Airlines — how complaints work

In short

When an airline cancels or significantly changes a flight, you can take a cash refund to the original form of payment instead of the rebooking or voucher it offers, whatever the cause. A voucher is your choice, not the airline's. Complain to the airline in writing first, then file with the U.S. DOT, which sends your complaint to the airline and requires a reply. Report bag problems at the airport before you leave: some domestic deadlines are only 4 to 6 hours. Call only the numbers on the airline's own website, app or ticket, because fake airline numbers appear in search results.

How complaints work in this industry

• DOT asks you to give the airline a chance to fix the problem first. DOT requires airlines to acknowledge a complaint within 30 days and send a written response within 60 days. DOT: File a consumer complaint
• For complaints other than disability or discrimination, DOT directs the airline or ticket agent to respond directly to you and to send DOT a copy. DOT does not investigate every complaint; it does targeted or sample reviews, and complaints can lead to enforcement action. DOT: File a consumer complaint
• For disability and discrimination complaints, DOT forwards the complaint, the airline must respond to you and to DOT, and DOT reviews the case and mails you its findings. DOT: File a consumer complaint
• Since August 1, 2025, complaints go through DOT's ACERS portal (airconsumer.dot.gov). DOT says the airline or ticket agent receives each submission in real time in its industry portal and by email; under the old system it took over a month. DOT press release on ACERS
• Airlines must follow their customer service plans, including what they promise for delays and cancellations they cause, and DOT says it will hold them accountable. DOT's dashboard shows each large airline's promises. DOT Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard
• In December 2025 and April 2026 DOT amended earlier consent orders against Southwest, American and Frontier so that the remaining Treasury payments are replaced by credits or required spending on airline investments and passenger compensation. DOT Order 2025-12-4 (Southwest), DOT Order 2025-12-5 (American), DOT Order 2026-4-11 (Frontier)
• DOT's rule requiring each covered airline to post a one-page summary of passenger rights took effect May 26, 2026, but compliance waits for a later DOT notice announcing approval of the information collection. Federal Register, April 24, 2026

Your leverage

• Refund rule (rule dot-refunds-rule): the airline must refund a nonrefundable ticket, including taxes and paid extras, when it cancels or significantly changes the flight and you do not fly it, do not accept rebooking and do not accept a voucher or other compensation. 14 CFR 260.6
• DOT says the refund is owed "regardless of the reason" for the cancellation or significant change, and that the airlines' delay commitments do not affect your right to a refund. DOT Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard
• A significant change is 3 or more hours (domestic) or 6 or more hours (international) earlier departure or later arrival, a different airport, more connections, or a downgrade; see rule dot-refunds-rule for the full definition and the refund deadlines. 14 CFR 260.2
• An airline may offer a voucher or credit instead of a refund only if it tells you about your right to a refund, and the voucher must stay valid for at least five years. 14 CFR 260.6
• Controllable versus uncontrollable: DOT calls a disruption controllable when the airline caused it, for example maintenance or crew problems, cabin cleaning, baggage loading or fueling. For these, the airline's own customer service plan decides what you get. DOT Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard
• All 10 largest U.S. airlines promise a meal and free rebooking for controllable disruptions, and nine promise a hotel and ground transportation for controllable overnight disruptions (rule dot-airline-commitments). No federal rule requires cash compensation for delays; DOT withdrew that proposal in November 2025 (rule dot-delay-compensation-proposal). Federal Register, November 17, 2025
• Checked bag fees must be refunded when a bag is lost or significantly delayed (12 hours after a domestic arrival), after you file a mishandled baggage report (rule dot-refunds-rule). 14 CFR 260.5
• On domestic flights an airline may not limit its liability for lost, damaged or delayed bags to less than $4,700 per passenger (rule dot-baggage-liability). 14 CFR part 254 International trips under the Montreal Convention have a 1,519 SDR limit (rule montreal-convention-baggage). ICAO revised limits
• Card dispute: a charge for services not delivered as agreed is a billing error under the Fair Credit Billing Act if the card issuer receives your written notice within 60 days after the first statement that shows it (rule fcba-billing-error). 12 CFR 1026.13
• DOT advised passengers of Spirit Airlines in May 2026 that, if a flight is permanently cancelled, they should ask their credit card company for a chargeback for services not rendered under the Fair Credit Billing Act. DOT Aviation Consumer Protection: What's New
• Bumped passengers on oversold flights from U.S. airports get compensation set by rule dot-denied-boarding. 14 CFR part 250

