In short: A cancelled flight gives you three rights. (1) A refund or re-routing – always, whatever the reason. (2) Care while you wait for a replacement – always. (3) Fixed compensation of €250 / €400 / €600 (EU261) or £220 / £350 / £520 (UK261) per passenger – if you were told less than 14 days before departure, the replacement flight did not stay within the Article 5 time windows, and the cause was not an extraordinary circumstance. If you were re-routed and arrived only slightly late, the airline may halve the compensation. Time limits are national: for example 3 years in Germany (from the end of the year), 5 in France, 6 in Ireland and in England and Wales, 5 in Scotland.
Your three rights when a flight is cancelled
Article 5 of Regulation 261/2004 – identical in the EU and UK versions – gives passengers on a cancelled flight three separate rights:
1. Refund or re-routing
Your choice (Article 8): a full refund within 7 days, the earliest available alternative, or a later date that suits you. Due whatever the cause.
2. Care
Meals and refreshments, two calls or emails and, if you have to stay overnight, a hotel and transfers (Article 9). Due even in extraordinary circumstances.
3. Compensation
€250–€600 or £220–£520 per passenger (Article 7), if you were told late and the airline cannot rely on extraordinary circumstances.
These rights stack. You can take a refund and claim compensation, or fly on the replacement and claim compensation. The compensation is not tied to the ticket price.
EU261 or UK261?
The same scope rules apply as for delays. EU261 covers flights departing the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland on any airline, and flights arriving there on an EU airline. UK261 covers flights departing the UK on any airline, and flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline. Your nationality and where you live do not matter. So a flight from Munich to Lisbon, Warsaw to Barcelona or Stockholm to Athens is under EU261 whatever the airline, and a Ryanair flight from Stansted to Dublin is under UK261 (£), while the return from Dublin is under EU261 (€). Outbound and return are assessed separately, even on one booking. The scope table in our delay guide covers the edge cases.
The 14-day rule: when you were told matters
Article 5(1)(c) removes compensation if the airline told you early enough – or if, closer to departure, it offered a replacement that kept you close to your original times. The windows are the same in EU261 and UK261:
| When you were told | No compensation if the replacement offered… | Otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| 14 days or more before departure | (no conditions) | No compensation |
| 7 to 14 days before departure | leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives less than 4 hours later than the original | Compensation due |
| Less than 7 days before departure | leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives less than 2 hours later | Compensation due |
- The airline must prove when and how it informed you (Article 5(4)).
- Notice counts when it reaches you. If the airline told only the travel agent or booking site and they did not pass it on, the airline cannot rely on that notice (Krijgsman, C-302/16, 2017). Check your spam folder and app notifications, and keep the original message with its timestamp.
- The windows only exempt the airline if it actually offered the replacement. "Your flight is cancelled, request a refund here" is not an offer of re-routing.
How much compensation for a cancelled flight?
e.g. London–Paris, Berlin–Rome, Dublin–Amsterdamover 3 hours€250UK261: £220
e.g. London–Athens, Frankfurt–Tenerife, Rome–Tel Avivover 3 hours€400UK261: £350
The 50% reduction (Article 7(2)). If the airline re-routed you and you reached your final destination no more than 2 hours (up to 1,500 km), 3 hours (1,500–3,500 km) or 4 hours (over 3,500 km) after the original arrival time, it may halve the compensation:
| Distance | Re-routed arrival delay | EU261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | up to 2 h / more than 2 h | €125 / €250 | £110 / £220 |
| 1,500–3,500 km (and intra-EU over 1,500 km) | up to 3 h / more than 3 h | €200 / €400 | £175 / £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | up to 4 h / more than 4 h | €300 / €600 | £260 / £520 |
Distances are great-circle distances to your final destination (Article 7(4)); our flight distance calculator gives the exact figure. Under EU261, intra-EU flights over 1,500 km are always in the €400 band. Compensation must be paid in money; vouchers only with your signed agreement (Article 7(3)).
Worked examples
Frankfurt → Lisbon, cancelled the evening before because of a technical fault; re-booked on the next afternoon's flight, arriving 19 hours late. The flight departs the EU, so EU261 applies whatever the airline. Under 7 days' notice, the replacement arrives more than 2 hours later, and a technical fault is not extraordinary (C-549/07): €400, because Frankfurt–Lisbon is about 1,870 km.
