← All guidesClaiming for time lost to a delayed flight or missing bag
Rebooking calls, airport hours, a bag that took days to arrive — what airlines owe by rule, and what you can request beyond it.
Start with what you are actually owed
Airline claims split in two. Some amounts are governed by rule — refunds for cancelled flights, and reimbursement for reasonable expenses while a checked bag is delayed. Ask for those directly from the airline first; they are obligations, not favors.
Everything else — the hours on hold, the night you lost, the rebooking you handled yourself — is not covered by any rule. That is the part an Accountability Notice addresses as a request for voluntary goodwill compensation.
What time counts
Log it while it is happening; airport time blurs fast.
- Hold time and rebooking calls or chat sessions
- Extra hours spent in the terminal beyond the scheduled departure
- Time filing a baggage report and following up on it
- Time reconstructing receipts for a reimbursement claim
- Travel time to and from an unplanned overnight stay
What costs count
Claim documented reimbursables through the airline's own process, and itemize anything it declines.
- Hotel, meals and ground transport caused by the disruption
- Essentials bought while a bag was delayed
- A non-refundable booking at the destination that you lost
How to document it
Save boarding passes, the delay or cancellation notice, your baggage file reference, and every receipt. Screenshot the flight status at the time it changed. Note the exact times you called and how long each call lasted.
Where to escalate if they ignore you
- The airline's customer relations department, in writing, with your file reference
- The US Department of Transportation air travel consumer complaint process
- Your credit card's travel protection benefits, if the booking had any
- Small claims court, for documented losses the airline refuses to cover
None of these guarantee payment. What they do is put a specific, dated, itemized record in front of someone whose job is to make it go away.
Put a number on it
People in this situation typically log around 8 hours. At $30/hour, plus costs like hotel night after a cancellation or replacement clothing and toiletries, that adds up fast.
Calculate what you're owedOr start your statement now