Traveler waiting at airport gate with plane taking off
RecoverAir  ·  Flights

When a flight goes wrong,
the hard part isn't
knowing what you're owed.

It's having the time, the documentation, and the patience to pursue it. RecoverAir Flights is a flight delay compensation service from TravelWise Tech that recovers payment for delayed, cancelled, and overbooked flights under the DOT 2024 refund rule, EU 261, Canada APPR, and the Montreal Convention.

Start with RecoverAir See what you might be owed
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The honest picture

Airlines owe more
than most passengers
ever know to ask for.

Tell us what happened →

Flight disruptions carry real entitlements under DOT rules, EU Regulation 261, and the Montreal Convention. The rules exist. Most travelers just don't have the time to read 80 pages of contract of carriage after a missed connection.

RecoverAir reads it for you. We identify what applies, build the documentation, and submit on your behalf. You give us the trip details. We do the rest.

Instant estimate

How much you might
be owed.

Three inputs, instant range. Grounded in DOT rules, EU Regulation 261, and Montreal Convention. Documentation determines where in the range you land; RecoverAir pursues the ceiling.

4 hours
Your potential entitlement
Qualifies for review
Governing frameworkDOT 14 CFR
Hours of disruption4 hours

US domestic delays carry limited automatic compensation. Recovery focuses on documented expenses and significant disruptions over 3 hours.

Start with RecoverAir →

Estimate only. Final recovery depends on case documentation.

The liability framework

What the rules
actually require.

Compensation amounts are set by regulation, not negotiation. Three frameworks govern almost every flight claim a US traveler will file. Knowing which one applies determines what you can recover.

Jurisdiction Compensation Governing authority
US DomesticFlights within the United States $775 – $1,550Bumping; refunds for cancellations 14 CFR Part 250DOT 2024 Final Rule on Refunds
EU & UK DeparturesFlights departing EU/UK airports €250 – €600per passenger, by flight distance EU Regulation 261/2004European Union, UK retained law
Other InternationalTreaty-governed international flights ~$1,8001,288 SDR documented damages Montreal Convention, Art. 19ICAO multilateral treaty (1999)

The 2024 DOT Final Rule on Refunds mandates automatic cash refunds for significantly delayed or cancelled flights (3+ hours domestic, 6+ hours international) regardless of voucher offers. EU 261 compensation does not apply when delays are caused by extraordinary circumstances (severe weather, ATC strikes, security alerts). Last reviewed Q2 2026.

Airplane window view at golden hour over clouds
What we handle

The disruptions
we're built for.

01
Flight delays

Significant delays often qualify for compensation, especially under EU 261. US carriers owe documented essentials and refunds for major disruptions under the 2024 DOT Final Rule.

When weather doesn't qualify →
02
Cancellations

Cash refund rights are clearer than airlines suggest. Under the 2024 DOT Final Rule, refunds to original payment are automatic for significant changes.

Voucher vs cash refund →
03
Denied boarding

Involuntary bumping has the strongest passenger protections of any disruption. Up to $1,550 under DOT rules; €250-€600 under EU 261.

The bumping rules →
04
Missed connections

Carrier-caused misconnects are recoverable. Weather-caused often are too, when crew availability or scheduling was a contributing factor.

Mixed-cause disruptions →
05
Schedule changes

Major schedule changes (3+ hours domestic, 6+ hours international) trigger automatic refund rights, even on non-refundable tickets.

Refund eligibility →
06
Denied refunds

When the airline refuses a cash refund you're owed, DOT formal complaints and national enforcement bodies move the needle. Both real, both underused.

Insurance denial recovery →
What you'll need

The documentation
that actually matters.

Flight claims succeed or fail on documentation. Most denials come down to a missing piece travelers didn't know to keep. Here is what to gather before you start.

  1. 01

    Original boarding pass

    Proves you were on the flight. Physical stub or airline-app screen capture both work. Hold onto it until your claim closes.

  2. 02

    Booking confirmation

    The original confirmation email or PDF showing scheduled times, fare class, and itinerary. Establishes what was promised versus what happened.

