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Flight Delay Compensation Calculator — What the Airline Owes You

A 5-hour domestic delay for a mechanical reason on a $320 ticket earns no mandatory US cash — but the airline owes you real care: meal vouchers of $24-$50 (two meals at 12-25 dollars each), rebooking on the next available flight and a hotel room if it turns overnight (owed here). Past 2 hours you can decline to travel and recover the full $320 to your original form of payment — a DOT-enforced right, not a voucher. Then ask above the rules: a goodwill voucher of $200-$300 or 25,000 miles (about $300 at 1.2 cents) — one or the other, not both. If the plane sat on the tarmac past 3 hours domestic, deplaning had to be offered. Weather or ATC? Voluntary care and the refund only — real cash comes from EC261 (250-600 euros) on EU departures with an airline-controlled cause.

Meal vouchers (2 meals × $12-25)$24-$50
Rebooking + hotel (4h+)owed when overnight
Full refund option (from 2h)$320
Goodwill voucher or miles$200-$300 or 25,000
Tarmac limit (domestic)3h then deplane offered

Flight Delay Compensation Calculator — What the Airline Owes You

Inputs

Delay length (hours)

The rules step up: care from 3 hours, hotel past 4, EC261 cash from a 3-hour arrival delay.

Route type

US rules only: care duties, the 2-hour refund right and the 3-hour tarmac limit. No EU cash.

Cause as the airline announced it

Fully eligible: the delay is inside the airline's control — guaranteed care, the 2-hour refund right and EC261 cash from 3 hours on EU departures.

Ticket price (what you paid)

Sets the refund option: past 2 hours you can recover the full amount to your card.

Default scenario: 5-hour delay · US domestic · mechanical · $320 ticket — edit inputs
The number you ask for by name — under the 2026 rules
$320

Full refund option if you decline to travel — a DOT-enforced right

≈ 1,200 SAR (pegged rate)
Inputs: 5h delay · US domestic · Mechanical / airline issue · $320 ticket — vouchers 2 × $12-25 · refund from 2h · no EC261 · goodwill $200-$300 · miles 25,000.
1. The care you claim first
Meal vouchers (2 meals × $12-25)$24-$50
Rebooking on the next available flightalways
Hotel room (4h+ / overnight delay)owed

Major US carriers' published commitments: $12-25 per meal from a 3-hour delay; two meals at 4-8 hours, three overnight.

2. The cash
Full refund option (from 2h, any cause)$320
EC261 cash (Long haul (3,500 km+, incl. transatlantic))—

Refund right: at a 2-hour+ significant change you may decline to travel and get the full ticket back to the original form of payment (7 business days for cards) — a DOT right, not a voucher.

3. Ask above the rules
Goodwill travel voucher$200-$300
Bonus miles (≈ $300)25,000

Goodwill is the ask beyond the rules: state it politely and specifically at the desk or in chat — carriers approve it most on airline-controlled delays.

Tarmac rule: domestic flights must offer deplaning past 3 hours (4 international) — violations can cost the airline $27,500+ per passenger.

How to claim — in order
  1. At the airport or in the app: get rebooked on the next flight and request meal/hotel vouchers first — the desk can issue them on the spot.
  2. Past 2 hours and no longer traveling? Demand a refund to your original form of payment — a DOT-enforced right, never accept a voucher instead.
  3. Afterward, file the airline's delay-compensation form: quote the DOT rules (or EC261 Art. 7 for EU departures) and attach your receipts.
  4. Ask for goodwill explicitly: the normal ask for a 5-hour controllable delay is a $200-300 voucher or 25,000 miles — pick one, not both.
  5. Refused? File with the DOT (US flights) or the national enforcement body (EU departures) — free, and carriers respond to regulators.
The documentation checklist that wins disputes
  • Boarding pass and original booking confirmation
  • The delay reason as the airline stated it (agent note, app or email)
  • Receipts for meals, hotel and ground transport during the delay
  • Photos of departure boards and delay announcements
  • The rebooking confirmation with the new flight number
  • Copies of every claim message and the airline's replies

US law owes care, not cash: vouchers, rebooking and hotel — the only guaranteed cash is the refund right when you decline to travel. · Fixed planning rates: €1 = $1.09, 1 mile = 1.2 cents.

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How the flight delay compensation calculator works

Enter your trip details to get travel figures based on current, -specific numbers.

