How to Get a Refund for a Cancelled Flight

If your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed, you are entitled to a full cash refund — not just a voucher. The US DOT's 2024 rule covers cancellations and domestic delays of 3+ hours or international delays of 6+ hours. EU and UK passengers have separate rights under EC Regulation 261/2004. You do not have to accept travel credit.

Note: Major airlines are on Summon's deny-listed category for automated execution. This guide covers your rights and walks you through preparing and submitting your own claim — Summon helps you understand the process, gather the right information, and track what you're owed. You submit directly to the airline.

Your rights in plain language

Airlines often present cancelled-flight passengers with a single option: accept a voucher or rebook. You can say no. In the US, EU, and UK, you have a legal right to a cash refund to your original payment method for a cancelled or significantly disrupted flight. Accepting a voucher is a choice, not a requirement.

There are also two separate entitlements that people confuse:

The ticket refund — getting back what you paid for the flight you won't take.
Compensation — a fixed cash payment on top of the refund, available in the EU and UK for disruptions not caused by extraordinary circumstances.

Both can apply to the same disruption. You can — and should — claim both.

US rights: the DOT's 2024 automatic-refund rule

The Department of Transportation finalized its automatic-refund rule in April 2024 with a compliance date of October 28, 2024. Under 14 CFR Part 260, airlines flying to, from, or within the United States must automatically issue a refund (without the passenger having to ask) when:

A flight is cancelled, regardless of the reason.
A domestic flight is delayed 3 or more hours (departure or arrival).
An international flight is delayed 6 or more hours (departure or arrival).
The airline makes a significant change: departure or arrival airport changes, an added connection, a cabin-class downgrade, or a connection-city change.

Refund timeline: airlines must process eligible refunds within 7 business days for credit cards and 20 calendar days for cash, checks, or other payment methods.

The December 2025 enforcement pause affects only one narrow scenario: if a flight is renumbered but otherwise operated identically and you are rebooked on the new number. For genuine cancellations and qualifying delays, the rule is fully in force.

How to claim

Most airlines surface a refund option in your email confirmation when they cancel a flight. If they offer only a voucher or a rebook, go to the airline's website, find Manage Booking / My Trips, and look for a refund request form. Explicitly request a "cash refund to my original payment method." If you can't find the form, call the airline's customer line and use those exact words.

EU rights: EC Regulation 261/2004

EC Regulation 261/2004 covers passengers on:

Flights departing from any airport in the EU (or post-Brexit, the UK equivalent applies separately), regardless of airline.
Flights arriving in the EU operated by an EU-based carrier.

For a cancellation notified fewer than 14 days before departure, you are entitled to your choice of:

A full refund of the ticket price, or
Rerouting at the earliest opportunity, or
Rerouting at a later date of your convenience.

In addition to the refund, you are entitled to compensation (if the cancellation wasn't caused by extraordinary circumstances):

| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger | |---|---| | Up to 1,500 km | €250 | | 1,500 – 3,500 km (or intra-EU over 1,500 km) | €400 | | Over 3,500 km | €600 |

These amounts also apply to delays of 3+ hours (arrival time, not departure) following the 2009 Sturgeon ruling. New EU procedural rules effective February 2026 standardize claim forms and require airlines to provide clearer information at the point of disruption.

UK rights after Brexit

The UK retained EU261 in domestic law after Brexit. Rules are substantively the same as EU261 for UK-departing flights and for UK airlines flying internationally:

Cancellations with less than 14 days' notice trigger compensation.
Compensation amounts mirror the EU tiers (converted to GBP where applicable).
Refund must be paid within 7 days to your original payment method.
You may never be required to accept a voucher in lieu of a cash refund.

The UK CAA is the enforcement body. If an airline refuses your valid refund or compensation claim, you can escalate to an approved ADR scheme — CEDR or PACT — and ultimately to the CAA itself.

Vouchers vs. cash — always ask for cash first

Airlines are incentivized to push vouchers. They retain the cash, count it as deferred revenue, and hope you'll rebook (often at a higher future price). You do not have to accept a voucher if your flight qualifies for a refund.

If you already accepted a voucher under pressure before reading your rights, you may still be able to convert it. Contact the airline in writing, cite the applicable regulation (DOT Part 260 for US, EU261, or UK retained law), and ask for the cash equivalent. This doesn't always succeed, but it's worth trying before pursuing a dispute.

Escalation path if the airline says no

| Step | US | EU | UK | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Request refund in writing, cite 14 CFR Part 260 | Request citing Regulation 261/2004 | Request citing UK retained EU261 | | 2 | File DOT complaint at airconsumer.dot.gov | File with national enforcement body in departure country | Escalate to ADR: CEDR or PACT | | 3 | Credit-card billing dispute (FCBA, 60 days from statement) | ADR or small-claims court | UK CAA, then county court |

If the airline hasn't refunded within the required window and you paid by credit card, a billing-error dispute is a powerful backstop. See how to get a refund for any online order for the full chargeback process. If your cancelled flight is connected to an accommodation you can no longer use, the Airbnb refund guide covers your options there. See all consumer and refund guides.

