What the airline owes you
Pick what happened and the kind of flight to see what DOT rules, EU261 and UK261, and the Montreal Convention give you for a canceled flight, a long delay or a lost bag.
Four rules to know before you call the airline
- Refunds are automatic now. Under DOT rules, if your US flight is canceled or “significantly changed” (3+ hours domestic, 6+ international) and you don’t take the alternative, the airline must refund you automatically in money, not vouchers. Refunds to a card are due within 7 business days.
- EU and UK compensation is cash on top of a refund. It runs €250–€600 or £220–£520 depending on distance, for arrival delays of 3+ hours, unless the cause was extraordinary (weather, ATC).
- If your bag arrives 12+ hours late on a domestic trip (15–30 hours internationally), the airline must refund the bag fee.
- Airlines answer DOT complaints because DOT counts them. You can file one free at transportation.gov.
Kits For That is not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. Dollar, euro and SDR caps are the current published figures and are adjusted for inflation from time to time. This checker is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney, and rules change, so check the current version before you rely on them. Facts verified against official sources in August 2026.