Know Your Rights: Free 24 Hour Flight Cancellation for Flights Departing from the USA

Since January 2012, travelers may cancel flight tickets reserved on a US carrier and obtain a full refund within 24 hours of the initial booking, including any fees paid.  Since many of these airlines now permit cancellation up to midnight on the day following the flight reservation, this in effect means that you often will have longer than 24 hours to cancel, depending on the time of day you booked your flights.

Note that this rule applies to tickets purchased directly from the airline online, by phone, or at a ticket counter, but does not apply to tickets purchased from online travel agencies likes Orbitz, nor from brick-and-mortar travel agencies.

This consumer rule (or regulation, but it is NOT a law) is issued by the United States Department of Transportation and applies to US airlines only.  Airlines must allow customers to:

• cancel a booking without penalty within 24 hours of purchase, provided the booking is made at least one week in advance of flight
• hold a reservation without payment for 24 hours, provided the booking is made at least one week in advance of flight

Note that the rule does not apply to change fees. For example, say you don’t need to cancel your flight, but merely to change the date.   In most cases, you are going to be charged at least $200 to do this. However, with the new rule in place you can simply cancel your flight, get a refund, and rebook for the correct dates.  Also, the rule applies only to tickets purchased directly from airlines, not from brick-and-mortar or online travel agencies, who will still charge you a hefty fee to cancel.

To change a flight reservation within 24 hours of booking, simply follow the instructions above to cancel the original flight tickets and then book the new flights once you’ve received confirmation of the cancellation.

24 Hour Cancellation / Reservation Policies and Refund Instructions for Major US Airlines:

• AirTran Airways 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: apply for a refund through any AirTran Airways representative at any AirTran Airways gate, ticket counter, Reservations or Customer Relations office. Refund requests may be accepted in person (at any gate or ticket counter), by phone (1-800-AIR-TRAN), or online.
• Alaska Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy  – How to cancel / get a refund: If you booked on alaskaair.com, log in to request your refund online. For refunds on all other refundable electronic tickets, contact Reservations for assistance, 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522).
• Allegiant Air 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – cancel online through your “My Allegiant” account or by contacting Allegiant’s Reservation Center
• American Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Log in, then go to “Travel Information” and “My Trips” on the top navigation bar. To cancel the reservation, select “View” located to the left of the itinerary you want to cancel. Next select “CANCEL” to cancel that specific reservation.
• Delta Air Lines
• Frontier Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Request a refund at the “My Flights” section on FlyFrontier.com or through Frontier Reservations at 800-432-1FLY (1359).
• Hawaiian Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Contact Reservations to request a refund.
• JetBlue 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Log in and cancel online or call the Reservations Team at 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583)
• Southwest Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Log in and cancel online or call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA
• Spirit Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Visit the “Manage Travel” section of the website or contact the Reservations Center (there is a fee for the phone option)
• United Airlines 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Log in, then locate your flight and click the “cancel” link.
• US Airways 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: You must call 800-428-4322 within 24 hours of purchase
• Virgin America 24 Hour Cancellation Policy – How to cancel / get a refund: Log in online and go to “Manage Travel” tab, then “Cancel”.