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Start with the travel agency or online travel agency (OTA) that sold or issued your ticket. An airline may have limited ability to change or refund a booking made through an agent. If the airline cancels your flight or makes a qualifying significant change, identify the ticket’s merchant of record on your payment statement: that entity is responsible for issuing a ticket refund when one is due. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 24-hour airline cancellation rule generally does not cover third-party bookings.
The rules below apply to flights to, from, or within the United States under DOT guidance. Other countries can use different consumer-protection rules, and an airline or agency may offer terms that are more generous than the legal minimum.
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The short answer: contact the seller first
Your confirmation normally identifies two different parties:
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- The ticket seller or issuing agent—such as an OTA or travel agency—that took the booking and may control the ticket record.
For a voluntary date change, voluntary cancellation, name correction, or ordinary refund request, begin with the agency or OTA. Ask what the fare rules allow, whether a service fee or fare difference applies, and whether the agent must process the transaction. The airline may be unable to make changes directly while the ticket remains under the agent’s control. DOT explains this limitation in its consumer guidance on buying tickets: Buying a Ticket.
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When a refund is triggered by an airline cancellation or qualifying significant schedule change, the party that appears as the ticket’s merchant of record on your payment statement is generally the refund issuer. That may be the agency rather than the airline, even though the airline operated—or was scheduled to operate—the flight.
Identify the parties before you ask for help
Read the confirmation for the issuer and record locator
Open the original email, PDF itinerary, or account page. Look for the seller’s legal name, customer-service number, ticket number, and the airline’s record locator (often called a confirmation code or booking reference). Keep both codes: an agency may use its own booking number while the airline uses a separate locator.
The confirmation should also show whether the ticket has actually been issued. A payment authorization or reservation hold is not necessarily an issued ticket. If you cannot find a ticket number, ask the seller to confirm issuance before requesting a change or cancellation.
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DOT describes the merchant of record as the entity shown on the financial charge statement for the ticket. Review your credit-card, debit-card, or bank statement, including the transaction descriptor and any separate charges for bags, seats, or other services. The merchant shown for the ticket sale is the key clue to who must issue a due ticket refund.
Do not assume that the airline operating a codeshare is the seller. One airline can market a flight, another can operate it, and an agent can issue the ticket. Use the ticket number, confirmation, operating-carrier information, and payment descriptor together.
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Voluntary changes or cancellations
A voluntary request means the flight is still operating as scheduled and you want to change or abandon it. In that situation, the fare’s rules—not the airline-cancellation refund rules—usually control the outcome.
- Contact the issuing agency or OTA first. Use the channel attached to the booking rather than opening a new reservation with the airline.
- Ask for the fare conditions in writing. Confirm whether the fare is refundable, whether a change or cancellation fee applies, how much any fare difference is, and whether the seller charges an additional service fee.
- Ask who will process the transaction. An airline may be able to explain its schedule but still be unable to reissue an agent-controlled ticket.
- Request the exact result before authorizing it. A cancellation may produce a refund, a credit, or no value depending on the fare. A change can create a higher fare, taxes, or an agency fee.
- Save the confirmation. Keep the agent’s case number, the time of the request, and the revised itinerary or refund receipt.
A nonrefundable fare that you abandon while the flight operates normally generally does not become refundable merely because you booked through an agent. Any value or credit then depends on the applicable fare and agency terms.
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For a covered U.S. itinerary, you can generally choose not to travel when the airline cancels the flight or makes a qualifying significant change. If you decline the changed or rebooked transportation and do not accept a voucher, travel credit, or other compensation instead of a refund, DOT rules can require a refund of the ticket price—even when the original fare was labeled nonrefundable.
Start with the agency or OTA that issued the ticket. Tell it clearly whether you accept the proposed alternative. If you do not want the replacement flight, state that you are declining the changed travel and are requesting the ticket refund due under DOT rules. The airline must inform the ticket agent without delay whether you are eligible when the agent contacts it about the disruption.
| Situation | First contact | Who issues a due ticket refund | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| You want to change or cancel while the flight operates as scheduled | The agency or OTA that issued the ticket | Handled under the fare and agency terms | Fees, fare differences, or loss of value can apply |
| Airline cancellation or qualifying significant change; you decline travel or the replacement | The issuing agency or OTA, with the airline supplying eligibility information | The ticket’s merchant of record shown on the payment statement | You must not accept travel, a credit, voucher, or other compensation in place of the refund |
| Qualifying ticket bought directly from an airline at least seven days before departure | The airline | The airline | The airline must offer a 24-hour cancellation/refund or a 24-hour fare hold |
DOT’s current refund guidance is at Refunds. The agency’s automatic-refund explanation, published November 18, 2024, is at What Airline Passengers Need to Know About DOT’s Automatic Refund Rule.
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Do not accidentally accept a substitute for cash
Airlines and agents may present a new flight, credit, voucher, or other compensation. Read the offer before clicking accept. If you want the refund available under the cancellation or significant-change rule, say that you decline the alternative and want the ticket refund. Accepting a replacement or credit can change the transaction and may eliminate the basis for a cash refund.
What happens if the airline says the agency must act?
