Free traveler rights cheat sheet · rules checked on Oct 8, 2026 · Jan 1, 2027 date re-checked Oct 15 # What US airlines owe you when a flight goes wrong. Refunds for cancelled or changed flights. Money when you're bumped. What the crew owes you on a long tarmac delay. What each airline promised the U.S. DOT. Three pages, every rule from federal law or the DOT, each one numbered to its source. Free. No signup, no email. Tap the button and the PDF downloads. [DOWNLOAD THE PDF 3 pages · free · no signup](https://flightplanb.com/media/flight-plan-b-what-airlines-owe-you.pdf) The one rule to know first ## Cancelled, or changed a lot? Don't take the change, get your money back. If your flight is cancelled or changed a lot and you don't accept the new flight or a voucher, the airline owes you a **full refund**: the fare plus taxes and fees, back the way you paid, with no processing fee. ([14 CFR 260.6](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-260.6), [260.10](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-260.10)) "A lot" means it leaves 3+ hours earlier or lands 3+ hours later (6+ on international trips), uses a different airport, adds a connection, or puts you in a lower cabin. ([14 CFR 260.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-260.2)) A few from inside the PDF ## The numbers people get wrong. | Situation | What the rule says | | --- | --- | | [Refund timing](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-260.2) | 7 business days to a credit card, 20 calendar days for other payments | | [Bumped, 1 to 2 hours late (US flight)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-250.5) | 200% of your one-way fare, up to $1,075 | | [Bumped, more than 2 hours late (US flight)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-250.5) | 400% of your one-way fare, up to $2,150 | | [Stuck on the plane, 2 hours](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-259.4) | Food and water, unless the pilot says it isn't safe | | [Stuck on the plane, 3 hours](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-259.4) | A chance to get off (4 hours on international flights), with a few exceptions | | [Cash for a delay](https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-20042) | No federal rule requires it. What you get depends on what your airline promised DOT | | [Lost or damaged bag (domestic)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-254.4) | The airline can't cap what it owes for proven losses below $4,700 per passenger | The PDF also has the table of what each airline promised DOT (meals, hotels, rides), the change to what counts as the airline's fault (for flights from Jan 1, 2027), the 24-hour rule, and how to file a complaint. How it was made ## Only what the rules say. - **Every rule is from federal law or the U.S. DOT.** Each one carries a number that points to the eCFR section, Federal Register notice or DOT page it came from, listed on the last page. - **Airline promises are DOT's own table.** They apply when the airline caused the problem, and the agent decides. - **General information, not legal advice.** Rules change, and your airline's contract of carriage has the details. When you're not sure, DOT's [complaint page](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint) is the place to go. [DOWNLOAD THE PDF 3 pages · free · no signup](https://flightplanb.com/media/flight-plan-b-what-airlines-owe-you.pdf) When a flight breaks ## Flight Plan B puts your next moves on one screen. Your time left, what the FAA says about your airport, your checked-bag script and the order to try things in. It opens in your phone's browser. **$15 a trip, no subscription.** [SEE HOW IT WORKS free tools on the front page](https://flightplanb.com/?src=rights-cheat-sheet) Flying out of Las Vegas? [The free LAS Insider guide](https://flightplanb.com/las?src=rights-cheat-sheet) · [Free TSA cheat sheet](https://flightplanb.com/tsa-cheat-sheet) · [Privacy](https://flightplanb.com/privacy) © 2026 Smooth Rock Media LLC · Flight Plan B · [Terms](https://flightplanb.com/terms) · [Privacy](https://flightplanb.com/privacy) · [Live FAA airport delays](https://flightplanb.com/delays) Rules checked on October 8, 2026 against the eCFR, the Federal Register and the U.S. DOT. The Jan 1, 2027 date re-checked October 15, 2026 (Federal Register doc. 2026-21058). General information, not legal advice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. DOT, any airline or any airport.