US DOT us-dot-14cfr
US Department of Transportation aviation consumer protections (Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations)
In plain language
US law gives air passengers no fixed compensation for delays or cancellations. The money rules are narrower: you are owed compensation if you are involuntarily bumped from an oversold flight; you are owed a prompt automatic refund if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking; and on long tarmac delays the airline must let you off the plane and provide food and water. Lost or damaged checked bags on domestic flights are covered up to a fixed liability cap.
Where it applies
US
Key provisions, article by article
| Article | What it says |
|---|---|
| §250.5 | Involuntary denied boarding (oversales) If you are bumped against your will from an oversold US-departing flight, you are owed 200% of your one-way fare (up to USD 1,075) when the delay to your arrival is short, or 400% (up to USD 2,150) when it is long. Nothing is owed if you are rebooked within an hour of your original arrival. |
| 14 CFR 259.5 / Part 260 | Automatic refunds (2024 rule) When a carrier cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from, or within the US and you decline the alternative, it must promptly and automatically refund the unused portion of your ticket and any extras you paid for, to your original form of payment. |
| 14 CFR 259.4 | Tarmac-delay contingency plan On a long tarmac delay, the airline must give you an opportunity to leave the aircraft (after 3 hours domestic / 4 hours international), provide food and drinking water within 2 hours, and keep lavatories operable. These are obligations enforced by DOT fines, not passenger payouts. |
| §254.4 | Domestic baggage liability For domestic US carriage, an airline's liability for a lost, damaged, or delayed checked bag is at least USD 3,800 per passenger, paid on proof of loss. |