Summary. Sixteen documents, starting at the gate, where most of the recoverable value is decided.
Order of operations
Templates 1 and 2 happen at the airport. Nothing after them works without them.
Templates 3–5 go out within 24 hours.
Template 15 is the one page that gets paid — by the airline, the regulator, the card issuer, and a judge. It is the same document in all four places.
One habit above all: download the contract of carriage and the customer service plan as PDFs on the day of the disruption. Carriers revise them, and the version that governs is the one in effect when you traveled.
Template 1 — Gate scripts
Say these. They produce specific results; open-ended questions do not.
On a delay, first:
"Can you tell me the cause — is this coded as controllable or as weather? And under your customer service plan, does that entitle me to meals, a hotel, and ground transportation?"
Before volunteering to be bumped:
"Before I volunteer — what would the involuntary denied boarding compensation be on this flight, and would I qualify for it?"
If involuntarily bumped:
"I understand I'm entitled to denied boarding compensation on the regulatory formula. I'd like that in cash or by check rather than a voucher, and I'd like the written statement of my denied boarding rights. I understand this is separate from rebooking or a refund."
On a cancellation:
"I am requesting a refund to my original form of payment. I am not accepting a voucher or a travel credit."
On ancillary fees:
"I'd also like refunds of the seat selection fee of $, the checked bag fee of $, and the Wi-Fi charge of $__ — none of those services were provided."
On rebooking:
"Do you have an interline agreement that would let you rebook me on another carrier? I can fly into [alternate airport] or connect through [alternate city]."
On a hotel:
"Your customer service plan commits to hotel accommodation for overnight delays within the airline's control. This was coded as maintenance. May I have a hotel voucher and ground transportation?"
Reporting a bag:
"I need to file a report before I leave the airport. Please give me the file number in writing, and tell me the deadline for the written claim."
On a delayed bag:
"What's the interim expense allowance while the bag is missing? And the checked bag fee is refundable if the bag is delayed beyond the window — please process that."
On any disability service failure:
"I'd like to speak with the Complaints Resolution Official, please."
On a damaged mobility device:
"I'm reporting damage to my mobility device before leaving the airport. I understand the baggage liability limit doesn't apply to assistive devices on domestic flights. I need a written report, and interim mobility while this is repaired."
When a promise is made:
"Could I have your name, and could you note that in the record? Would you send me an email confirming it?"
Template 2 — Disruption log
Fill this in at the gate, while it is happening.
DISRUPTION LOG
Flight: [carrier + number] · Route: []–[] · Scheduled: [date, time] Confirmation: [] · Ticket number: [] · Fare paid: $______ Ancillary fees paid: seat $__ · bag $__ · Wi-Fi $__ · other $__
Time Event / what was said Who (name, role) Board showed "delayed — [reason]" [screenshot taken] — Stated cause at each announcement: [] · Screenshots taken? ☐ Controllable or uncontrollable, as coded: [] What I asked for: [] · What I was told: [quoted] Vouchers offered: [amount, type, and whether I accepted] Rebooking offered: [flight, date, time] · Accepted? ☐ Actual arrival: [date, time] · Hours late: [] Baggage file number: [] Receipts collected: hotel ☐ · meals ☐ · transport ☐ · essentials ☐ · replacement ticket ☐ Contract of carriage and customer service plan downloaded? ☐ Date: []
Template 3 — Refund demand
[Date]
RE: Refund request — Confirmation [], Ticket [], Flight [___] on [date]
To: [Airline] Refunds Department
Flight [number] from [origin] to [destination], scheduled [date, time], was [cancelled / significantly changed] on [date]. [I did not accept the alternative offered, which was [flight, date, time], a change of [N] hours.]
I am requesting a refund of the unused portion of my ticket to my original form of payment.
I am not accepting a voucher, a travel credit, or a future flight credit. I understand that a refund is owed to the original form of payment when the carrier cancels or significantly changes a flight and the passenger does not accept the alternative, regardless of whether the fare was designated non-refundable.
Amounts requested:
Item Amount Base fare, unused segment(s) $ Taxes and fees on the unused segment(s) $ Seat selection fee — service not provided $ Checked bag fee — [not provided / bag delayed beyond the window] $ Wi-Fi / other ancillary — service not provided $ TOTAL $ Please process the refund to the card ending [____] and confirm in writing with a date.
Enclosed: the itinerary and receipt showing each charge · the cancellation notice · [my declined rebooking].
[Name] · [Address] · [Phone] · [Email] · [Date]
Template 4 — Ancillary fee demand
Send even if the flight operated. Fees for services not delivered are separately refundable and are almost never volunteered.
