United Airlines: flight cancelled or significantly changed

Collect

• confirmation number
• ticket number
• original and new itinerary
• cancellation or schedule-change notice

Steps

1. Do not accept the rebooking or the travel credit if you want a refund.

2. Cancel the reservation in My trips, or submit the refund form, including any bag and seat fees.

   FormRefund form (tickets, bag fees, Wi-Fi and other purchases)

3. For hotel, meal or other expenses caused by the cancellation, submit the Customer Care form.

   FormCustomer Care form (complaints, feedback, reimbursement of disruption expenses)

4. If the form fails, call customer service.

   PhoneReservations and customer service, English (1-800-UNITED-1) +1-800-864-8331

5. If the refund is not paid, file a complaint with the U.S. DOT, then dispute the charge with the card issuer.

   RegulatorU.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Aviation Consumer Protection +1-800-778-4838

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Policy

  Contract of Carriage Rule 24 says that after a schedule change United may rebook you on its closest available flight, reroute you on another carrier if all United service between the cities is cancelled, or let you apply the ticket value to United travel within one year from the date of issue; if none is offered or accepted, you can request a refund. If United determines the alternate is a significant change and you decline it, United will provide a refund.

  Source: united.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Deadline

  The Contract of Carriage says credit card refunds are issued within seven business days after United determines a refund is due, and cash and other payments within 20 business days after a complete request is received.

  Source: united.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  Baggage service charges are non-refundable, but a passenger who does not travel because of a flight cancellation, Schedule Change or Irregular Operations is eligible for a refund of them.

  Source: united.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Deadline

  The refund page says to allow up to seven business days for a refund to post to a credit card, and up to 20 days for other forms of payment. Refunds go to the original form of payment unless you ask for an electronic travel certificate.

  Source: united.com, verified 2026-10-12

Rules in force

• DOT Delay and Cancellation Dashboard - airline commitments for controllable disruptions
  14 CFR 259.5 (Customer Service Plans); FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (Pub. L. 118-63) section 506

  The ten largest U.S. airlines commit in their customer service plans to help passengers when a cancellation or significant delay is within the airline's control. All ten guarantee a meal and free rebooking on the same airline, and nine guarantee a hotel and ground transportation for controllable overnight disruptions. DOT publishes these commitments on its Delay and Cancellation Dashboard, which still existed in August 2026. Airlines must adhere to their plans. These are voluntary commitments, not a federal compensation rule.

  Source: federalregister.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  6 citable points

  • Policy

    The 10 largest U.S. passenger carriers keep voluntary commitments in their customer service plans (required by 14 CFR 259.5) to assist passengers affected by cancellations and significant delays that are controllable by the carrier. All 10 guarantee a meal and rebooking without charge on the ticketed airline. Nine guarantee hotel accommodation and ground transportation to and from the hotel for controllable overnight delays and cancellations. Four commit to compensation in credits, travel vouchers or frequent flyer miles.

    Source: federalregister.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    Each covered carrier must adopt a Customer Service Plan for its scheduled flights and adhere to the plan's terms.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    DOT stated on December 10, 2025 that airlines are obligated to abide by their customer service commitments, and that it aligned the "controllable" standard with the "Air Carrier" cause category in its delay reporting rules (14 CFR 234.4).

    Source: federalregister.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    Since December 10, 2025, until further notice, DOT will not take action against airlines that do not provide services, amenities or compensation for delays or cancellations caused by unscheduled maintenance required by an FAA airworthiness directive that cannot be deferred (such as Emergency AD 2025-24-51).

    Source: federalregister.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    Effective October 19, 2026, ten event types move out of the "Air Carrier" (controllable) delay and cancellation cause category into a new "Section 511(b)" category. They include extreme weather or foreign-object damage to the aircraft, cybersecurity attacks, government system failures, non-deferrable unscheduled maintenance, medical emergencies, removal of an unruly passenger, and airport closures from volcanic ash, wind or wind shear. DOT expects fewer disruptions to trigger the airlines' commitments.

    Source: federalregister.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    DOT stated in August 2026 that the delay and cancellation dashboard and the family seating dashboard currently exist on its website, and that a seat size dashboard has not yet been created.

