# Southwest Airlines: up to $2,150 if bumped, DOT refund rules Source: https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/southwest-airlines/ > Southwest canceled or moved your domestic flight 3+ hours? Decline the alternative: a refund is due in 7 business days by card, 20 calendar days otherwise. # Southwest Airlines delays, cancellations and refunds: your rights "No" is the entry in Southwest Airlines' partner-rebooking row on the DOT dashboard, one of only 3 such entries among the 9 airlines listed. Nothing in that table commits Southwest to putting you on another airline's flight. Federal law adds no compensation for a delayed or canceled domestic flight; what it does add is a refund you can insist on, and up to $2,150 if you are bumped. **Key facts: Southwest Airlines** | Fact | Detail | |:--|:--| | DOT dashboard (last updated 11 Sep 2025) | Cash No; credit or voucher Yes; miles Not marked Yes; hotel and ground transportation Yes; partner rebooking No | | Airlines marked No for partner rebooking | Allegiant, Frontier and Southwest | | US federal delay compensation | None on domestic itineraries (DOT Fly Rights) | | US domestic arrivals on time, June 2026 | 65.3% of 120,933 flights, the lowest rate of the 18 carriers BTS tracked (0.62% canceled) | | Refund trigger (if you do not accept the alternative) | Cancellation or significant change, including departure moved earlier or arrival moved later by 3 hours or more (domestic) / 6 hours or more (international) | | Refund deadline | 7 business days (credit card purchase) / 20 calendar days (cash, check, debit card or other payment) | | Bumping pay, involuntary | 200% of one-way fare up to $1,075; 400% up to $2,150 | | Tarmac delay at a US airport | Chance to deplane before the delay exceeds 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international) | | Where to complain | DOT Office of Aviation Consumer Protection | Source: DOT Fly Rights and Cancellation and Delay Dashboard - transportation.gov; 14 CFR 250.5, 259.4, 260.2 - ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15; BTS on-time statistics, June 2026 - transtats.bts.gov, checked 2026-09-17. ## Does Southwest pay compensation for a delayed flight? 26 Sep 2025 is the last update of DOT's Fly Rights guide, and it still says that on domestic itineraries airlines "are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled". Southwest Airlines is no exception: its cash row on the dashboard reads "No" for delays and cancellations alike. Source: DOT Fly Rights - transportation.gov; DOT Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard (last updated 11 Sep 2025) - transportation.gov; Federal Register 2025-20042 (90 FR 51230) - federalregister.gov, checked 2026-09-15. Federal rules provide no Southwest delay compensation on a domestic trip. Fly Rights names the single exception: "compensation is required by law on domestic trips only when you are 'bumped' from a flight that is oversold." DOT withdrew its own rulemaking on the wider question on 17 Nov 2025. **Which rules apply to your Southwest Airlines flight** | Your Southwest Airlines itinerary | Bumping pay (14 CFR 250) | Refund after a cancellation or significant change (14 CFR 260) | Tarmac limit (14 CFR 259) | |:--|:--|:--|:--| | Within the US | Yes, domestic amounts | Yes, on the 3-hour lines | 3 hours | | International, nonstop segment leaving a US airport | Yes, international amounts | If a covered flight: the 6-hour lines | 4 hours at the US airport | | International, segment arriving at a US airport | No | If a covered flight: the 6-hour lines | 4 hours at the US airport | Source: 14 CFR 250.2, 259.4, 260.2 - ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15. Bumping pay needs a nonstop segment starting in the US on an aircraft of 30 or more passenger seats. On an international trip DOT points instead to article 19 of the [Montreal Convention](https://airtravelrights.com/montreal-convention/), which repays what the delay cost you rather than a set sum. **Not your situation?** This card covers US federal rules alone. A trip that starts outside the US belongs to another regime: check [which law covers my flight](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/), or read the [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/), [UK261](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/) and [Air Passenger Protection Regulations](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/) hubs. Every US carrier is covered from the [US DOT hub](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/) and the [delayed and canceled flight rights guide](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/delayed-canceled-flight-rights/). Check whether your booking is domestic or international: the refund lines double on an international itinerary. ## How often is a Southwest flight late? 65.3% of Southwest Airlines' 120,933 US domestic arrivals landed on time in June 2026, the [lowest rate of the 18 