RE: Ancillary fee refunds — Confirmation [__], Flight [] on [date]
The following fees were paid for services that were not provided:
Fee Amount Why it was not provided Checked baggage $ Bag delivered [N] hours/days after arrival, on [date] Seat selection $ I was reseated to [seat] without my agreement Priority boarding $ Flight [cancelled / I was reaccommodated on a flight where it did not apply] Wi-Fi $ Service was inoperative for the entire flight Extra legroom $ Aircraft substitution; seat was standard Other: $ TOTAL $ Please refund these amounts to the original form of payment and confirm in writing.
Enclosed: the receipt itemizing each charge · [baggage file number ____] · [seat assignment records].
[Name] · [Confirmation] · [Date]
Template 5 — Denied boarding compensation demand
[Date]
RE: Involuntary denied boarding — Flight [], [date], Confirmation [__]
I held a confirmed reservation on flight [number] from [origin] to [destination], scheduled to depart [date, time]. I presented at the gate at [time], within the carrier's check-in and boarding deadlines, and was involuntarily denied boarding.
Facts:
- I did not volunteer to relinquish my seat
- I was rebooked on flight [number], arriving [date, time]
- My arrival was delayed by [N] hours from the original scheduled arrival
- [I was / was not] provided the written statement of denied boarding compensation rights
I request:
- Denied boarding compensation in the amount required by the oversales regulation for a delay of [N] hours, paid in cash or by check rather than in a voucher, as I am entitled to elect
- Confirmation that this compensation is in addition to, and not in lieu of, my transportation or refund
- A copy of the written statement of denied boarding rights and of the carrier's boarding priority rules from the contract of carriage
- [Refund of ancillary fees per the enclosed schedule]
If the carrier contends an exception applies, please identify it in writing, with the provision relied on.
[Name] · [Contact] · [Date]
Template 6 — Baggage damage report and claim
[Date] — filed [at the airport on (date)] and confirmed here in writing
RE: Damaged baggage — File No. [__], Flight [] on [date]
Bag: [brand, color, type] · Tag number: [] · Checked at: [airport], [time] Damage discovered: [at the carousel / before leaving the airport], [time] Report filed at the airport with: [agent name], **file number []**
The damage:
Item Description of damage Purchase date Original cost Repair estimate Suitcase [wheel sheared, frame cracked] $ $ Contents: [item] $ Total claimed: $______
Enclosed: photographs taken [date] · the airport report · the baggage tag · the boarding pass · receipts or documentation of value · repair estimates.
Please confirm receipt and advise the determination in writing. Please also refund the checked bag fee of $______.
[Name] · [Contact] · [Date]
Note: the written claim deadline is in the contract of carriage and is frequently 24 hours for damage. File within it or the claim is denied on that ground alone.
Template 7 — Delayed or lost baggage claim
RE: Delayed/missing baggage — File No. [__], Flight [] on [date]
My checked bag did not arrive with flight [number] on [date]. A report was filed at [airport] with [agent], file number [_____].
Status: [ ] Still missing as of [date] — [N] days [ ] Delivered on [date] after [N] days
1. Interim expenses. While the bag was missing I purchased necessary replacement items:
Date Item Amount $ Total $ Receipts enclosed. Please reimburse these interim expenses.
2. Checked bag fee. The bag was delayed beyond the applicable window. Please refund the checked bag fee of $______.
3. [If not recovered] Contents claim. The bag and contents are itemized on the attached inventory, with dates of purchase and values, totaling $______.
4. Please advise in writing the status of the trace and the determination.
[Name] · [Contact] · [Date]
Template 8 — Mobility device damage claim
[Date] · URGENT
RE: Damage to assistive device — Flight [] on [date], Report No. [__]
To: [Airline] — Attention: Complaints Resolution Official / Disability Services
My [power wheelchair / manual wheelchair / scooter / other assistive device] was damaged in transport on flight [number] from [origin] to [destination] on [date].
Device: [manufacturer, model, serial number] · Purchased: [date] · Original price: $______ Custom configuration: [seating system, controls, positioning components, other]
Damage: [specific — joystick assembly sheared, frame bent, footplate detached, battery housing cracked]
Reported: at [airport], before leaving, at [time], to [name]. Report number [_____]. [I requested and spoke with the Complaints Resolution Official at (time).]
Requests:
- Repair or replacement at the carrier's expense. I understand that for domestic flights the ordinary baggage liability limit does not apply to assistive devices, and that the carrier's responsibility extends to the original purchase price or the cost of repair.
- Immediate provision of interim mobility — a suitable loaner device — while mine is repaired.
- Repair by a technician qualified to service this device, restoring the custom configuration.
- Written confirmation of the timeline.
- Compensation for the period I have been without the device — [N] days to date.
