United Airlines Flight Delay Compensation

Flight delays and cancellations occur regularly in air travel. Regardless of whether one happens or the other, you must know your rights and what compensation you’re entitled to as a result of the flight delay or cancellation. The U.S. and the European Union (E.U.) have different regulations for delays and cancellations, so the United Airlines flight delay compensation will depend on where you’re travelling to or from. 

After going through the U.S. and E.U. regulations, you’ll notice that the E.U. regulations offer a lot more passenger protection than the U.S. regulations. 

Below are the key points relating to United Airlines flight delay compensation.

• The U.S. laws do not provide financial compensation for delayed domestic flights, unless the flight falls within the recently expanded E.U. Rule 261, under which a single-ticket flight from the E.U. to the United States with a connecting U.S. flight delayed by 3 hours or more is eligible for compensation, even when flying in the U.S.
• Flights from, to, or through the European Union are protected by E.U. 261 Rules and guarantee compensation if your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more due to reasons within the airline’s control, regardless of whether you’re travelling on a U.S. or a European carrier. Depending on the flight distance, the United Airlines flight delay compensation for such flights will range from EUR 250 to 600.
• Domestic flights within the U.S. that are not covered under the expanded E.U. 261 Rules are not required by U.S. laws to provide financial compensation for delayed flights. For such flights, United Airlines flight delay compensation is USD 0.
  • If your flight is delayed by 2 hours or more, you’re entitled to water, snacks/meals, access to bathrooms, and medical attention. 
  • If your United Airlines flight is expected to be delayed by 4 hours or more between 10 pm to 6 am (local time), you will either be provided free lodging for one night plus ground transportation from the airport to the hotel and back. If no ground transportation is provided by the hotel/place of lodging, the same will be provided by public transportation. If no lodging can be provided, you will be provided—only upon request—reimbursement for the lodging in the form of an electronic travel certificate for future travel. However, no lodging will be provided:
    • If your flight is disrupted in the city where you live, or at your origin/stopover point.
    • If the flight delay or disruption is due to reasons beyond the airline’s control, such as weather, airport strike, etc.
• United Airlines flight delay compensation applies to all denied boarding compensation cases. This means if you were denied boarding due to overbooking, you will be entitled to receive denied boarding compensation, unless:
  • Their flight is cancelled
  • They fail to comply with United Airlines regarding check-in, ticketing, reconfirmation, etc.
  • They cannot be accommodated because of weight/size restrictions on a flight that is substituted to a smaller capacity (60 or fewer seats) due to safety or operational reasons
  • They’re provided alternate accommodation on the same aircraft at no additional charge (if provided a cheaper seat, the balance will be refunded)
  • They’re provided alternate transportation at no additional charge, provided it is planned to land at the next stopover/destination no later than 1 hour after the original flight

United Delayed Flight Compensation

United compensation for delayed flights will depend on whether your flight is covered by the E.U. 261 Rules or domestic U.S. laws.

1. If your flight is covered by E.U. 261 Rules, the United delayed flight compensation will depend on the distance of the flight and the delay at arrival. 
2. If your flight is covered by domestic U.S. laws, you will not be entitled to any delayed flight compensation financially but you’ll be provided snacks/meals and overnight accommodation under certain conditions.
3. If you were denied boarding involuntarily, the delayed flight compensation will only be due if the alternate flight offered by United Airlines is delayed by at least 1 hour compared to the original flight you were booked on.

The United delayed flight compensation for each of the above scenarios is explained below.

United Delayed Flight Compensation for Flights Covered by E.U. 261 Rules

The United compensation for delayed flights entitles you to financial compensation, the right to reimbursement/re-routing, and the right to care, as explained below.

1. Right to compensation
   1. If your flight is within the E.U. or departs from the E.U. to an E.U. or a non-E.U. country and gets cancelled or is delayed by at least 3 hours, you are entitled to receive compensation of up to €600 from United Airlines, as long as the reason for the delay is within the airline’s control. However, if you’re rerouted on an alternate flight that arrives within 4 hours of the flight on which you were booked initially, the United compensation for delayed flights will be reduced by 50% to €300.
   2. You will receive your United flight delay compensation by bank check, EFT, or (if you agree) a travel voucher. 
   3. The United flight delay compensation amount will be as follows:
      