  3. 03

    Disruption notification

    Screenshot or email showing exactly when the airline notified you and what reason was given for the disruption. The reason matters: extraordinary circumstances limit EU 261 recovery; carrier-caused does not.

  4. 04

    Rebooking or voucher documentation

    If rebooked, the new itinerary and confirmation. Any voucher offers received. Accepting a voucher does not close cash entitlement under the 2024 DOT Final Rule.

  5. 05

    Receipts for essentials

    Meals, hotel, ground transport, phone/data while disrupted. These are often recoverable separately from the per-passenger compensation and are routinely forgotten in initial claims.

  6. 06

    Departure board photograph

    Time-stamped image of the airport monitor showing the disruption status. Useful evidence when the airline later disputes the timeline or cause.

Credit card travel benefits sometimes include trip-delay reimbursement that stacks with airline compensation. Two recoveries operate on different rules; travelers regularly leave one of them on the table. RecoverAir pursues both. See card benefits recovery →

How recovery works

Airlines have a system.
We have one too.

Airlines process millions of disruption claims every year. The system is built for efficiency, not for individual case detail. Extraordinary-circumstances denials, partial offers in vouchers, vague delay-cause letters; these are routine.

RecoverAir knows the documentation that drives results and when DOT formal complaints (or EU national enforcement bodies) produce better outcomes than the airline's own process. The point isn't to argue. It is to be paid the ceiling, not the offer.

When a delayed flight cascades into lost baggage or hotel overcharges, the recovery overlap is real and worth pursuing together. See baggage recovery →

“DOT formal complaints have specific timing requirements. Airline responses have separate deadlines.”

Most travelers miss them without realizing. RecoverAir tracks the calendar and escalates at the right moment.

Frequently asked

What people ask
before they start.

A few common questions and concerns from travelers exploring RecoverAir for the first time. Tap any question to expand the answer.

The RecoverAir app

Your claims,
in your pocket.

Start a claim from the airport. Track flights, hotels, and policies before anything goes wrong. Upload boarding passes from your phone camera. Get push notifications the moment something changes.

Claim from anywhere

Start the recovery process the moment a disruption happens. From the airport, the hotel lobby, or the cruise terminal.

Disruption tracking built in

Add your flights, hotels, or insurance policies. We watch them and alert you the moment something disrupts your trip.

Real-time status

Every demand, every response, every step from filing through resolution.

Camera document upload

Photograph receipts, boarding passes, and denial letters. We handle the rest.

▶ Get it on Google Play Coming soon App Store
Explore the app →
Help us improve

Your experience
shapes everything.

RecoverAir gets better because of people like you. Tell us what happened, what we missed, or what you wish we could do. Your story might help another traveler recover what they're owed.

Share your experience

How did it go? What would make RecoverAir better for you?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  1. 1
    What is confusing or broken

    If any part of the claim flow is unclear, we fix it immediately.

  2. 2
    What claim types are missing

    New recovery categories come directly from patterns in user feedback.

  3. 3
    What you wish existed

    The next TravelWise Tech product will be shaped by what you tell us here.

  4. 4
    What we got right

    Knowing what works matters just as much as knowing what does not.

Our commitment: Every piece of feedback is read by a human. We publish what we are building and why. If your feedback shapes a feature, we will tell you.

RecoverAir  ·  Flights

Your flight disruption
is most likely recoverable.

Share the trip details. We identify which framework applies: DOT, EU 261, or Montreal, and pursue what the rules require. No pressure, no commitment to continue.

Start with RecoverAir

Free to start  ·  No recovery, no fee

File by Airline

Select your carrier for airline-specific compensation rules, claim timelines, and success rates.

Delta Air LinesLow resistance · 8–14 days American AirlinesModerate · 14 days United AirlinesModerate · 14 days Southwest AirlinesModerate · 14 days JetBlue AirwaysLow resistance · 14 days Alaska AirlinesLow resistance · 14 days Spirit AirlinesHigh resistance · 21 days Frontier AirlinesHigh resistance · 21 days

Other claim types

Lost or delayed baggage Hotel overbooking Travel insurance denial Cruise disruptions Credit card travel benefits