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Pick your delay length, route type (US domestic / US international / EU departure), the cause the airline announced — weather, mechanical or ATC — and your ticket price.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    The calculator applies the 2026 rules: US care duties ($12-25 vouchers, rebooking, hotel past 4 hours), the 2-hour refund right, the 3-hour tarmac rule and EC261 cash (250/400/600 euros) where it applies.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Get your verdict: what to ask for first and in what order, the step-by-step claim playbook, and the documentation checklist that wins disputes with the carrier or the regulator.

Use Cases

Plan travel for

Get exact, current figures for travel in instead of vague averages.

Compare destinations

Weigh against other cities before booking flights or hotels.

Budget before you book

Know the expected spend in so surprises don't derail the trip.

Tips

  • 1

    Prices for move with season — re-check near your travel dates.

  • 2

    Use local currency figures for ; card rates add conversion fees.

  • 3

    Book ahead when visiting in peak season.

Common Mistakes

  • Budgeting with peak-season averages.

  • Ignoring visa lead times before booking.

FAQs

Does the US force airlines to pay cash compensation for delays?

No. US rules mandate care, not cash: meal vouchers worth $12-25 a meal from a 3-hour delay, rebooking on the next available flight, and a hotel room past 4 hours or overnight. The only guaranteed cash is the refund right: at a 2-hour+ delay you can decline to travel and get the full ticket back to your original form of payment — not a voucher. Real extra cash comes only from Europe's EC261 (250-600 euros) if you departed from an EU airport.

What am I owed for a 5-hour domestic delay?

Worked example on a $320 ticket with a mechanical cause: meal vouchers of $24-50 (two meals at $12-25), rebooking on the next flight plus a hotel if it turns overnight, a full $320 refund option if you decline to travel, and then the goodwill ask — a $200-300 voucher or 25,000 miles (about $300 at 1.2 cents a mile). There is no US mandatory cash payout beyond that — and weather erases everything but voluntary care.

When does EU regulation EC261 apply to my flight?

It applies to any flight departing an EU airport (on any carrier, including US ones) and to EU arrivals flown by EU carriers. The trigger: arriving 3+ hours late with the cause inside the airline's control (mechanical, knock-on crew/aircraft issues) — not weather or ATC strikes. Amounts by distance: 250 euros up to 1,500 km, 400 up to 3,500 km, 600 beyond (transatlantic). Care kicks in from hour two: meals and a hotel if needed.

Is there compensation for a weather delay?

No — weather is an extraordinary circumstance that kills cash compensation under both US and EU rules. But the care duties do not vanish: request meal vouchers and a hotel if it becomes overnight, even though many carriers volunteer rather than owe them in weather cases. Mechanical problems and the airline's own knock-on delays are the fully eligible case: guaranteed care, the 2-hour refund right and EC261 cash from 3 hours on EU departures.

How do I take a refund instead of rebooking?

If the delay passes 2 hours (a significant change) and you no longer want to travel, ask for a "refund to original form of payment" — the full ticket value back within 7 business days for credit cards and 20 days otherwise. It is a DOT-enforced right: the airline cannot swap it for a travel voucher even if the agent offers. Never accept "credit" or a voucher — type the phrase literally in the chat or at the desk and keep a screenshot.

How much are airline meal vouchers worth?

Major US carriers' published commitments: $12-25 per meal starting at a 3-hour delay, typically two meals for a 4-8 hour delay ($24-50) and three for a full overnight. They are issued in the airline's app or by the gate agent as a digital or paper code — request them the moment the delay is announced rather than when you get hungry, and keep receipts: if the airline refused to issue, you can claim the cost back in your compensation file.

What is the 3-hour tarmac rule?

The DOT bars domestic flights from sitting on the tarmac past 3 hours (4 for international) without giving you the chance to deplane — with food and water within the first two hours and working lavatories. Violations carry fines that can exceed $27,500 per passenger, which is why airlines "reset the clock" by returning to the gate. If you exceed the limit, photograph the return-to-gate time or the deplaning from your seat window.

Travel voucher or miles — which should I accept?

Cash refund first, always — it is a right, not a gift. After that, miles beat vouchers: typical 2026 bands are 5,000 miles for a 2-3 hour delay, 10,000 for 3-5 and 25,000 beyond 5 hours (roughly $60-300 at a 1.2-cent planning value), with no expiration or booking restrictions in most programs. Travel vouchers are the last resort: expiration dates, excluded fares and discount caps. The worked 5-hour example supports asking for a $200-300 voucher or 25,000 miles — not both.

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