【Epoch Times, December 25, 2025】 On December 24th, Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York State, issued a consumer alert urging New York City residents planning to travel by plane during the holiday season to understand their rights in cases of flight cancellations, severe delays, or other issues involving airlines.
Letitia James urged all New York City residents to file complaints online to potentially receive compensation when their travel plans are impacted. “As New Yorkers flock to the airports during the busiest travel peak of the year, my office will make every effort to ensure they are treated fairly,” Letitia James stated in a press release. “I urge all New York travelers to understand their rights and to file a complaint with my office if they encounter severe delays, flight cancellations, or being denied boarding after purchasing tickets.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced the withdrawal of policies set by the previous government that ensured compensation for passengers in cases of flight delays or cancellations. However, Letitia James emphasized that even with the federal withdrawal of these policies, passengers may still be entitled to compensation in certain circumstances.
If a flight is severely delayed, canceled, or passengers are denied boarding despite having purchased tickets, they may be entitled to compensation. Passengers should file complaints online and have the following documents and information ready: booking details, tickets, itineraries, and receipts; flight details such as dates, flight numbers, departure and destination locations; and any supporting documents such as copies of complaints filed with airlines or ticket agents.
If tickets are purchased more than seven days before the flight’s departure, passengers can receive a full refund within 24 hours of purchase. However, most discounted tickets are non-refundable.
In case of a flight cancellation by the airline for any reason, passengers have the right to a refund, even if they choose not to travel or accept compensation in the form of travel credits, vouchers, or other forms of compensation provided by the airline.
Airlines must fulfill their commitments in their customer service plans, including providing proper care for passengers in the event of controllable flight delays or cancellations. Passengers should check the U.S. Department of Transportation’s platform for airline cancellation and delay information to learn about the amenities and compensation airlines promise to provide to passengers in cases of controllable flight delays or cancellations.
If a flight is scheduled to depart within 7 days, the airline must provide flight status updates within 30 minutes of being notified of changes. Flight status information should be available on their website and phone reservation system. Additionally, the airline must update all flight status displays at all U.S. airports under their control and other flight information sources within 30 minutes of being informed of an issue.
If an airline oversells a flight and does not have enough passengers voluntarily willing to switch to another flight, the airline may choose to involuntarily remove some passengers from their original seats (known as “bumping”). Passengers whose seats are bumped have the right to compensation and must receive a written explanation detailing their rights and the rules by which the airline decided to bump seats.
If a passenger’s checked baggage experiences the following situations, they are entitled to a refund of checked baggage fees: declared lost by the airline; not delivered within 12 hours for domestic flights; not delivered within 15 hours for international flights.
For international flights with a flight time exceeding 12 hours, if baggage is not delivered within 30 hours after arrival, residents of New York can file complaints regarding air travel by filling an online form, or by calling the Attorney General’s office at 1-800-771-7755.
In May 2023, Letitia James supported a new rule from the U.S. Department of Transportation requiring airlines to compensate passengers for flight cancellations or severe delays. In August 2022, Letitia James urged the Department of Transportation to take concrete measures to crack down on airlines to prevent future flight delays and cancellations. In March 2022, Letitia James successfully recovered $2.6 million in compensation from the online travel agency Fareportal Inc. for providing false information regarding flight tickets and hotel rooms to consumers. In September 2021, Letitia James also filed a lawsuit against airlines for providing false information to passengers, aiming to halt the practice of airlines “slot squatting.”
“Airlines slot squatting” refers to airlines occupying airport flight slots without fully utilizing them, solely to prevent competitors from using them, leading to inconvenience for passengers.