If a US airline cancels your flight, you can take the replacement it offers or turn it down and get a full refund of the fare, taxes and fees. The right choice depends on whether the new flight still gets you where you need to be, when you need to be there.
If you decline, the refund is automatic under DOT's rules (14 CFR Part 260). It goes back to your original form of payment within 7 business days for a credit card and 20 calendar days for cash, check or debit, with no processing fee. A nonrefundable fare doesn't change that when the airline is the one that canceled.
Check Your Flight Status Before You Leave
Turn on notifications in the airline's app and check your flight before you head out. A flight-tracking app is a useful second look, but the airline's own app is where a rebooking offer shows up first.
If your flight is only delayed, leave at your original time. Delays shift, and a flight can be pulled forward after you've left home. If it's canceled, you don't need to go to the airport yet. Start rebooking from your phone while seats are still open.
Rebook or Refund
Take the rebooking if the new flight works for you. It's the fastest fix, so ask for the earliest option, including on another airline if your carrier will put you on one. Once you accept a new itinerary, no refund is owed for that flight.
Turn it down if the replacement doesn't work. The rules treat a change as significant when your new schedule departs or arrives 3 or more hours off the original on a domestic itinerary, or 6 or more hours off on an international one. It's also significant if you're moved to a different airport, given more connections or put in a lower class of service. Any of those lets you decline and ask for the refund.
Think Twice Before Taking a Voucher or Miles
An airline may offer a voucher or miles instead of money. The offer has to state your right to a full refund, you have to affirmatively accept it, and a voucher has to stay valid for at least five years. Silence doesn't count as a yes. Our guide on whether to accept miles for a canceled flight walks through when it's worth it.
If You Need a Hotel Near the Airport
Rooms near the airport fill quickly after a cancellation. Start searching while you're still in line for the desk. The refund rule covers your fare and fees, not hotels or meals, so ask the airline what it will provide and keep every receipt.
If the Airline Refuses Your Refund
Put the request in writing, say you're declining the alternative, and keep the confirmation. If you booked through a travel agency, the airline has to tell the agency whether you're eligible, so ask the agency to request the refund and keep the airline's cancellation notice.
If the money hasn't arrived by the deadlines above, file a complaint with DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. Cash compensation beyond the refund is a separate question, and our flight compensation guide covers where it applies.
What to Do in the First Hour
Decide quickly. Rebook if the new flight works, and decline and request the refund if it doesn't. Either way, screenshot the cancellation notice and keep every receipt from that point on.
Updated October 17, 2026: refund rules.