Enclosed: photographs of the damage and the serial plate · the airport report · purchase documentation · the repair estimate · [a letter from my provider on the functional consequence].
I am also filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
[Name] · [Contact] · [Date]
Template 9 — Contract of carriage citation worksheet
The preemption-proof claim is a contract claim. This is how you build it.
THE PROVISION I RELY ON
Document: [ ] Contract of Carriage [ ] Customer Service Plan Version downloaded: [date] — (download it the day of the disruption; carriers revise) Section number: [] · Heading: []
Quoted text:
"[Copy the operative sentence exactly.]"
What the airline actually did: [ ]
The gap, in one sentence: ["The plan commits to hotel accommodation for overnight delays within the carrier's control. The delay was coded as maintenance. No hotel was provided."]
My damages flowing from that gap:
Item Amount Receipt $ Total $ Sections worth checking every time: schedule irregularities · check-in and boarding deadlines · baggage (acceptance, liability, claim deadlines) · denied boarding and boarding priority · refusal to transport · liability limitations · and, in the customer service plan, the commitments on meals, hotels, ground transportation, notification, and complaint response times.
Template 10 — Airline complaint letter
[Date] · Sent to [airline customer relations address] and through the online form
RE: Complaint — Flight [], [date], Confirmation [__]
What happened. Flight [number] from [origin] to [destination], scheduled [date, time], was [cancelled / delayed [N] hours / oversold]. The cause stated at the time was "[quote, with the time it was displayed]" — screenshot enclosed.
What I asked for and when.
Date/time Request Agent Response The provision I rely on. [Contract of Carriage / Customer Service Plan] § [___] provides:
"[quoted]"
What I am requesting.
Item Amount Refund, unused segment $ Ancillary fees $ Hotel $ Meals $ Ground transportation $ Denied boarding compensation $ TOTAL $ Please respond in writing within the period required by your customer service plan. If the response is a denial, please state the reason and the provision relied on.
Enclosed: itinerary and receipt · screenshots · boarding pass · receipts · the cited provision, highlighted.
[Name] · [Contact] · [Date]
Template 11 — DOT complaint narrative
AVIATION CONSUMER COMPLAINT
Complainant: [Name, address, phone, email] Airline: [] · Flight: [number] · Date: [] · Route: []–[] Confirmation / ticket number: [___]
Category: [ ] Refund [ ] Denied boarding [ ] Baggage [ ] Disability [ ] Tarmac delay [ ] Misleading practice [ ] Other
What happened, chronologically:
Date/time Event Flight cancelled; cause displayed as [___] I requested a refund to my original form of payment Airline offered only a travel credit I wrote to customer relations Airline responded [quote] / did not respond The specific issue: ["[Airline] refused to provide a refund to my original form of payment after cancelling flight [number] on [date], offering only a travel credit."]
What I have already done: contacted the airline on [dates], in writing on [date]. Response: [quote / none].
What I am asking the Department to do: [investigate; direct a refund of $______; address the disability service failure described].
Enclosures: itinerary · receipts · screenshots · correspondence with the airline · [baggage or disability report and file number].
[Date]
Template 12 — Credit card chargeback
[Date]
RE: Dispute — Account ending [], charge of $__ on [date] to [Airline]
I am disputing this charge as services not rendered.
The charge was for air transportation on flight [number] from [origin] to [destination] on [date], plus ancillary fees for [seat selection / checked baggage / Wi-Fi].
The service was not provided. The flight was [cancelled / significantly changed and I did not accept the alternative], and [the checked bag was never delivered / the seat was not provided / the Wi-Fi was inoperative].
I requested a refund from the merchant on [date], in writing. The merchant [offered only a travel credit / did not respond / refused]. Correspondence enclosed.
Amount disputed: $______, itemized:
Item Amount $ Enclosed: itinerary and receipt · cancellation notice · my written refund request and any response.
[Name] · [Account] · [Date]
File within your issuer's dispute window — usually measured from the statement date — rather than after months of correspondence.
Template 13 — Credit card trip delay / baggage benefit claim
File in parallel with the airline claim, not after. These deadlines are shorter than the airline's process.
BENEFIT CLAIM — [Card issuer], [benefit administrator]
Cardholder: [Name] · Card ending: [____] · Claim type: [ ] Trip delay [ ] Trip cancellation [ ] Baggage delay [ ] Baggage loss
The trip was paid for with this card — charge of $______ on [date]. Statement enclosed.
The covered event: Flight [number] on [date] was [delayed [N] hours / cancelled]. [Baggage delayed [N] hours / lost.] Carrier documentation enclosed.
