Denied-boarding compensation calculator
Bumped involuntarily? Estimate your statutory compensation under 14 CFR Part 250 (200% or 400% of your fare, capped).
This applies the federal rule to the facts you give it and shows you the working. It does not predict what an airline will pay, and it is not advice about your situation.
Applying the rule to these figures gives $1,200. That is what the regulation sets as the minimum, not a prediction of what you will receive.
How that follows
- Arrival delay caused by the denied boarding: 3 hours.
- Above 2 hours for an domestic itinerary, the rule sets 400% of the fare, capped at $2,150.
- 4 × $300 = $1,200.
- That is below the $2,150 ceiling, so the fare-based figure applies.
What this cannot tell you
- The rule works from your one-way fare for the affected segment, which may not be the number you paid for the whole trip.
- An airline may offer a travel voucher instead of cash, but only if it discloses the terms.
- Any unused ancillary fees are refundable separately.
This is what 14 CFR 250.5 provides. It is not advice about your situation, and not a prediction of what an airline will pay.
The tiers this tool applies
The same thresholds, laid out to read. Every one is taken from the regulation named below and is what the tool above applies.
- Within 1 hour of your original arrival
- No compensation
- 1 to 2 hours late, domestic
- 200% of the fare, capped at $1,075
- 1 to 4 hours late, international from a US airport
- 200% of the fare, capped at $1,075
- Beyond that
- 400% of the fare, capped at $2,150
- If you volunteered
- The minimums do not apply. Whatever you agreed is the deal.
“Compensation shall be at least 200 percent of the fare … or $1,075, whichever is lower … Compensation shall be at least 400 percent of the fare … or $2,150, whichever is lower”
What this tool is not
It is a rule lookup with your numbers in it. It cannot tell you what an airline will actually pay, because that depends on your fare, on facts the airline holds, and on how the airline chooses to respond. Where it shows a dollar figure, that figure is a federal ceiling and is labelled as one.
Row30 is not a law firm. Our standards for every number we publish are on the editorial guidelines page.
Row30 provides data journalism and education, not legal advice. We are not a law firm and do not represent passengers in legal proceedings. For advice about your own situation, consult an attorney.