Traps

• Taking the rebooked flight, a travel credit, a voucher or miles ends the right to a refund for that flight. DOT: Refunds
• Bag reporting windows are short and differ by airline. For U.S. flights, American wants delayed bags reported within 4 hours and damage within 6 hours of receiving the bag. American: delayed or damaged bags Delta wants damage reported within 6 hours on domestic tickets issued on or after October 8, 2025. Delta: delayed, lost or damaged baggage
• JetBlue, Southwest and Frontier also use a 4-hour notice window for domestic bag problems (Southwest: loss or delay; damage must be reported in person at the airport within 24 hours). JetBlue: bag claims, Southwest Contract of Carriage, Frontier Contract of Carriage
• For international carriage under the Montreal Convention, the written complaint is due within 7 days of receiving a damaged bag and within 21 days after a delayed bag is returned (rule montreal-convention-baggage). United Contract of Carriage, Rule 28
• Credits from a ticket you cancel yourself often expire quickly: Delta's expire 1 year from purchase unless the ticket terms say otherwise, and JetBlue's are valid 12 months from the original ticketing date. Delta: cancel a flight, JetBlue: refunds
• What counts as controllable is shrinking. Since December 10, 2025 DOT does not enforce delay commitments for disruptions caused by non-deferrable maintenance required by an FAA airworthiness directive, and from October 19, 2026 ten event types, such as extreme weather damage to the aircraft and medical emergencies, move out of the airline-caused category (rule dot-airline-commitments). Federal Register, December 10, 2025, Federal Register, September 3, 2026
• Until July 7, 2027, DOT does not enforce the refund rule when a flight is only renumbered and operates without a significant change or delay (rule dot-refunds-rule). Federal Register, July 7, 2026
• Do not cite DOT's 2024 ancillary fee disclosure rule; it was vacated (rule dot-ancillary-fee-disclosure). Federal Register, July 2, 2026
• The airline 24-hour cancellation rule does not apply to tickets bought through travel agents or online travel agencies; ask the agent first. DOT: Refunds
• Some airlines answer third parties only with the passenger's signed authorization. United's Contract of Carriage requires a signed letter or power of attorney for a complaint filed for someone else. United Contract of Carriage

Scams to watch for

• The FTC warns that scammers pose as airline customer service on social media during flight disruptions. It says to contact the airline through its official app, website, chat or phone number, or in person at the airport, and to report impersonators at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. FTC consumer alert, July 25, 2024
• The BBB reports fake airline booking sites and fake customer service numbers that searchers find online. Victims are then called and told the price went up or an extra fee is due. The BBB says to get the number from the airline's real website and to check the URL before paying. BBB scam alert, June 2024
• JetBlue and Breeze warn that fraudsters post fake phone numbers online, and Alaska says scam sites pay to appear at the top of search results and pose as reservation agents. JetBlue: fraud prevention, Breeze: fraud and scam protection, Alaska Airlines newsroom
• Delta says it never asks for your password by email, phone or social media and never asks you to pay with gift cards. It also lists fake free-flight and prize offers. Delta: protect your data

By the numbers

• July 2026 on-time arrivals (marketing carrier networks): Alaska 74.8%, United 72.2%, Delta 71.7%, Allegiant 68.6%, Southwest 68.0%, American 68.0%, Frontier 62.5%, JetBlue 55.7%; all reporting carriers 69.5%. DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, September 2026 (July 2026 data)
• July 2026 cancellations: 2.8% of scheduled flights overall, from 0.5% (Allegiant) to 9.8% (JetBlue). Mishandled bags: 0.55 per 100 bags enplaned overall, from 0.12 (Allegiant) to 0.80 (United network, ranked last). DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, September 2026
• July 2026 complaint cases filed with DOT: 5,931 against U.S. airlines, 2,199 against foreign airlines and 414 against travel agents. Refunds were the largest category (2,316 of 8,544 cases). Since ACERS, the report gives case counts by airline, not rates per passenger. DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, September 2026
• ACSI 2026 airline satisfaction (0-100): industry 76; Delta 79; American and JetBlue 78; Southwest 77; Alaska and United 75; Frontier 69; Spirit 66. ACSI: Airlines