US flight delay compensation: what you're actually owed
There is no American EU261. The United States has no fixed cash compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight. What you are owed is a prompt automatic refund when a flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you choose not to travel — and cash compensation of up to $1,550 if you were bumped from an oversold flight.
| Delay, any length | No fixed compensation |
| Cancellation, you don't travel | Full automatic refund |
| Denied boarding, 1–2h late | 200% of fare, max $775 |
| Denied boarding, over 2h late | 400% of fare, max $1,550 |
Who it covers
- —Refunds must be automatic, prompt, and in your original form of payment — not a voucher, unless you accept one.
- —Many airlines separately owe meals and hotels under their own published commitments, which the DOT enforces.
- —If your flight touched the EU or UK, check there instead — those rules are far stronger and may still cover you.
14 CFR 250 · 14 CFR 259 · 89 FR 32760
Common questions
How much is US DOT compensation?+
There is no American EU261. The United States has no fixed cash compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight. What you are owed is a prompt automatic refund when a flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you choose not to travel — and cash compensation of up to $1,550 if you were bumped from an oversold flight.
How long do I have to claim?+
It depends on the country whose courts would hear it: six years in the UK and Ireland, five in France and Spain, three in Germany, two in the Netherlands and Italy, and only one year in Canada. Our checker tells you your exact deadline.
What counts as an extraordinary circumstance?+
Weather, air traffic control strikes, security incidents and medical emergencies usually do. Technical faults do not — the Court of Justice held so in Wallentin-Hermann (C-549/07) — and neither does a strike by the airline's own staff (Krüsemann, C-195/17).
Sixty seconds, free, no account.