Flight canceled? Here’s what to know about your rights as a passenger

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Published  December 19, 2024 9:56am EST
FOX 13 News
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Holiday travel rush and passenger rights

As the holiday travel rush begins, and flights get cancelled or postponed, it’s important for passengers to know their rights. Kellie Cowan reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - With packed flights, there’s not a lot of room for error during the busy winter holiday travel season and when cancelations and delays pop up, the problems for passengers can snowball quickly. That’s why it’s important to know your rights when it comes to airline travel.

A new federal rule covers passengers experiencing significant delays and cancelations when flying state-side. 

If your flight is canceled, and you don’t want to rebook the flight your airline offers, you are entitled to an automatic refund. The same applies if you’re facing a delay of more than three hours for a domestic flight and six hours on international flights.

This can be a big help if your airline doesn’t have the rebooking options that work for you, and you won’t need to do anything beyond declining their rebook option.  

READ: What to know about traveling to Europe in 2025

Another way to get where you want to go is to ask your airline to be rebooked on a partner airline. Not every airline offers this, but those that do may be able to get you on your way sooner without the extra cost of trying to buy the ticket at the last minute on your own.  

In dire circumstances, your airline may even be willing to fly you with a competitor. Southwest ended up offering to cover flights on other airlines for the millions of passengers affected by their meltdown during the 2022 holiday season.

File: Travelers at Tampa International Airport

If you are significantly delayed, you may also be eligible to have expenses like meals, hotels, and transportation to and from the airport covered as well. Before you book though, make sure to speak with a representative from the airline to understand the terms of what will and what won’t be covered. 

"Asking the airline, trying to get in touch with someone either at the airport, or self-service through the app, dialing one of the domestic customer service lines, or even giving the international customer service line to call, which oftentimes you can get through a little bit faster, is crucial," said Going Travel expert and spokesperson Katy Nastro. 

READ: Frontier Airlines brings back annual flight pass: What to know

Airlines have their own rules and terms when it comes to vouchers and covered expenses, so it can be tough to understand when and if you’re eligible for reimbursement. The Department of Transportation created a new website this year to try to help consumers quickly understand what they can expect from their airlines. 

FlightRights.gov shows what specific airlines will and won’t cover when there’s a controllable cancelation, like mechanical or staffing issues. Just note these are issues that the airline is responsible for causing, so weather doesn’t generally fall under that category, but it doesn’t hurt to ask nicely if your airline can do anything for you when the weather does cause big disruptions. 

Also, it's important to check the terms on your credit card benefits. Many credit cards have travel protections and will reimburse you, sometimes quite generously, for interruption-related expenses. One caveat: this usually only applies if you used that card to book the affected trip. 

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