What you're owed when your flight is canceled or delayed may be less than you think

Whenever a flight is canceled or delayed, it causes huge headaches for travelers, but they're not always owed the relief they think they deserve.

U.S. airlines are not required to offer compensation for delays outside their control, like severe weather or air traffic control issues. And policies vary from airline to airline when it comes to delays caused by controllable issues like maintenance problems and staffing shortages.

The Department of Transportation's interactive dashboard shows what each airline owes travelers for both cancellations and delays. Some airlines may offer additional flexibility beyond what is listed on the dashboard.

Here's what air travelers should know:

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What happens if my flight is canceled?

DOT rules require all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled for any reason. What changes is what's offered to travelers who choose to rebook.

For example, If American, Delta, Hawaiian or United cancel a flight for controllable reasons, they're committed to:

• rebooking passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no extra cost

• providing a meal or cash or voucher for a meal when the cancellation results in a passenger waiting at least 3 hours for a new flight

• providing complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation

• providing complimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation

Alaska and JetBlue offer the same, plus some additional compensation.

Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest and Spirit do not book passengers on partner airlines. Additionally Frontier does not offer hotel accommodations and related transport.

What happens if a flight is delayed?

"There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed," according to the Department of Transportation, but U.S. carriers have committed to various levels of compensation for significant delays. Each airline, however, defines significant delays differently.

If a flight is significantly delayed for reasons within their control, Alaska, American, Delta, Jet Blue and United offer:

• rebooking passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no extra cost

• providing a meal or cash or voucher for a meal when the delay results in a passenger waiting for at least 3 hours for departure

• providing complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay

• providing complimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay

Alaska and JetBlue offer the same plus some additional compensation.

Allegiant, Frontier, Hawaiian, Southwest and Spirit do not rebook travelers on partner airlines. Frontier doesn't offer hotel accommodations or related transport either.

USA TODAY broke it down by airline: If your flight is delayed, you may be eligible for compensation from your airline

What should I do if my flight is delayed?

If your flight is experiencing a long delay, the Transportation Department suggests asking airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room.

The DOT dashboard reflects airlines' official policies, but many carriers handle compensation for delays on a case-by-case basis and may provide vouchers or other benefits in some situations that are not formally covered.

For example, according to Delta's Customer Commitment, "Delta representatives are empowered with the flexibility and discretion to issue the following forms of compensation for passenger inconvenience when individual circumstances warrant doing so: cash equivalents (e.g., gift cards), travel credits/vouchers, and/or miles for SkyMiles members."

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Travel insurance also helps with cancellations and delays. Some credit card companies will also reimburse cardholders for expenses associated with travel disruptions, when travel is booked with their cards.

Contributing: Zach Wichter, Josh Rivera, USA TODAY; Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight delayed or canceled? Here's what airline owe you (and don't)