carriers](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/airline-delay-rankings/) BTS tracked that month, against 73.1% for all of them together. It also logged the most arrival flights of the 18. On time means under 15 minutes late. | Southwest Airlines (WN), June 2026 | Southwest | All 18 reporting carriers | |:--|:--|:--| | Arrivals under 15 minutes late | 65.3% | 73.1% | | Flights canceled | 0.62% | 1.71% | | Flights diverted | 0.37% | 0.38% | | Delay coded to a late inbound aircraft | 17.3% | 9.9% | | Delay coded to the carrier itself | 10.4% | 7.4% | | Arrival flights counted | 120,933 | 671,781 | Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Statistics and Delay Causes, June 2026 - transtats.bts.gov, checked 2026-09-17. Two of those rows pull against each other. Southwest canceled less than all but two of the 18 carriers, and 17.3% of its arrivals carried a delay coded to a late inbound aircraft, the highest share in the file. The full ranking is on [worst US airlines for delays](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/airline-delay-rankings/). A poor month changes nothing about what you are owed. BTS publishes a reliability record, not a finding of fault. No federal rule turns an on-time percentage into a payment. The numbers cover arrivals only, US domestic flying only, and one month; BTS recategorises delay causes on 19 Oct 2026, breaking the series there. Note your own flight's scheduled and actual arrival times. Those two, not the monthly rate, decide whether a refund line is crossed. ## What has Southwest committed to for a controllable disruption? A credit or voucher, not cash: that is what Southwest Airlines commits to when a disruption inside its control leaves you waiting 3 hours or more. The dashboard (last updated 11 Sep 2025) marks a hotel and ground transportation "Yes" for Southwest and rebooking on a partner airline "No". **Southwest Airlines on the DOT dashboard** | Commitment for a disruption within the airline's control | Southwest Airlines | Of the 9 airlines in the table | |:--|:--|:--| | Cash compensation, wait of 3 hours or more | No | None marked Yes | | Credit or voucher, wait of 3 hours or more | Yes | 4 marked Yes | | Frequent-flyer miles, wait of 3 hours or more | Not marked Yes | 2 marked Yes | | Hotel for an overnight stay | Yes | 8; Frontier is the exception | | Ground transportation to and from the hotel | Yes | 8; Frontier is the exception | | Rebooking on a partner airline | No | 6 marked Yes | Source: DOT Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard (last updated 11 Sep 2025) - transportation.gov; 14 CFR 259.5 - ecfr.gov; FR 2025-22415 (90 FR 57138) - federalregister.gov, checked 2026-09-15. The last row is the one that shapes a bad day. Allegiant, Frontier and Southwest are the 3 airlines whose columns rule out a partner rebooking, so a seat on another carrier is one thing this table does not promise you. Rapid Rewards points are another: the miles row is not marked Yes. These promises bind through the customer service plan, not as federal rights. "Airlines are required to adhere to the promises that they make in their customer service plan," DOT says, and that plan is what it enforces. One carve-out has run since 10 Dec 2025: the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection does not treat a delay caused by unscheduled maintenance under a non-deferrable airworthiness directive as within an airline's control. All 9 columns sit together in the [commitments comparison](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/airline-customer-service-commitments/). Ask a Southwest agent for the hotel before you book a room yourself, and keep every receipt. ## When is a changed Southwest flight refundable? 20 calendar days for a purchase by cash, check or debit card, and 7 business days for a credit card purchase: those are the prompt refund deadlines in 14 CFR 260.2. Southwest Airlines owes the money when it cancels or significantly changes your flight and you do not accept the alternative. Source: 14 CFR 260.2, 260.6, 260.7 - ecfr.gov; FR 2026-13675 (91 FR 41556) - federalregister.gov, checked 2026-09-15. **Southwest schedule changes: when a refund is due** | What changed on your Southwest Airlines flight | Domestic itinerary | International itinerary | |:--|:--|:--| | Flight canceled (not operated) | Refund trigger | Refund trigger | | Departure moved earlier | 3 hours or more | 6 hours or more | | Arrival moved later | 3 hours or more | 6 hours or more | | Different origin or destination airport | Refund trigger | Refund trigger | | More connection points | Refund trigger | Refund trigger | | Downgrade to a lower class of service | Refund trigger | Refund trigger | | Disability-specific connection or aircraft change | Refund trigger | Refund trigger | A domestic arrival pushed back 2 hours 59 minutes crosses no line; at 3 hours 0 minutes it is significantly delayed. Each line applies to a "covered flight" as 14 CFR 260.2 defines it. Under 14 CFR 