US rules pay nothing for a delay itself. What they do pay: an automatic refund in your original form of payment when a flight is cancelled or significantly changed — 3 hours domestic, 6 hours international — and you decline the alternative; up to $1,075 or $2,150 for involuntary bumping; and at least $4,700 of baggage liability on a domestic flight.
1. Automatic refunds (14 CFR part 260)
A carrier that is the merchant of record must give a full and prompt refund of the airfare, including taxes and ancillary fees, on a non-refundable ticket to, from or within the United States when a flight is cancelled or significantly delayed or changed and you choose not to fly it, not to be rebooked, and not to take a voucher (14 CFR 260.6). It is automatic: you do not have to ask if you rejected the alternative or simply did not respond and the flight went without you.
A change counts as significant when, among other things, you are scheduled to depart 3 or more hours earlier (domestic) or 6 or more hours earlier (international) than booked, to arrive 3 or more hours later (domestic) or 6 or more hours later (international), or from a different airport.
Prompt is defined: 7 business days for a credit-card purchase, 20 calendar days for cash, cheque, debit card or other payment. The refund must be issued in the original form of payment unless you agree to something else, and the carrier may not keep a processing fee (14 CFR 260.10).
You are also owed a refund of the checked-bag fee when the bag is not delivered within 12 hours (domestic), 15 hours (international itineraries whose non-stop US-to-foreign segment is 12 hours or less) or 30 hours (where that segment is longer), and a refund for paid services you did not get. Use the US DOT refund letter, or the more targeted paid extras refund letter for a single item like a seat or a bag fee.
2. Denied boarding — 14 CFR 250.5
| Rebooked to arrive | Domestic | International (from a US airport) |
|---|---|---|
| Within 1 hour of original arrival | Nothing | Nothing |
| More than 1 hour late | 200% of the one-way fare, capped at $1,075 (1–2 hours) | 200% of the one-way fare, capped at $1,075 (1–4 hours) |
| Beyond that | 400% of the one-way fare, capped at $2,150 | 400% of the one-way fare, capped at $2,150 |
The compensation is a percentage of your fare with the dollar figure as a ceiling, not a flat payment. The $1,075 and $2,150 caps took effect on 22 January 2025 and replaced $775 and $1,550 (89 FR 84818). DOT reviews these figures every two years, and a 2026 or 2027 adjustment is due — check the date at the top of this page. Use the US section of the denied-boarding letter; the formula applies whichever carrier bumped you, from Delta to United to American Airlines. Not every refusal to board is a straightforward oversold flight — see denied boarding without overbooking for the other reasons a gate agent can turn you away.
A voucher is not the compensation. Denied-boarding compensation and part 260 refunds are money. Accepting airline credit at the gate can end the claim. Ask for payment in the original form and say so in writing before you take anything.
3. Delays and cancellations — no federal cash payout
There is no US equivalent of EU261. For disruptions within the airline’s control, meals and overnight hotels come from each airline’s own published customer-service commitments — contractual promises the airline has made and DOT can hold it to, not a compensation statute. Read your carrier’s commitments before you argue with an agent.
4. Tarmac delays — 14 CFR 259.4
A covered carrier must give you the chance to leave the aircraft before a tarmac delay at a US airport exceeds three hours on a domestic flight or four hours on an international flight, subject to safety and air-traffic-control exceptions. There is no cash payment for the delay itself, but the tarmac delay letter claims back what it cost you when the airline held you past the limit.
5. Baggage
- US domestic: an airline may not limit its liability below $4,700 per passenger for lost, damaged or delayed checked baggage on flights using large aircraft (14 CFR 254.4). That is a floor on liability, not a fixed payout — you still prove your loss.
- International: the Montreal Convention governs instead, at 1,519 SDR.
6. The one enforcement pause you should know about
DOT is not enforcing the refund requirements in 14 CFR 260.6, 260.9 and 399.80(l) where a flight is simply renumbered and you are rebooked on the new number with no significant change or delay. The pause began on 5 December 2025 and was extended on 7 July 2026 for one further year, while DOT reconsiders what counts as a cancelled flight in its pending Refund III rulemaking. The core rule — cancellations, significant changes, delayed bags, services you paid for and did not get — is unaffected.
Do I get compensation for a delayed US flight?
No. US rules pay nothing for the delay itself. You get a refund if the flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline the alternative, bag-fee and unused-service refunds, and whatever your airline’s own customer-service commitments promise.
Can the airline give me a voucher instead of a refund?
Only if you accept one. Under 14 CFR 260.6 you can reject a voucher, credit or other compensation and take the refund, and 14 CFR 260.10 requires it in your original form of payment.
Does EU261 ever apply to a US trip?
Yes — if you depart an EU or UK airport on any airline, or arrive in the EU or UK on an EU or UK carrier. The fixed EU payment can be far larger than anything US rules give. Check the amounts table and does EU261 cover non-EU airlines.
How to complain
Complain to the airline first and keep the reference. Then file with DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection office, which uses complaints for enforcement. See if they refuse.