Guides
Air travel guides
Practical guides to the rules that cost travellers money: baggage charges, fare restrictions, refund entitlements, identification requirements and booking timing. Every page links to its primary source and carries the date we last checked it.
What ID you need to fly within the United States
REAL ID enforcement, acceptable alternatives, what happens if you turn up without compliant identification, and the rules for minors.
Read the guideAirline baggage fees compared: what sets the price
What decides the bag fee on each main US carrier, where the official fee is published, and the US rules on disclosure and refunds.
Read the guideBasic Economy vs Main Cabin: what you actually give up
The restrictions differ by airline. What each one takes away, how to compare the total with Main Cabin, and when it is still worth booking.
Read the guideYour refund rights when a flight is cancelled or delayed
When you are owed money rather than a travel credit, what counts as a significant delay, and how to make the claim.
Read the guideWhen to book a flight, and what does not matter
Booking windows that hold up, myths that do not, and the one rule that gives you a free 24 hours to change your mind.
Read the guideWrong name on your ticket: what can actually be fixed
A misspelling is usually fixable. A transfer to a different person almost never is. Knowing which you have is the whole problem.
Read the guideChanging or cancelling a flight without losing the money
Change fees are mostly gone. The fare difference is not. Here is what a change actually costs you.
Read the guideBooking US domestic flights from the UK or Canada
Payment declines, connection times after an international arrival, and why a separate domestic ticket can cost you your bag.
Read the guideThe TSA liquids rule for carry-on bags
What fits in the quart-sized bag, what is exempt, how duty-free liquids are handled on a connection, and what PreCheck does and does not change.
Read the guideBumped from an oversold flight: what the airline owes you
Volunteering versus being bumped, the federal compensation formula and caps, the exceptions airlines rely on, and why you can insist on a check.
Read the guideLost, delayed or damaged luggage: what the airline owes you
The bag fee refund, the domestic liability floor, the international claim deadlines, and the report you must file before leaving the airport.
Read the guideTarmac delay rules: how long you can be kept on board
The 3 and 4-hour deplaning limits, food and water by the two-hour mark, the exceptions, and what getting off actually means for your trip.
Read the guideMissed your connecting flight: what happens next
Why one ticket versus two decides almost everything, when you can take a refund instead, and how to protect a self-made connection.
Read the guideFlying with a lap infant: the rules and the safer option
The second-birthday rule, the FAA's advice on car seats, where you can sit, what TSA asks of parents, and international paperwork.
Read the guideTSA PreCheck or Global Entry: which one you actually need
What each program speeds up, who is eligible, what they cost and how long they last, and the simple rule for choosing between them.
Read the guideThe ESTA: what Visa Waiver travellers need before flying to the US
Who needs an ESTA, the fee set from October 2026, how long approval lasts, transits, and the travel history that rules you out.
Read the guideThe UK ETA for American travellers, explained
The £20 UK travel authorisation: who needs it, how long a decision takes, how long it lasts, and when a connection in London needs one.
Read the guideFlight delay compensation in Canada: what the APPR requires
The three categories of disruption, the compensation table for large and small airlines, rebooking and refunds, and how to claim.
Read the guideUK flight delay compensation: how UK261 works
Which flights are covered, the fixed compensation amounts by distance, care while you wait, refunds, and how to claim.
Read the guideTaking a power bank on a plane: the battery rules
The watt-hour limits, why spare batteries can never go in a checked bag, converting mAh to Wh, and the stricter airline rules.
Read the guideCan you bring food through TSA? What is allowed, item by item
Solid versus liquid food, common items from sandwiches to peanut butter, frozen food and dry ice, alcohol, and declaring food to CBP.
Read the guideFlying with a pet in cabin: what airlines and US rules require
Airline pet policies, TSA pet screening, the federal service dog rules, emotional support animals, and bringing a dog back into the US.
Read the guideStart with the problem you have
Most people arrive here with a specific situation rather than a general question. These are the guides that answer the common ones first.
- Something went wrong on the day. A cancellation or long delay: refund rights. Stuck on the aircraft: tarmac delay rules. Lost the onward flight: missed connecting flights. Removed from an oversold flight: bumping compensation.
- Your bag did not arrive. Lost, delayed or damaged luggage covers the fee refund and the claim deadlines.
- You need to change the booking. Changing or cancelling a flight and fixing a name on a ticket.
- You are about to book. When to book, Basic Economy vs Main Cabin and baggage fees compared.
- You are about to fly. ID at the checkpoint, the liquids rule and flying with a baby. Packing chargers: power bank rules. Packing snacks or a cooler: food through TSA. Tired of security lines: TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry.
- Someone else is coming too. A dog or cat in the cabin, or a trained service dog: flying with a pet in cabin. A baby on your lap: flying with a lap infant.
- You are crossing a border. Visiting the US on a UK or other Visa Waiver passport: the ESTA. Americans visiting Britain: the UK ETA.
- Your flight touched the UK or Canada. Different rules may pay fixed compensation: UK261 and Canada's APPR.
Each guide names the regulation or official page it relies on, usually the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, the Department of Transportation, the FAA, TSA or CBP, and for UK and Canadian rules the Civil Aviation Authority, GOV.UK or the Canadian Transportation Agency, and shows the date we last checked it. Where a figure such as a compensation cap is adjusted for inflation, we say so and link to the current text.
Questions about these guides
Are these guides legal advice?
No. They are general explanations of the published rules, written by a travel agency and linked to the primary sources. For a dispute about your own booking, the airline's contract of carriage and the regulator are the authority.
Do US rules give compensation for a delayed flight?
Generally no. US rules give a refund if a flight is cancelled or significantly delayed and you choose not to travel, and they require compensation when you are bumped involuntarily from an oversold flight, but there is no general cash payment for delay. UK and Canadian rules are different and can pay fixed compensation on flights they cover.
How often are the guides checked?
Each guide shows the date it was last verified. We re-check a guide when the underlying rule changes and re-date it when we do; if you spot something out of date, the editorial policy explains how to tell us.
Looking for something more specific?
Some questions turn on your exact booking rather than on general rules. Send us the details and we will answer the specific case.