260.6(a) the refund covers fare, taxes and ancillary fees. It is due when Southwest offered no alternative, when you rejected the one offered, or when you did not respond and the flight left without you. Silence is not acceptance. A credit replaces that money only where Southwest offered it as an explicit alternative, valid at least 5 years, and you accepted it. A new flight number alone is the exception DOT declines to enforce until 7 Jul 2027. ### How do you request a refund or reimbursement from Southwest Airlines? Three claims, three bases. The ticket refund is 14 CFR 260; bumping pay is 14 CFR 250 and arrives unasked; a hotel bill rests on the customer service plan. Southwest lists a [Request Ticket Refund](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/request-ticket-refund) page and one titled "Reimbursement for Costs Due to a Delayed or Canceled ..." ([support.southwest.com](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/delayed-or-canceled-flight), 14 Sep 2026). Decline the rebooking first: taking it ends the [federal refund right](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/airline-refund-rules/). ## How much is Southwest bumping pay on an oversold flight? 400% of your one-way fare, capped at $2,150, is what involuntary denied boarding pays when the alternate flight Southwest Airlines books lands 2 hours or more late on a domestic trip. Between 1 and 2 hours late it is 200%, capped at $1,075. An hour or less pays nothing. | One-way fare you paid | Alternate 1 h 30 m late, domestic | Alternate 2 h 30 m late, domestic | |:--|:--|:--| | $120 | $240 | $480 | | $230 | $460 | $920 | | $400 | $800 | $1,600 | | $580 | $1,075 (200% of $580 is $1,160, capped) | $2,150 (400% is $2,320, capped) | Source: 14 CFR 250.2, 250.5(a)-(b), 250.5(e), 250.6 - ecfr.gov, checked 15 Sep 2026. On an international trip departing the US the right-hand column would pay the 200% figure instead: there the 400% band starts at 4 hours late. Fare means what you paid to your destination or first stopover, with mandatory taxes and fees in and optional extras out. DOT reviews both caps every two years, and the current pair has applied since enforcement began on 20 Mar 2025. Southwest has to ask for volunteers before it bumps anyone and to offer the payment without being asked. You get nothing if you missed a ticketing or check-in rule, were seated elsewhere at no extra charge, or lost the seat to a smaller aircraft swapped in for operational or safety reasons. Write down when the alternate flight actually landed, because that time is what sets the [bumping payment](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/bumped-flight-compensation/), and ask for the figure in writing before you accept a voucher. ## How long can Southwest keep you on the tarmac? 3 hours on a domestic flight and 4 hours on an international one are the tarmac limits at a US airport. Before a delay exceeds either, Southwest Airlines has to give you the opportunity to leave the aircraft. Safety, security and air traffic control reasons are the exceptions written into 14 CFR 259.4. | During a tarmac delay at a US airport | Domestic flight | International flight | |:--|:--|:--| | Status notice | When the delay exceeds 30 minutes | When the delay exceeds 30 minutes | | Food and potable water | No later than 2 hours after it starts | No later than 2 hours after it starts | | Opportunity to deplane | Before the delay exceeds 3 hours | Before the delay exceeds 4 hours | Source: 14 CFR 259.2, 259.3, 259.4(c) - ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15. The deplaning deadline falls before the 3-hour or 4-hour mark. Never after it. A domestic delay beginning at 14:00 puts food and water at 16:00 and the doors by 17:00; internationally, by 18:00. The rule binds US carriers and foreign carriers on flights to or from the US, on aircraft of 30 or more seats, and it sets no payment for the wait. 14 CFR 259.4 is headed "Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays", and every airline it covers has to adopt such a plan and stick to it. A separate section, 14 CFR 259.5, requires a customer service plan; Southwest publishes one as a [PDF](https://www.southwest.com/swa-resources/pdfs/corporate-commitments/customer-service-plan.pdf) (southwest.com, 14 Sep 2026). Note the time of each announcement and when food and water arrived. ## Where do you escalate a refused Southwest Airlines claim? 