What should I check before cancelling my flight?

Check whether you are voluntarily cancelling an unchanged flight or responding to an airline cancellation or significant schedule change. A qualifying direct-airline booking may have a twenty-four-hour cancellation option, while an airline-caused disruption follows a different refund path; neither rule makes every voluntary cancellation refundable.

Independent booking assistance

Need help with cancelling a flight?

Select your airline first. The phone option appears only when this offer covers the airline and request.

Phone assistance is unavailable right now. The guidance on this page remains available.

What this answer depends on

  • The airline chooses which of the two models it offers.
  • A third party may voluntarily provide its own cancellation terms.
  • The flight is scheduled to, from or within the United States.
  • The airline charged you directly for the relevant ticket or fee.
  • The trip otherwise meets the current U.S. refund requirements.
  • The entity named on your payment statement usually identifies who charged you.

Important exceptions

  • The airline is not required to offer both options.
  • Do not promise a third-party cancellation right without that seller's separately verified terms.
  • Do not apply this rule to a voluntary cancellation of an operating, unchanged flight.
  • Responsibility for ancillary fees may differ from responsibility for airfare.

Important unknowns

  • Refundability, credit value, no-show treatment and voluntary cancellation deadlines depend on separately verified fare and seller conditions.
  • No airline-specific refund or travel-credit promise is established by this unit.

What to do next

  1. Classify the cancellation

    Confirm whether you chose to cancel or the airline changed or cancelled the trip.

  2. Identify the seller

    Check the booking record and payment statement before choosing whom to contact.

  3. Preserve the record

    Keep the original itinerary, notices, receipt and any cancellation confirmation.

Sources and last checked