state that you are requesting the refund you are owed.
The first twenty minutes
Decide first whether you still want to travel today. Everything else follows from that, and the people who do best in a cancellation are the ones who answer it immediately instead of joining a queue to think about it.
If you want to travel: open the app and look at what it offers before you reach an agent, and have two or three specific alternatives in mind, including flights on partner airlines and nearby airports. Seats on the good options go in minutes.
If you do not want to travel: decline the rebooking and any voucher, and say clearly that you are requesting a refund to the original form of payment. Do not click accept on anything in the app while you are deciding, because that click is the decision.
Either way, photograph the departure board or screenshot the cancellation notice. If you later need to show that the flight was cancelled rather than that you failed to travel, that image settles it in one step.
One more thing worth knowing: the refund covers what you paid, not what the replacement costs. If you decline the rebooking and buy a last-minute ticket on another airline, you are funding the difference yourself. That is usually still the right call when the trip matters, but decide it with the number in front of you rather than in the heat of a cancelled departure board.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get a refund if my flight is cancelled because of weather?
Yes. The refund entitlement applies regardless of the reason for cancellation, as long as you are not rebooked or you decline the rebooking. Fault only affects extras like hotels and meals.
Can the airline give me a voucher instead of a refund?
Only if you affirmatively choose the voucher. Airlines may not substitute credit for a refund you are owed, and any voucher you do accept must be valid for at least five years.
How quickly must the refund arrive?
Within seven business days for a credit card purchase, and within 20 calendar days for other payment methods, in the original form of payment.
Will the airline pay for a hotel if I am stranded overnight?
It is not a federal requirement. Most U.S. airlines have committed to covering hotels for overnight disruptions within their control, and those commitments are published on flightrights.gov.
What if only part of my trip is cancelled?
You are owed a refund for the portion you did not fly, and the refund must include the taxes and fees attached to it. If the cancellation makes the rest of the trip pointless, say so when you decline the rebooking rather than accepting a partial fix.
U.S. Department of Transportation automatic refund rule and its passenger guidance, verified September 2026.
Related: cancellation and refund rules · schedule change refunds · long delays
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