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Straight answers on refunds, baggage, delays and cancellations — across flights, cruises and rail. Written for US travellers, and updated against the carriers' own published policies.
Practical guidance on the situations travellers actually face after booking: changing or cancelling a flight, claiming a refund you are legally owed, understanding baggage fees and size limits, handling a cancellation or missed connection, cruise cancellation penalty schedules, Amtrak fare rules, and travel document requirements.
Key Travel Facts & Insights
Moving a trip, cancelling without losing the value, and the 24-hour rule.
Step-by-step guide to changing a flight: what a change actually costs, why fare difference is the real expense, and when a change is impossible.
Cancel a flight without losing the money: what you get back, how travel credit works, and the no-show rule that forfeits the whole ticket.
US DOT rules give you 24 hours to cancel a flight for a full refund. Here is exactly when it applies, when it does not, and how airlines implement it differently.
When you are owed cash rather than a voucher, and the European and Canadian rules that pay compensation on top.
When you are legally owed a cash refund rather than a voucher, how to request one, and what to do when the airline does not respond.
What US airlines must provide when a flight is delayed or cancelled, what they merely offer as goodwill, and how the rules differ from Europe.
European rules pay €250–€600 cash per passenger for delays and cancellations. They apply to US travelers, and most never claim. Here is how.
How airline credits work, when they expire, whether they transfer, and how to avoid the most common ways travelers lose the value.
Carry-on sizes, TSA liquid rules, checked bag fees and what to do when a bag goes missing.
Carry-on dimensions by airline, the TSA 3-1-1 liquid rule, what is allowed through security, and how to avoid a gate-check fee.
What airlines charge for checked bags, weight and size limits, overweight penalties, and the legitimate ways to get bags carried free.
What to do when your bag does not arrive, the compensation limits that apply, and how to file a claim that gets paid.
Cancellations, missed connections and how early you actually need to be at the airport.
A practical sequence for the first fifteen minutes after a cancellation: how to get rebooked fastest and what you are entitled to.
What the airline owes you when you misconnect, why separate tickets change everything, and how to get rebooked quickly.
Real check-in, bag drop and gate closure deadlines by flight type, and which one is the deadline you will actually miss.
When to book, which fare to choose, and fixing a mistake on a ticket.
When to book for the best price, how fare brands differ, and the details worth verifying before you pay.
What airlines will fix free, what costs money, and why a ticket cannot be transferred to another person.
Cancellation penalty schedules, embarkation day and what to pack.
Cruise cancellation penalties escalate on a fixed schedule as sailing approaches, reaching 100%. Here is how the schedule works and what you can recover.
Online check-in, arrival windows, documents you must have, and why the ship will genuinely leave without you.
A practical cruise packing checklist covering documents, dress codes, cabin essentials and the items cruise lines actually confiscate.
Fare types, refunds without change fees, and Amtrak's unusually generous baggage rules.
Amtrak Saver, Value, Flexible and Business fares compared: what each costs to change, what you get back, and the 24-hour risk-free window.
Amtrak baggage allowances are far more generous than airline limits. What you can carry on, what can be checked, and which routes offer checked service.
Passport validity, visas and travel authorisations, and filing an insurance claim that gets paid.
What travel insurance actually covers, the documentation claims require, and the common reasons claims are denied.
Passport validity rules, visa and travel authorisation requirements, REAL ID for domestic flights, and the document errors that stop people at the gate.
Baggage fees, change rules, check-in cutoffs, pet policies and customer service contacts differ by carrier. Each airline has its own set of policy pages with the exact figures.
Browse airline guidesOur US travel consultants handle bookings, changes, cancellations and claims directly — including the ones airlines make difficult. There is no charge to ask.