60 days is the limit for Southwest Airlines to answer a complaint in writing under 14 CFR 259.7(c), after acknowledging it within 30 days. A refused refund, unpaid bumping pay or a broken dashboard promise then goes to the DOT Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. Source: 14 CFR 259.7(c) - ecfr.gov; DOT, File a consumer complaint (last updated 1 Aug 2025) - transportation.gov, checked 2026-09-15. DOT tells you to [contact the airline first](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/airline-complaint/). File after that through the [OACP complaint form](https://secure.dot.gov/air-travel-complaint), by mail to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. DOT, 1200 New Jersey Ave SE, Washington DC 20590, or by phone on 855-368-4200. ### If Southwest Airlines rejects your claim Match the refusal to the rule it breaks. A refund refused after a cancellation or a significant change is 14 CFR 260.6(a). Missing bumping pay is 14 CFR 250.5. A hotel you paid for after a controllable overnight disruption is neither: it rests on the Southwest customer service plan, which DOT holds the airline to. The [refused claims map](https://airtravelrights.com/airline-refused-compensation/) covers the other regimes. ### Southwest Airlines refund and complaint pages | Purpose | Where to go (Southwest page titles as listed in search results, 14 Sep 2026) | |:--|:--| | Ticket refund | [Southwest: Request Ticket Refund](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/request-ticket-refund) | | Hotel and ground transportation costs | [Southwest: Reimbursement for Costs Due to a Delayed or Canceled ...](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/delayed-or-canceled-flight) | | Travel funds overview | [Southwest: Travel Funds, Refunds, Reimbursements, and Receipts](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/pathway/travel-funds-refunds-reimbursements-receipts) | | Commitments in writing | [Southwest: Customer Service Plan](https://www.southwest.com/swa-resources/pdfs/corporate-commitments/customer-service-plan.pdf) | | US complaint | [DOT air travel complaint form](https://secure.dot.gov/air-travel-complaint) | Closest on the same dashboard (11 Sep 2025): [Alaska Airlines](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/alaska-airlines/) carries the partner-rebooking "Yes" that Southwest lacks, [Frontier Airlines](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/frontier-airlines/) shares the "No", and [JetBlue](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/jetblue/) shares the credit-or-voucher "Yes". Send one written complaint with dates, times and receipts, and keep a copy for DOT. General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the DOT Office of Aviation Consumer Protection or a consumer protection attorney. ## Sources - US Department of Transportation, Fly Rights - [transportation.gov](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights), checked 2026-09-15. - US Department of Transportation, Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard (last updated 11 Sep 2025) - [transportation.gov](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-cancellation-delay-dashboard), checked 2026-09-15. - US Department of Transportation, File a consumer complaint - [transportation.gov](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint), checked 2026-09-15. - US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Statistics and Delay Causes (June 2026) - [transtats.bts.gov](https://www.transtats.bts.gov/ot_delay/ot_delaycause1.asp), checked 2026-09-17. - 14 CFR Part 250 (oversales and denied boarding compensation) - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-250), checked 2026-09-15. - 14 CFR Part 259 (tarmac delays, customer service plans, complaints) - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-259), checked 2026-09-15. - 14 CFR Part 260 (refunds) - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-260), checked 2026-09-15. - Federal Register 2024-23588 and 2025-02814 (denied boarding compensation limits) - [federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/24/2024-23588/periodic-revisions-to-denied-boarding-compensation-and-domestic-baggage-liability-limits), checked 2026-09-15. - Federal Register 2025-20042 (airline passenger rights, withdrawal) - [federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/17/2025-20042/airline-passenger-rights-withdrawal), checked 2026-09-15. - Federal Register 2025-22415 (unscheduled maintenance under airworthiness directives) - [federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/10/2025-22415/airline-customer-service-commitments-for-controllable-flight-disruptions-unscheduled-maintenance-in), checked 2026-09-15. - Federal Register 2026-13675 (renumbered flights, enforcement discretion extended) - [federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/07/2026-13675/airline-refunds-and-other-consumer-protections), checked 2026-09-15. - Southwest Airlines (listed in search results 14 Sep 2026): [Request Ticket Refund](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/request-ticket-refund), [Reimbursement for Costs Due to a Delayed or Canceled ...](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/delayed-or-canceled-flight), [Travel Funds, Refunds, Reimbursements, and Receipts](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/pathway/travel-funds-refunds-reimbursements-receipts), [Customer Service Plan](https://www.southwest.com/swa-resources/pdfs/corporate-commitments/customer-service-plan.pdf).