2. Right to reimbursement or re-routing
   1. If your United Airlines flight is cancelled or delayed by 5 hours or more, you are entitled to:
      1. Obtain a refund of the full cost of your ticket within 7 days for the part/parts of the journey you did not make, and for the part/parts you’ve already made if the flight does not serve the purpose any more, and, under certain situations, a return flight ticket to your first point of departure as soon as possible, or 
      2. Take a re-routed flight (at no extra cost) to your destination under comparable conditions, or later when convenient, subject to seat availability. If you’re offered a flight to another airport, United will pay the cost of transferring you from the other airport to the airport for which your booking was made (or a close destination), if agreeable to you. 
   2. You can choose to be reimbursed by cash, EFT, prepaid card, bank check, or travel voucher (if you agree). 
3. Right to Care
   1. If your flight is delayed beyond its scheduled departure time by 3 hours or more:
      1. If the scheduled departure time of the new flight (if any) is on the same day as your original flight, you will be offered the following for free:
         1. Meals and refreshments in relation to your waiting time, and 
         2. 2 phone calls, fax/telex/email messages
      2. You will also be offered the following free of charge:
         1. Hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is necessary, and 
         2. Ground transportation from the airport to the hotel and back 

United Delayed Flight Compensation for Flights Covered by Domestic U.S. Laws

If your United flight is covered solely by domestic U.S. laws, you will not be entitled to any financial compensation for flight delays. However, you can expect the following: 

• Snacks/meals, water, plus access to medical attention and washrooms for flight delays of 2 hours or more. 
• Free overnight lodging and ground transportation (airport-hotel-airport) for flight delays of 4 hours or more between 10 pm to 6 am (local time). If the hotel does not provide ground transportation, you will be provided with public transportation. If United is unable to provide lodging facilities, you will receive lodging reimbursement through an electronic travel certificate that you can use to travel later. However, you will not be entitled to free lodging facilities if the flight delay takes place:
  • In your city of residence, stopover point/city of origin.
  • Because of reasons outside the control of United Airlines, such as airport strikes, weather, etc.

United Delayed Flight Compensation for Involuntary Boarding Denials

If you were involuntarily denied boarding by United Airlines for an oversold flight within the United States, you will be entitled to compensation at the rate of: 

• Twice the fare to your first stopover or destination, subject to a limit of USD 775 if you are offered alternate transportation arriving at your destination 61 – 119 minutes after the flight initially booked by you. 
• Four times the fare to your first stopover or destination, subject to a limit of USD 1,550 if you are offered alternate transportation arriving at your destination more than 120 minutes after the flight initially booked by you. 

If you’re travelling on an international flight from the United States, you are entitled to a boarding denial compensation (subject to the exceptions below) at the rate of: 

• Twice the fare to your first stopover or destination, subject to a limit of USD 775 if you are offered alternate transportation arriving at your destination 61 – 239 minutes after the flight initially booked by you. 
• Four times the fare to your first stopover or destination, subject to a limit of USD 1,550 if you are offered alternate transportation arriving at your destination more than 240 minutes after the flight initially booked by you. 
• CAD 900 if you’re travelling from Canada to another country and you reach your destination within 6 hours of the flight initially booked by you.
• CAD 1,800 if you’re travelling from Canada to another country and you reach your final destination between 6 – 9 hours of the flight initially booked by you.
• CAD 2400 if you’re travelling from Canada to another country and you reach your destination more than 9 hours after the flight initially booked by you.

Exceptions to Boarding Denial Compensation

You will not be eligible for any boarding denial compensation if:

1. Your flight is cancelled. 
2. You do not fully comply with United Airlines’ requirements regarding ticketing, check-in, reconfirmation, etc.
3. Your flight is substituted to that of 60 or fewer seats and as a result, you cannot be accommodated due to weight/balance restrictions on account of safety or operational reasons. 
4. You’re offered an alternative (cheaper) seat other than the one allotted to you at no extra charge, as long the balance is refunded to you.
5. You’re offered an alternate flight at no extra cost which at the time of booking arrives at your first stopover or destination within 60 minutes of the flight initially booked by you. 
6. You’re an employee of United Airlines or another airline, or a non-employee travelling on an unconfirmed booking.
7. You do not present yourself for boarding before the cut-off time of at least 15 minutes before departure for a domestic flight and at least 30 minutes before departure for an international flight. 
8. Compensation Payment Period
   1. Whether you’re travelling within the U.S. or from the U.S. to another country, the compensation for involuntary boarding denial:
      1. Will be made by check at the place and on the day where the boarding denial occurs, and if you accept the compensation, you will be required to present a signed receipt to United Airlines. However, if United Airlines arranges alternate transportation for you, the compensation will be sent to you by mail or other means within 24 hours. 
      2. May be offered to you in the form of a free or discounted air ticket in place of the check, but only if this is acceptable to you.
   2. If you’re departing from Canada, your compensation will be:
      1. Issued either before the scheduled departure time of the next flight or within 48 hours of your boarding denial. 
      2. Paid (depending on how wish to receive it) by cash, bank check, EFT, prepaid card, or travel voucher.

