How much am I owed for a cancelled or delayed flight?
The amount you're owed depends on three things: where you were flying, why the flight was disrupted, and how long you were delayed. The two rulebooks that matter for most travelers are the US Department of Transportation refund rule and the EU's EC261 (with the near-identical UK261). They cover very different things — one is about getting your money back, the other about cash compensation on top — and it's completely normal to qualify for both at once.
Here's the short version. In the US, there's no fixed cash payout for a delay or cancellation, but the moment your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you choose not to travel, the DOT rule entitles you to a full cash refund — not a voucher — even on a non-refundable ticket, plus a rebooking or hotel and meals when the airline caused the disruption. Under EU261/UK261, if your flight departed the EU/UK (any airline) or arrived in the EU/UK on an EU/UK carrier, you can be owed €250–€600 (£220–£520) in cash on top of a refund or rebooking, whenever the cause was within the airline's control. This guide puts a real number on your situation and shows you how to collect it before the airline talks you into less.
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1. US flights: you're owed a full cash refund, not a voucher
For any flight touching the US, the DOT's automatic-refund rule is the baseline. If your flight is cancelled — or significantly changed (a departure/arrival shifted by 3+ hours domestic or 6+ hours international, a downgrade, added connections, or a different airport) — and you decide not to fly, the airline must refund the full fare and every ancillary fee (bags, seats) to your original payment method within 7 business days for a card. There is no fixed US cash 'compensation' for the delay itself, but a refund on a non-refundable ticket is often hundreds of dollars you'd otherwise lose. Don't accept a travel credit unless you actually want it.
2. EU261 / UK261: €250 to €600 cash on top, for controllable delays
If your flight departed an EU or UK airport (on any airline) or arrived in the EU/UK on an EU/UK carrier, EC261/UK261 can owe you cash compensation separate from any refund. The amount is set by distance: €250 (£220) for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 (£350) for 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 (£520) for longer flights — halved if you were rerouted and arrived only a couple of hours late. It applies to cancellations with under 14 days' notice and to arrival delays of 3+ hours, but only when the cause was within the airline's control (staffing, most mechanical faults, operational decisions) — not 'extraordinary circumstances' like severe weather, a strike by outside parties, or air-traffic control restrictions.
3. Bumped from an oversold flight? That's a separate cash payout
Denied boarding because a flight was oversold is its own category with its own money. In the US, if the airline can't get you to your destination within an hour of your original arrival, you're owed 200% of your one-way fare (up to $1,075), rising to 400% (up to $2,150) for longer delays — paid in cash or check, not a voucher, if you ask. Under EU261 the denied-boarding amounts match the €250–€600 bands above. Volunteering to give up your seat is a negotiation, not this mandatory payout — know the mandatory figure before you agree to anything.
4. Overnight or long delay? Hotels, meals, and transport come on top
When a controllable cancellation or long delay strands you, care costs are separate from any refund or compensation. Under EU261/UK261 the airline must provide meals, phone access, and — for an overnight — a hotel and transfers, regardless of the cause, for as long as you're waiting. In the US there's no federal hotel mandate, but every major airline's own customer-service commitment now promises meals and hotels for controllable disruptions; hold them to it. Keep every receipt: if the airline won't arrange care directly, you can often reclaim reasonable expenses afterward.
5. How to actually collect it — and get home in the meantime
Claim in writing, not at the gate. Ask for the specific thing by name: 'a full refund to my card under the DOT rule,' or 'EC261 compensation of €X.' Cite the flight number, date, and the delay length, and keep boarding passes and receipts. If the airline stalls or offers a voucher instead of cash, escalate — file a DOT complaint for US flights or a national-enforcement/claims complaint for EU261. Meanwhile, don't sit in the airport waiting on a refund: get a ranked backup route and rebook onto the first confirmed seat home, then pursue the money once you're safe.
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Compensation claims take weeks; getting stranded costs you tonight. Paste your itinerary and your real arrival deadline and Reroute scans every carrier and open seat for the fastest confirmed way home, then hands you a ranked backup route — the exact flights to request at the desk. The free search shows your options instantly; the $24 recovery plan gives you the full ranked itinerary. Then use the free checker to lock in the refund and compensation you're owed.
Get home for $24- Backup route in under 4 minutes
- Scans 40+ carriers
- No usable plan? Full money-back refund
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Frequently asked questions
- How much money am I owed for a cancelled flight in the US?
- There's no fixed US cash compensation for a cancellation itself. What you're owed is a full refund of your fare and fees to your original payment method — even on a non-refundable ticket — whenever you choose not to take the airline's rebooking, plus a free rebooking, and meals and a hotel if the airline caused the cancellation. On an international itinerary touching the EU or UK, you may also be owed €250–€600 (£220–£520) in cash on top. Use the free compensation checker to see your exact number.
- How much is EU261 compensation, and does it apply to US airlines?
- EU261/EC261 pays €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 for longer flights (UK261 mirrors this at £220/£350/£520), for cancellations with under 14 days' notice or arrival delays of 3+ hours caused by something within the airline's control. It applies to any airline — US carriers included — departing an EU/UK airport, and to EU/UK carriers arriving into the EU/UK. So a Delta or United flight leaving Paris or London can absolutely owe EU261 cash; the same flight leaving a US airport does not.
- Am I owed anything if the delay was caused by weather?
- Under EU261/UK261, severe weather is an 'extraordinary circumstance,' so no cash compensation is due — but the airline must still refund you if you don't travel and must still provide meals and a hotel while you wait. In the US, a weather cancellation still triggers your full cash-refund right if you choose not to fly, though hotel and meal coverage isn't guaranteed for weather. Either way, the refund is real money; check the free tool to confirm what applies to your flight.
- Can I get both a refund and compensation for the same flight?
- Yes — they're different things. A refund gives back what you paid for a flight you didn't take; EU261/UK261 compensation is a separate cash penalty for the disruption the airline caused. On a qualifying EU/UK flight you can claim the compensation and still get a refund (or a free rebooking). Denied-boarding pay and hotel/meal care are further separate entitlements. Stacking them is normal, not double-dipping.
- How does Reroute help me get home while I claim what I'm owed?
- Compensation claims take weeks — being stranded costs you tonight. Reroute scans every carrier and open seat against your itinerary and real arrival deadline and hands you a ranked backup route: the exact flights to request to get home fastest. The free search shows your options instantly; the $24 recovery plan gives you the full ranked itinerary. You get home first, then use the free compensation checker to collect the refund and cash the airline owes you.
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