The finding
In this deliberately selected five-source set, a published time trigger can refer to a refund, a free rebooking, or one of several eligibility conditions. Some pages distinguish earlier from later departures or change the trigger as travel approaches. Even “at least” and “greater than” are different at the boundary. Each example below keeps its stated option and limitation attached to the number.
This is an illustration of source scope, not a ranking or a claim about how often airlines use any threshold. Our full policy index and CSV show the broader, mixed-scope source inventory.
What each official page actually describes
Finnair
- Published time trigger
- A schedule change of at least one hour when the passenger chooses not to travel.
- Option described
- Its refund FAQ says the unused ticket parts qualify for a full refund; a smaller schedule change follows the ticket rules.
Scope: This is a refund FAQ. It separately discusses cancellation and a heavy delay of more than five hours.
Read the official Finnair refund FAQAmerican Airlines
- Published time trigger
- Its FAQ lists itinerary changes of at least three hours domestically or four hours internationally. A separate 90-minute condition applies within 72 hours of departure.
- Option described
- For the listed circumstances, the FAQ describes a possible refund when the traveler declines the changed trip or rebooking.
Scope: American's published refund wording is not the definition of the U.S. DOT's separate significant-change rule.
Read the official American customer-service FAQsFrontier Airlines
- Published time trigger
- Its FAQ uses greater than three hours domestically or greater than six hours internationally for a significant schedule change or delay.
- Option described
- The page describes a refund if the traveler does not take the delayed or rescheduled flight or choose a travel credit.
Scope: The source uses “greater than,” not “at least.” It also covers cancellations and paid services not received.
Read the official Frontier refund FAQEVA Air / UNI Air
- Published time trigger
- For affected EVA (695) or UNI (525) tickets, a departure or arrival difference of more than two hours is one qualifying condition.
- Option described
- The policy describes changes or refunds for qualifying cases; certain one-time rebookings may be within 14 days either side of the disrupted flight.
Scope: Cancellation without an alternative, missed connections, airport changes, and added connections are other triggers. Ticket validity, route, class, and booking channel matter.
Read the official EVA Air schedule-change policyflydubai
- Published time trigger
- More than 72 hours before departure, its free-rebooking trigger is at least one hour earlier or three hours later. Within 72 hours, it is 20 minutes earlier or one hour later.
- Option described
- The page describes free rebooking to an eligible flydubai flight, including a stated 30-day window around the original date.
Scope: These are rebooking triggers, not a universal cash-refund rule. The page describes eligible refunds as vouchers and says applicable statutory and regulatory rights still apply.
Read the official flydubai disruption optionsKeep the U.S. DOT rule separate
For covered itineraries, DOT’s current refund guidance describes a significant change as an earlier departure or later arrival of at least three hours domestically or six hours internationally, among other listed changes. A traveler who declines travel or other compensation after a qualifying change may have a regulatory refund right. An airline’s own rebooking or refund language may address different situations; its number should not be substituted for the DOT definition. This U.S. rule is not a global rule for all routes.
Selection and limits
We selected these five traveler-facing, first-party pages from the 24 checked schedule-relevant entries in index version 2026-10-03.2 because each states an explicit numerical time trigger and together they show different types of trigger. The selection is purposive, not random or exhaustive. Sources include different markets, ticket types, and situations; their thresholds cannot be compared as if they measured the same benefit. We checked the live source pages on October 3, 2026 and found no verified before-and-after policy change for this note. Source wording may change later.
A traveler should identify the operating carrier, ticket issuer, original and replacement itinerary, change direction, timing of notice, booking channel, and applicable law before reading a threshold. Our methodology explains the index’s selection and correction process. This educational comparison does not decide any individual claim or guarantee an airline response.