On the host’s side I imagine the odd & small refund was because that was all she received from Airbnb. Hosts were paid a small amount (not charged to guest) for each no fault Covid19 cancellation. (I received $60 for over $1500 in cancellations).

The cancellation policy is disclosed before you book.

It sounds like you may have qualified for a extenuating circumstances refund which if the guest provides documentation of illness, natural disaster, travel cancellation out of their control and a few other reasons, they may get a full refund. It is up to the guest, not the host, to request it and provide documentation to Airbnb.

If you provided an email or letter from the airlines about the cancellation, then push for the refund. If you didn’t provide it, that’s on you. You can see if Airbnb will accept something at this late date; but I doubt they will.

In the USA Airbnb provided no fault, no documentation required last minute cancellations March -May due to Covid19