Do airlines have to give you food during a flight delay?

Yes — if the delay is the airline's fault. Under the DOT's 2026 controllable delay rule, airlines must provide meal vouchers or food when a controllable delay exceeds 3 hours. "Controllable" means anything within the airline's control: mechanical issues, crew scheduling, IT outages, overbooking — basically everything except weather and air traffic control.

Before this rule, U.S. airlines had no federal obligation to feed you during any delay. Now the requirement is clear: 3+ hour controllable delay = meals provided.

For weather delays, airlines still aren't required to feed you, though some do voluntarily on very long delays. The airlines' logic is that weather isn't their fault — but of course, how the airline responds to weather (rebooking speed, crew repositioning) is their responsibility.

On the tarmac, rules are stricter: airlines must provide food and water within 2 hours of a tarmac delay, regardless of the cause. This is one of the few delay situations where weather isn't an excuse.

Keep your receipts. If the airline doesn't proactively offer food and you buy your own during a controllable delay, you can submit for reimbursement after the fact through the airline's customer service or a DOT complaint.