The source-backed distinction
A traveler may encounter four different measurements: how much the original schedule moved, how far from the original date a replacement flight can be, when an online choice must be made, and how long a credit remains usable. The same number of hours or days cannot be transferred between those questions. The examples below preserve each official page’s own wording and scope.
This is a deliberately selected, three-page illustration for U.S. readers. It is not a survey of all U.S. airlines, a ranking, or evidence that any airline recently changed its policy.
What the three airline pages say
Official traveler source
JetBlue
Reviewed section: Flights Changed by JetBlue (Schedule Changes)
For a change greater than three hours domestically or six hours internationally, this section lists another JetBlue flight within five days before or after the original at no additional charge, or a refund to the original payment method.
What the number does not mean: Five days is the replacement-flight window. A separate “Disruptions” section uses 3+/6+ hours and a different time measure; the two sections do not settle the exact boundary here.
Inspect the official JetBlue pageOfficial traveler source
Southwest
Reviewed section: Options #2 and #4
Option #2 describes changing date or time by up to 14 days from the original travel date at no additional cost if the new itinerary does not work. It separately gives an online action period measured from the schedule change, with phone or chat assistance beyond it.
What the number does not mean: Option #2 does not state a numeric hours-shift trigger. Option #4 separately describes a payment-method refund for a three/six-hour earlier departure or later arrival and other listed changes. The 14-day replacement and online-action windows are not refund thresholds.
Inspect the official Southwest pageOfficial traveler source
Delta Air Lines
Reviewed section: Am I Experiencing a Schedule Change?; Managing a Significant Schedule Change
Delta describes a significant schedule change as a departure or arrival shifted earlier or later by at least three hours domestically or six internationally. It lists searching for another flight, canceling for a refund of the unflown portion, or choosing an eCredit.
What the number does not mean: Some date or cabin changes may require a fare difference; the reviewed sections do not promise a fixed, free replacement-flight window. A separate older-ticket footnote and booking-channel limits also matter.
Inspect the official Delta Air Lines pageThe separate U.S. DOT refund question
For covered itineraries, DOT’s current refund guidance uses an origin departure moved at least three hours earlier domestically or six internationally, or a final arrival delayed by those amounts, among other listed changes. A consumer who chooses not to travel or accept an alternative after a qualifying change may be entitled to a refund. DOT says airlines are not required by this rule to offer an alternative-flight rebooking. A carrier’s own change flexibility may therefore answer a different question from the legal refund test.
Delta’s page describes earlier or later departure or arrival when labeling a significant schedule change; that is its published wording, not a substitute for DOT’s direction-specific numeric examples. The educational DOT checker can help frame the regulatory question, but it cannot determine an individual entitlement.
Method, data and limits
We deliberately selected these three currently accessible U.S. airline traveler pages because each documents a different combination of trigger, replacement-flight choice, refund choice and action window. We read the named official sections directly on October 4, 2026 and checked the relevant DOT guidance separately. This was a repeat source read by the same research desk, not an independent dual-coder study. We have no verified historical versions showing when any clause was introduced. Individual results depend on the booking, itinerary, source scope and applicable law.
The source-linked option map separates selected airline remedies into rows; journalists and researchers can download its CSV or JSON. Those selected rows are a purposive source map, not a prevalence estimate. Our public methodology describes source and correction standards.