Note: No compensation for boarding denial will be paid for flights not originating from U.S.A. or Canada, except as required by the international or local laws governing oversold flights. 

United Airlines Refund Policy

The United Airlines refund policy for involuntary and voluntary refunds is provided below.

1. Refund Policy for Involuntary Ticket Refunds
   1. If United Airlines cancels your flight, the amount of refund will be as follows:
      1. If the confirmed ticket is fully unused, the amount of refund will be the full fare and charges paid by you.
      2. If your ticket has been partly used:
         1. The refund for one-way fares will be equal to the unused segment’s prorated value. No refund will be made for alternate transportation accepted by you. 
         2. The refund for round-trip, open-jaw, or circle-trip fares will be equal to the fare you’ve paid for the unused portion of the trip from the termination point to the first stopover or destination mentioned on the ticket, or the point from where the transportation will be resumed.  If the inbound and outbound fares are the same for a domestic trip, then the refund will be equal to 50% of the round-trip fare for the un-flown segment.
         3. The refund for flat rate/area fares will be calculated by using the same discount rate (if any) which was used for calculating the original fare from the termination point to the destination mentioned on the ticket, stopover, or from where the transportation will resume via:
            1. The route mentioned on the ticket if the termination point was mentioned on the ticket’s routing, or
            2. The direct routing of the carrier service between the points if the termination point was not mentioned on the ticket’s routing 
         4. The refund amount cannot be more than the fare component for the ticket portion from the last to the next point of the stopover or final destination. 
      3. Refunds will only be made before the expiration of a ticket, and not after. 
   2. At its sole discretion, United Airlines may provide free ground transportation to the airport of destination if the destination city airport named on the ticket and the city airport in which the flight terminates are within the following groups of cities:
      1. Oakland, CA (OAK)/San Francisco, CA (SFO)/San Jose, CA (SJC)
      2. Newark, NJ Newark International (EWR)/New York, NY La Guardia (LGA)/New York, NY/Kennedy (JFK)/White Plains, NY (HPN)
      3. London, UK Gatwick (LGW)/London, UK Heathrow (LHR)
      4. Lauderdale, FL (FLL)/Miami, FL (MIA)/West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)
      5. Houston, TX Bush Intercontinental (IAH)/Houston, TX Ellington AFB (EFD)/Houston, TX Hobby (HOU)
      6. Dallas, TX Dallas-Ft. Worth International (DFW)/Dallas, TX Love Field (DAL)
      7. Colorado Springs, CO (COS)/Denver, CO (DEN)
      8. Chicago, IL O’Hare (ORD)/Chicago, IL Midway (MDW)/Milwaukee, WI (MKE)
      9. Burbank, CA (BUR)/Los Angeles, CA (LAX)/Ontario, CA (ONT)/Orange County, CA (SNA)/Long Beach, CA (LGB)
      10. Brownsville, TX (BRO/Harlingen, TX (HRL)/McAllen, TX (MFE)
      11. Baltimore, MD (BWI)/Washington D.C. Dulles (IAD)/Washington D.C. National (DCA)
   3. If you’re holding a higher fare class ticket between the cities of origin and destination and are required by United Airlines to use a lower service class for any part of the trip, the refund amount will be:
      1. 50% of the prorated fare (plus taxes and fees) for the segment in case of unrestricted premium fares.
      2. The lowest applicable fare at the time of purchase or the difference between upgradable and non-upgradable fares in case of special and restricted fares. 

Note: The section above does not apply if you’ve purchased an upgrade with Miles and/or cash. 

Refund Policy for Voluntary Ticket Refunds

1. If your ticket qualifies for a voluntary refund (i.e., any refund requested by the passenger) and you surrender the unused part of your ticket, United Airlines will issue the refund as follows:
   1. If no part of your ticket has been used, the refund will be equal to the fare and charges paid by you. 
   2. If you have used a part of your ticket, the refund will be equal to the difference between the total fare and charges paid by you less the fare and charges already utilized by you. 
   3. All refund requests must be made before a ticket’s expiration date.
   4. All refunds are subject to administrative service charges and/or United airlines cancellation fees as indicated on the fare rules of a ticket. 
   5. Eligible refunds for credit card purchases will be issued within 7 business days of receiving a valid refund request and within 20 business days of receiving a valid refund request for tickets purchased with a check, cash, or other forms of payment.

United Airlines Refund Policy for Other Types of Refunds

1. The following fees/charges are non-refundable:
   1. Baggage service charges for united airlines, unless your flight was cancelled, rescheduled, or disrupted and you could not travel. 
   2. Booking service charges, unless you cancel within the 24-hour grace period. 
   3. Upgrade fees on the day of departure, unless you could not be accommodated in a higher class on a later flight or you could not travel due to flight cancellation, disruption, change of schedule, or irregular operations. 

