What Are the Chances of Getting a Free Hotel Room If Your Flight Is Delayed?

If your flight gets delayed, the last thing you want to do is sleep overnight at the airport. But, what are the chances that your airline will book you a complimentary hotel room so you can get a good night of sleep before your rescheduled flight? 

We asked lawyer and personal finance pro Erika Kullberg (Instagram: @erikankullberg) — who has built a huge online following (19M+ combined followers) for reading and explaining companies’ terms-and-conditions to make sure consumers know their rights — to answer common travel policy questions. 

In other words, she reads the fine print so you don’t have to! 

So, if your flight gets delayed and you need a hotel room, can you get that cost covered? 

Erika Says... 

Most likely yes! However, the reason for the delay has to be within the airline’s control. A controllable reason is something like a mechanical issue or a staffing shortage, while an uncontrollable reason would be something like bad weather.  

If the reason is controllable, most airlines will provide you with a hotel room and many will also provide ground transportation to and from that hotel.  

You can also potentially get a free hotel room (as well as insurance for lost luggage) with certain credit cards. That’s why Erika says it’s always good to check your card’s benefits.  

Be sure to also check out Erika’s tips on canceled flights, price-matching flights and overbooked flights.