Expenses claimed:
Date Item Amount Receipt Hotel $ ☐ Meals $ ☐ Ground transportation $ ☐ Essential replacement items $ ☐ Total $ Airline reimbursement received to date: $______ [or: none; request pending since (date)]
Enclosed: itinerary · carrier delay/cancellation confirmation · baggage file number · all receipts · card statement.
[Name] · [Contact] · [Date]
Before the next trip: search your card's name plus "guide to benefits," read the trip delay, trip cancellation, and baggage sections, and pay for travel with the card that carries the coverage.
Template 14 — Small claims outline
PLAINTIFF'S CASE — [Name] v. [Airline], Case No. [___]
The claim is BREACH OF CONTRACT. (Frame it this way. Most state-law claims relating to price, route, or service are preempted; a routine breach-of-contract claim enforcing the carrier's own self-imposed undertakings is not.)
1. The contract. Plaintiff purchased transportation on [date] for $______. The agreement includes Defendant's Contract of Carriage and Customer Service Plan, published by Defendant. Exhibit A (relevant pages, highlighted).
2. The promise. Section [___] provides: "[quoted]."
3. The breach. On [date], flight [number] was [cancelled / delayed], coded as [cause] — Exhibit B (screenshot). Defendant did not [provide the hotel accommodation / refund to the original form of payment / pay denied boarding compensation] as promised.
4. Notice. Plaintiff requested performance on [dates], orally and in writing — Exhibit C. Defendant [refused / did not respond] — Exhibit D.
5. Damages.
Item Amount Exhibit $ Total $ 6. Relief requested: $______ plus costs.
Bring three copies of everything. Number the exhibits. Highlight the operative sentence in the contract. Do not argue fairness — argue the document.
Template 15 — One-page claim summary
The document that gets paid. The same page works for the airline, the DOT, the card issuer, and a judge.
CLAIM SUMMARY
Passenger: [name] · Confirmation: [] · Ticket: [] Flight: [carrier + number], [origin]–[destination], scheduled [date/time] Actual arrival: [date/time] · Hours late: [___]
What happened: [two sentences] Stated cause: [as displayed, with the time] — screenshot at Tab B Coded controllable / uncontrollable: [___]
What I asked for and when: [dated list] What the airline said: [quoted, with names]
The provision I rely on: [Contract of Carriage / Customer Service Plan] § [___]: "[quoted]" — Tab A
CLAIM
Item Amount Support Refund, unused segment $ Tab C Seat selection fee $ Tab C Checked bag fee $ Tab C Denied boarding compensation $ Tab D Hotel $ Tab E Meals $ Tab E Ground transportation $ Tab E Baggage damage / contents $ Tab F TOTAL $ Tabs: A — cited provision · B — screenshots · C — itinerary and receipt · D — denied boarding record · E — expense receipts · F — baggage report and photographs · G — correspondence.
Template 16 — Pre-trip preparation
BEFORE EVERY TRIP
Item ✓ Know the carrier's check-in and boarding deadlines ☐ Save the airline's phone number and social media handle in your phone ☐ Know your card's trip delay and baggage benefits, and pay with that card ☐ Carry on: medication · documents · electronics · jewelry · keys · a day of clothing ☐ Photograph checked bags and contents ☐ For valuable checked items on an international trip: consider a special declaration of value ☐ If traveling with a disability, additionally:
Item ✓ Assistance requested at booking and at check-in, with confirmation ☐ Service animal DOT forms submitted the day you booked ☐ Advance notice given for any service that permits a notice requirement ☐ Battery chemistry and configuration communicated for a powered device ☐ Mobility device photographed, including the serial and model plate ☐ Device configuration documented, so it can be reassembled correctly ☐ Know the phrase: "I'd like to speak with the Complaints Resolution Official." ☐
The short version
- Screenshot the stated cause. It changes, and it decides everything.
- Ask what the involuntary compensation is before volunteering.
- Say the word "refund," and decline the voucher explicitly.
- Ask for every ancillary fee back, by name.
- Report baggage before leaving the airport; the written claim deadline is often 24 hours.
- "Complaints Resolution Official" — by title.
- Download the contract of carriage and customer service plan on the day.
- Frame every claim as contract, and attach the provision.
- File the card benefit claim in parallel, not after.
- One page on top, with tabs behind it.
Related documents
- Air Travel and Passenger Rights
- Handling a Flight Disruption and Filing a Claim
- Air Travel Disruption and Claim Checklist
- Disability Rights Toolkit
- Insurance Claim and Bad Faith Checklist
- Self-Represented Litigant Toolkit
- Short-Term Rental Toolkit
Educational only, not legal advice. Adapt every template to your carrier's current contract of carriage and customer service plan, and check current Department of Transportation guidance — the rules in this area change.