That response can be normal for an agent-issued ticket. Ask the airline to note the cancellation or significant change and provide any eligibility information to the issuing agency. Then ask the agency to submit the refund request to the merchant of record. Keep copies of both parties’ messages so you can show when you requested the refund and what each party said.
How the 24-hour rule really works
The federal 24-hour requirement is narrower than many travelers assume. For a qualifying ticket purchased directly from an airline at least seven days before scheduled departure, the airline must provide one of two options:
- Allow you to cancel within 24 hours for a full refund; or
- Hold the quoted fare for 24 hours without requiring payment.
The airline chooses which option it offers. The rule is not a requirement for free date changes, route changes, or name corrections. It also does not apply to tickets booked through an OTA or travel agency. An agent may voluntarily offer an equivalent 24-hour policy, but that is a contractual choice; read the agent’s terms rather than assuming the federal rule applies. DOT discusses the scope in its ticket-buying guidance and its refund guidance.
The seven-day condition is measured against the scheduled departure, and the purchase must be made directly with the airline for the federal airline requirement to apply. A third-party reservation made six days before departure, or any OTA reservation made seven or more days before departure, is outside this specific federal requirement.
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Refund deadlines and how payment method matters
When a qualifying ticket refund is due from an airline, DOT states that it must be issued within:
- Seven business days when the original payment was by credit card.
- Twenty business days when the original payment was by cash.
DOT’s compliance guide treats a business day as a day that excludes U.S. federal holidays. If an agent is the merchant of record, the agent is the refund issuer for the ticket sale, so ask it for the processing date and status. The agent may need information from the airline before it can complete the transaction, but the merchant-of-record relationship determines who sends the ticket refund.
These deadlines concern issuance, not necessarily the moment a bank posts the credit to your account. Keep the refund confirmation and monitor the same payment account used for the ticket. A separate card charge for an optional service can follow different rules.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Optional services and baggage fees are a separate issue
A ticket refund and a refund for an ancillary service are not always handled by the same party. DOT guidance distinguishes the base ticket from optional services such as certain baggage or seat-related fees. When an airline fails to provide a covered ancillary service, the passenger may need to request that fee refund from the airline rather than the ticket agent.
Check the current DOT instructions for the specific fee and service involved before sending the request. Describe exactly what was purchased, what was not provided, and the flight and ticket numbers. Do not assume that the merchant of record for the air ticket automatically controls every separate service charge.
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Codeshares and complicated itineraries
A codeshare can show one airline’s flight number while another carrier operates the aircraft. Multi-airline itineraries can also contain tickets issued by an agency and segments controlled by different carriers. For a disruption, record:
- The airline shown as the operating carrier for the affected segment.
- The marketing airline and flight number printed on the itinerary.
- The ticket number and agency record locator.
- The merchant of record on the payment statement.
Use the operating-carrier information to describe what changed, but direct the refund request to the issuing agency when the ticket was sold through an agent. If the agency says it cannot determine eligibility, ask it to contact the airline and confirm the result in writing.
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Keep a complete record
Save the original itinerary, ticket receipt, payment statement, schedule-change notices, replacement offers, chat transcripts, emails, and call dates. Write down the name or identification number of each representative and the exact remedy you requested.
Use precise wording
A concise request avoids confusion: “The airline cancelled or significantly changed my itinerary. I decline the replacement and am requesting the ticket refund due under U.S. DOT rules. Please confirm the merchant of record, the refund amount, and the date it will be issued.” For a voluntary request, ask instead for the fare rule, all fees, and the resulting credit or refund before authorizing cancellation.
Complain to DOT if a covered refund is denied or overdue
If you believe a covered refund has been refused or is overdue, submit a complaint through DOT’s aviation-consumer process and include the booking, payment, and communication records. The DOT ticket-refund index includes current notices and links to the relevant guidance: Ticket Refunds. The refund page was last updated November 7, 2025, and the index contains notices dated July 2026 and December 2025; check those pages for updates before escalating.
Quick Recap
Checklist before you contact anyone
- Confirm whether the flight is operating normally, cancelled, or significantly changed.
- Locate the ticket number, agency booking number, airline record locator, and operating carrier.
- Identify the seller or issuer on the confirmation.
- Find the merchant of record on the payment statement.
- Decide whether you want a permitted change, a voluntary cancellation, or a refund because you decline an airline-initiated change.
- Ask for fees, fare differences, refund amount, and processing responsibility in writing.
- Do not accept a voucher or replacement flight if you intend to pursue a cash refund under the airline-cancellation rules.
- Track business days from the refund request and preserve every response.
How to avoid the most common mistakes
- Calling the airline first for an OTA ticket: The airline may not control the ticket. Start with the issuer, then involve the airline when the agency needs eligibility information.
- Assuming the 24-hour rule covers every booking: It does not cover third-party tickets and does not promise free changes.
- Confusing a voluntary cancellation with an airline cancellation: A nonrefundable ticket generally has no cash-refund right when you simply choose not to fly a scheduled service.
- Accepting a credit before deciding: A voucher or rebooking can replace the refund option you intended to use.
- Looking only at the airline name: The merchant-of-record name on the payment statement determines who issues a due ticket refund.
- Combining ticket and ancillary charges: Certain unprovided optional services may require a separate request to the airline.
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