1
Confirm you qualify — cancellation or significant delay
US: a cancelled flight, or a domestic delay of 3+ hours, or an international delay of 6+ hours, or a significant route/connection change entitles you to a refund. EU/UK: a cancelled flight or a delay arriving 3+ hours late qualifies. Simply not wanting to fly does not qualify — that's a voluntary change governed by the fare rules you purchased.
2
Choose the refund option — do not accept a voucher automatically
When the airline rebooks you or offers alternatives, look carefully at what they're offering. Under US DOT rules, EU261, and UK CAA rules, you are entitled to a cash refund to your original payment method. Vouchers or travel credits are optional alternatives — you may prefer them, but the airline cannot make a voucher your only option for a cancelled or significantly changed flight.
3
Request the refund through the airline's official channel
Most airlines have a self-service refund request form in 'My Bookings' or 'Manage Booking.' Alternatively, call the airline's customer line and ask specifically for a 'cash refund to my original payment method' — use those exact words. Note the agent's name and a reference number for your request. Under the US DOT rule, airlines must process eligible refunds within 7 business days for credit cards and 20 calendar days for other methods.
4
Track your refund and follow up if it's late
US DOT rules require refunds within 7 business days (credit card) or 20 calendar days (other). UK airlines must refund within 7 days. Keep your booking reference, the airline's written acknowledgment of the cancellation, and any communication where they offered only a voucher. If the deadline passes without a refund, follow up in writing and keep the correspondence.
5
Claim compensation where applicable (EU261 / UK261)
A refund gets your money back. Compensation is separate and additional. Under EC 261/2004, if your EU or UK-departure flight was cancelled with less than 14 days' notice and no extraordinary circumstance applies, you are also entitled to €250–€600 (or the UK equivalent) per passenger. File the compensation claim directly with the airline first; if they don't respond in 8 weeks, escalate to the national enforcement body.
6
Escalate if the airline refuses
US: file a complaint with the DOT Air Travel Consumer Hotline (airconsumer.dot.gov). UK: escalate to an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body — CEDR or PACT — or to the UK CAA if the ADR fails. EU: contact the national enforcement body in the country of departure (e.g., Luftfahrt-Bundesamt in Germany, DGAC in France). For any jurisdiction, a credit-card chargeback is also available if the airline has not refunded within the required window.

How Summon helps with this

Summon guides you through this task and can gather your details, prepare the forms, and track progress in a live cloud browser. The final submission to get a refund for a cancelled flight stays in your hands — you review and confirm every step. Summon does not auto-submit on regulated portals.

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Frequently asked questions

Can an airline force me to accept a voucher instead of a cash refund?+

No. For a cancelled flight or a DOT-qualifying significant delay, US airlines are legally required to offer a cash refund to your original payment method under the 2024 DOT automatic-refund rule. In the EU and UK, EC Regulation 261/2004 and UK retained law likewise require airlines to offer a refund option — you may choose a voucher if you prefer, but the airline cannot present it as your only choice. Always explicitly ask for the cash refund.

What counts as a 'significant change' that triggers a US refund right?+

Under the DOT's 2024 rule, a significant change includes: a domestic departure or arrival delay of 3+ hours, an international delay of 6+ hours, a departure or arrival airport change, a connection count increase, a cabin-class downgrade, or a flight diversion to a different airport with no comparable alternative offered. The rule applies to flights to, from, or within the United States.

What is EU261 compensation and how much can I claim?+

EC Regulation 261/2004 entitles passengers on EU-operating-carrier flights departing any airport, and on any carrier departing an EU airport, to fixed compensation for cancellations notified less than 14 days before departure. Amounts: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 for flights over 3,500 km. These are per passenger, in cash, on top of your ticket refund. Extraordinary circumstances (true severe weather, ATC strikes, security incidents) exempt the airline.

Does the December 2025 DOT enforcement pause affect my rights?+

The DOT paused enforcement only for the narrow case where a flight is operated identically but renumbered — provided the passenger is rebooked on the renumbered flight with no significant change. Your right to a refund for a genuinely cancelled flight, or a delay meeting the 3-hour domestic / 6-hour international thresholds, remains fully in force. The DOT expects to issue a final 'Refund III' rule by June 30, 2026.

How do I claim if my flight was booked through a third-party OTA?+

Your contract is with the airline for the flight itself, so refund rights flow from the airline even if you bought through Expedia, Google Flights, or a travel agent. Contact the airline directly for the refund. The OTA may take a cut of the service fee and sometimes adds friction — going directly to the airline usually resolves refunds faster. OTA booking fees themselves are generally non-refundable.

What if the airline refunds me less than the full ticket price?+

The DOT rule and EU261 both require a refund of the full ticket purchase price, including taxes, fees, and surcharges, for the cancelled or unflown segment. If you received a partial refund, write to the airline citing the applicable rule and the amount outstanding. If they don't correct it within the required window, file a DOT complaint or escalate to an ADR / credit-card dispute.

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Sources

Last updated 2026-05-27.