Flight delay compensation

No US law pays cash for a delay.

That is the honest answer for flights to and from the United States. There is something else instead: a refund if you decide not to fly, and whatever the airline has promised in its own customer service commitments. Here is what the rules say and a letter that asks for it.

Download on the App Store What the rules say

General information, not legal advice. Not a promise of payment.

What US rules say

Compensation: No US law pays cash for a delay.
While you wait: No legal meals or hotel — but food and water after 2 h stuck on the aircraft.
Refund or rebooking: A refund if you don't fly: 3 h late domestic, 6 h international.

These are the lines AirwayControl shows for a route under these rules, word for word.

Which flights are covered

Flights to or from the United States.

Where the airlines take a complaint

No law here sets a sum, so these are the airlines' own customer relations and contact pages, not compensation forms.

Alaska Airlines: alaskaair.com
American Airlines: aa.com
Delta Air Lines: delta.com
JetBlue: jetblue.com
Southwest Airlines: support.southwest.com

Links read on each airline's own site and last checked 13 August 2026.

The official page

For what the rules are and where a complaint goes when the airline says no or does not answer: transportation.gov.

A letter you can send today

This is the letter AirwayControl writes for a flight under US rules. It asks for the refund and for whatever the airline's own customer service commitments provide. It names no sum. Fill in the brackets and send it from your own email.

Dear [airline],

I am writing about flight [flight number] on [date]. I am claiming the compensation and assistance I am entitled to as a passenger on that flight.

Flight details
Flight number: [flight number]
Date: [date]
Route: [from] to [to]
Scheduled arrival: [time]
Booking reference: [reference]

[What happened: for example, "The flight arrived 3 hours 20 minutes late" or "The flight was cancelled on the day".]

I am asking for a refund of the affected portion of my fare and of any fees for services I paid for but did not receive, and for any compensation your customer service commitments provide for a disruption of this kind.

Please confirm receipt and let me know the outcome in writing. If you consider that compensation is not due, please tell me the specific reason and the evidence you rely on.

Kind regards,
[your name]

AirwayControl

Or let the app fill it in.

AirwayControl is a flight tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch. Set your flight before you leave, and it follows the day for you. If the day goes wrong, it already knows the details the letter needs.

It tells you when it matters. A notification when your flight lands three hours late or more.
It knows which rules cover your route. EU 261, UK 261 and the rules of twenty countries and regions, in plain words.
It fills in the letter. Airline, flight number, date and route come from My Flight.
You send it. From your own email, or through the airline's own claim form with every answer ready to copy.
No fee and no share. AirwayControl never takes a part of what you receive.

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Questions people ask

Do US airlines have to pay compensation for a delayed flight?

No US law pays cash for a delay. A refund if you don't fly: 3 h late domestic, 6 h international.

What am I owed while I wait?

No legal meals or hotel — but food and water after 2 h stuck on the aircraft.

Which flights do US rules cover?

Flights to or from the United States.

Is AirwayControl a claims company?

No. AirwayControl never submits or handles claims and takes no share. It tells you which rules cover your route and writes a letter that you send from your own email.

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By airline

Where each airline takes a claim, and which rules cover its flights.

By country

What the rules of each country say. The main guide covers EU 261.

General information about air passenger rules, not legal advice and not a promise of payment. Your airline decides; a complaints body decides on appeal. AirwayControl never submits or handles claims: the mail is yours, from your own account. Rules last checked 9 August 2026. Airline links last checked 13 August 2026. AirwayControl is not affiliated with any airline.

US rules, official page: transportation.gov.