2. Eligible refund requests for service/other fees must be made within 90 days of the date of payment or flight date, which is later. Requests made after 90 days will not be accepted.

3. Upon request only, you can ask for a refund of a seat upgrade if you could not be accommodated on a seat of equal or higher value, or if you were downgraded. 

Refunds will be made only to the passenger whose name appears on the ticket, unless

1. The ticket was under a Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP), in which case it will be refunded to the subscriber whose account was charged for the ticket. 
2. The ticket was issued under a Transportation Request by a U.S./non-U.S. government agency, in which case the refund will only be made to the agency which issued the request. 
3. The ticket was issued against a credit card, in which case the refund will be made to the person whose name appears on the credit card. 
4. The ticket was issued to an unaccompanied minor, in which case the refund will be made to the concerned parent, guardian, or third party.
5. The ticket’s purchaser, at the time of purchase, designates on the ticket another person to whom the refund should be made. 
6. At the time of refund application, the company that purchased the ticket on behalf of an employee or a travel agent who has refunded the ticket to its client presents valid evidence, in which case the refund will be made to the employee’s company or travel agent.

United Airlines Refund Policy for Non-refundable Tickets

1. Unless provided otherwise, United Airlines will not refund a ticket that has been purchased with a non-refundable fare. This includes the fare, fees, taxes, and other charges that are included in the total price of the ticket. 

2. United Airlines may permit a part of an unused non-refundable ticket to be applied for purchasing future travel, as long as it complies with the fare rules of the ticket and the passenger agrees to pay the applicable United Airlines change fees and administrative charges. This does not apply to Basic Economy tickets, which have no value post-departure, even if unused.

United Airlines Refund Policy for Lost Tickets

1. If you lose a ticket that is eligible for a refund, the amount of the refund will be subject to the following conditions:
   1. If you have not used any part of the ticket, the refund will be equal to the total fare and charges paid by you minus the following service charges.
   2. If you have used a part of the ticket, and
      1. Have purchased a new ticket for the same route as that of the unused part of the lost ticket, the refund amount will be equal to the fare and charges paid by you for the new ticket, or
      2. Have not purchased a new ticket for the same route as that of the unused part of the lost ticket, and no free transportation has been provided by United Airlines, the amount of refund will be equal to the difference between the total fare paid (incl. charges) and the normal fare (incl. charges) that apply to the used part of your ticket, or
      3. United Airlines (to avoid likely hardships) provides a free ticket for the lost part of the ticket upon the payment of service charges, in which case no refund will be due

How to Apply for the Refund of a Lost Ticket?

1. The refund for eligible lost tickets must be made within 1 month of the expiration date of the lost ticket. 
2. The refund application must be made on a form provided by United Airlines for such types of refunds. 
3. After the submission of the refund application, United Airlines will issue the refund on the condition that the lost ticket (or a part of the lost ticket) has not been used earlier or refunded to anybody within 3 months from the date the loss was reported, and the person receiving the refund agrees to indemnify United Airlines by agreeing to return the refund should the need arise.

Service Charges

The service charge imposed by United Airlines for handling the refund request for a lost ticket is USD/CAD 150 per ticket, but no service charge will apply for military passengers whose transportation has been paid through Form No. 1169 (U.S. Government Transportation Request).

Non-refundable Tickets

United Airlines will not refund any part of a lost non-refundable ticket, incl. taxes, fees, and other charges. However, the ticket may be reissued (for a service fee) if you apply to the date of travel, but not after.

United Airlines Refund Policy for Foreign Currency Refunds

1. Foreign currency refunds are subject to the government rules and regulations of the country where the ticket was originally purchased and where the refund is made. 
2. Foreign currency refunds will be issued in the currency of purchase, or at United’s discretion, in the currency of the carrier’s country after conversion.

United Airlines Refund Policy for Overcharge Refunds

Refund requests for overcharges need to be submitted to United Airlines in writing no later than 45 days after the flight to which the claim is related. After this period, such claims will not be accepted.

United Airlines Refund Policy for Optional Services Refunds

Refunds of optional services that could not be used due to flight cancellation or oversell situations will be accepted.

How to Claim Compensation for a Delayed Flight on United Airlines

To make a compensation claim for a delayed flight on United Airlines, you will need to contact United Customer Care online via united.com/feedback. When submitting your compensation claim, be sure to provide your:

• Name
• Contact details (email and/or mailing address)
• Flight number
• Ticket number
• Booking reference 
• Claim details 

If you need any assistance, call United Airlines through this website at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331).

Frequently Asked Questions

If you couldn’t find the information you were looking for, check out the FAQs section below on United Airlines flight delay compensation, and let us know in the comments below if you need any assistance.