    Source: federalregister.gov, verified 2026-10-12

• DOT automatic refund rule for airline tickets and ancillary fees (2024)
  14 CFR part 260 and 14 CFR part 262 (89 FR 32760, April 26, 2024; amended 89 FR 65534, August 12, 2024)

  Airlines operating to, from or within the U.S. must give a full cash refund (to the original form of payment) when they cancel or significantly change a flight and the passenger does not accept the alternative. Refunds are due within 7 business days (credit card) or 20 calendar days (other payment). Airlines must also refund checked bag fees for significantly delayed bags and fees for paid extras that were not provided. Until July 7, 2027, DOT does not enforce the rule in one narrow case: a flight that is only renumbered, with no significant change or delay.

  Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  6 citable points

  • Policy

    A "cancelled flight" is a covered flight that was published in the carrier's Computer Reservation System at the time of the ticket sale but not operated by the carrier.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    A "significantly delayed or changed flight" is one where, because of the carrier's change, the passenger departs 3 or more hours earlier or arrives 3 or more hours later (domestic itineraries), or 6 or more hours earlier or later (international itineraries); departs from or arrives at a different airport; has more connection points; or is downgraded to a lower class of service. For a passenger with a disability, a change of connecting airport or a substitute aircraft without a needed accessibility feature also counts.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    The merchant-of-record carrier must refund the airfare, including taxes and ancillary fees, to a passenger with a nonrefundable ticket whose flight is cancelled or significantly delayed or changed, if the passenger does not fly the changed flight or accept rebooking and does not accept a voucher or other compensation. The refund is automatic when the flight is cancelled and no alternative is offered, when the passenger rejects the alternative, or when the passenger does not respond to the offer before the flight departs.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Deadline

    A "prompt refund" is made within 7 business days after the earliest date the refund was requested for credit card purchases, and within 20 calendar days for cash, check, debit card or other purchases.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    A carrier may offer a voucher or credit instead of a refund only if the offer states the passenger's right to a full refund, and the voucher stays valid for at least five years from the date it is issued.

    Source: ecfr.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    Until July 7, 2027, DOT will not enforce the cancellation refund and notice requirements when a flight is only given a different flight number, the passenger is rebooked on the renumbered flight, and that flight operates without a significant change or delay. If a renumbered flight is significantly changed or delayed, the refund requirements remain fully enforceable.

    Source: federalregister.gov, verified 2026-10-12

Rules not in force (do not cite)

• DOT proposal to require cash compensation for controllable delays and cancellations (withdrawn) Withdrawn
  89 FR 99760 (December 11, 2024), ANPRM "Airline Passenger Rights", docket DOT-OST-2024-0062, RIN 2105-AF20; withdrawn 90 FR 51230 (November 17, 2025)

  Withdrawn on November 17, 2025 (90 FR 51230, FR Doc. 2025-20042). The 2024 document was an ANPRM with comments due February 10, 2025; it never reached a proposed or final rule. What remains: airlines' voluntary customer service plan commitments (rules/dot-airline-commitments), refund rights when a flight is cancelled or significantly changed (rules/dot-refunds-rule), and the Montreal Convention delay liability for international trips (rules/montreal-convention-baggage).

  Not in force. Do not cite it as current law.

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   PhoneReservations and customer service, English (1-800-UNITED-1) +1-800-864-8331

2. Written complaint

   FormCustomer Care form (complaints, feedback, reimbursement of disruption expenses)

3. Federal regulator

   RegulatorU.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Aviation Consumer Protection +1-800-778-4838

4. Card or bank dispute

   Fair Credit Billing Act billing-error and purchase-dispute rights (Regulation Z)

   Electronic Fund Transfer Act error resolution and unauthorized-transfer liability (Regulation E)

   Card dispute for a refund United owes but has not paid.

State agencies for this sector: your state’s attorney general. Find yours in the list of state agencies, or as JSON in states/<code>.json (for example states/ny.json).

Watch out

Related

• Flight cancelled or significantly changed at other companies
• How United Airlines complaints actually go (dossier, checked 2026-10-12)
• Airlines — how complaints work
• United Airlines: long delay
• United Airlines: delayed bag
• United Airlines: lost bag
• United Airlines: damaged bag
• United Airlines: bumped or denied boarding
• United Airlines: paid extra and did not get it