Sarah Cannon was ready to start her vacation last summer on Hawaii’s big island. She, along with her in-laws, her husband and their three kids, was ticketed to fly nonstop from Denver to Kona for about a week in the tropics.

Instead, Cannon and her family got to experience a winding journey that involved mechanical issues, three different airplanes, multiple flight crews, an extra layover in California and a series of incremental delays that ultimately added up to almost 24 hours.

“It was laughable the number of texts and emails I got from United,” Cannon said. “We’ve literally spent thousands of dollars for a direct flight, I should’ve gone with a cheaper two-stop option.”

For her trouble, Cannon said, United Airlines gave her around $30 in meal vouchers per person and a form letter of apology over email.

And that may be all she’s going to get because there’s no single set of rules for airline travel woes.

Some rules, like those covering refunds for cancellations and significant flight delays by the airline, are dictated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Others, like hotel and meal vouchers and expense reimbursement, are up to individual airline policies spelled out in dozens of pages of legalese known as a contract of carriage.

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How do you know the reason for your cancellation?

“I think passengers, quite frankly, have a right to be suspicious,” William McGee told USA TODAY in 2021 when he was an aviation adviser to Consumer Reports. “Airlines are not forthcoming on a lot of issues like this.”

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