Stockholm → Athens, cancelled at the airport; re-routed via another airline and arriving 2 hours 40 minutes late. About 2,450 km, so the €400 band; re-routed and arriving within 3 hours, so the airline may halve it: €200.
London Gatwick → Barcelona, told 3 days before departure, re-booked on the next morning's flight, arriving 15 hours late. Less than 7 days' notice and the replacement arrives more than 2 hours later, so compensation is due: £220 under UK261 (about 1,150 km), unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.
Manchester → Tenerife, told 10 days before, moved to a flight leaving 1 hour earlier and arriving 1 hour earlier. 7–14 days' notice, departing no more than 2 hours earlier and arriving less than 4 hours later: no compensation. You can still refuse the new flight and take a full refund.
Paris → New York, cancelled at the gate, re-routed to arrive 3 hours 30 minutes late. Over 3,500 km and re-routed within 4 hours, so the airline may halve the amount: €300 under EU261.
Dublin → Faro, cancelled 2 days before because the airline's own pilots were on strike; you took a refund. Under 7 days' notice, no replacement offered, and a strike by the airline's own staff is not extraordinary (C-28/20): €400 plus the refund.
What counts as a cancellation?
A cancellation is the non-operation of a flight that was planned and on which at least one place was reserved (Article 2(l)). In practice, these situations are treated as cancellations:
- The flight number disappears and you are moved to a different flight.
- The flight is brought forward by more than one hour. The Court of Justice ruled on 21 December 2021 (joined cases C-146/20, C-188/20, C-196/20 and C-270/20) that this must be treated as a cancellation.
- The aircraft takes off but returns to the departure airport, and you continue on another flight (Sousa Rodríguez, C-83/10, 2011).
- The flight lands somewhere other than its destination, at an airport that does not serve the same city or region. As a rule, the Court treats it as not operated, and so cancelled (C-826/19). A landing at a nearby airport serving the same area is handled as a delay instead – see diverted flight compensation.
A long delay that ends with the flight operating is a delay, not a cancellation. That makes no difference to the amount if you arrive 3+ hours late. See flight delay compensation.
Refund or re-routing: which should you choose?
- Refund (Article 8(1)(a)): the full cost of the ticket "at the price at which it was bought", for the parts not flown. Parts already flown are also refunded if the trip no longer serves any purpose, plus a return flight to your first point of departure. It is due within 7 days. If you booked through an agent, the refund includes the agent's commission where the airline knew it was charged (Harms, C-601/17; confirmed in C-45/24, 2026).
- Re-routing at the earliest opportunity (Article 8(1)(b)) under comparable conditions. The CAA says this may be on another airline or by other transport. In LE v TAP (C-74/19) the Court said an airline has not taken "all reasonable measures" if it puts you on its own next flight a day later when another carrier could have got you there sooner – unless that would be an intolerable sacrifice for it.
- Re-routing at a later date of your choice, subject to seat availability (Article 8(1)(c)).
- Different airport: if the replacement lands at another airport serving the same city, the airline pays your transfer to the original airport or a nearby place you agree (Article 8(3)).
If the airline fails to re-route you and you buy a replacement yourself, keep evidence that you asked the airline first and what it answered. Then claim the reasonable cost back. Leave the original booking in place rather than cancelling it yourself, so there is no doubt the cancellation was the airline's. Our flight refund rights guide covers vouchers, partly used tickets and bookings through travel agents.
While you wait for the replacement, the airline owes you care – food, drink, calls and, overnight, a hotel. See flight delay rights.
When the airline can refuse compensation
- You were told 14 days or more ahead, or the replacement offered stayed within the windows above.
- Extraordinary circumstances caused the cancellation and could not have been avoided with all reasonable measures (Article 5(3)). The CAA's examples: weather incompatible with safe operation; strikes by airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control or Border Force; terrorism or sabotage; security risks; political or civil unrest; hidden manufacturing defects. See our guides on strikes, air traffic control and bad weather, and the strike calendar.
"Operational reasons" is not a defence. Crew shortages and crew illness (Lipton v BA Cityflyer, [2024] UKSC 24 – a cancellation case), technical faults (Wallentin-Hermann, C-549/07), a strike by the airline's own staff (C-28/20), and cancellations because too few seats were sold are all within the airline's control. Compensation is due.
How to claim compensation for a cancelled flight
- Save the cancellation notice – email, text or app message – with its date and time. That decides the 14-day test.
- Ask for the reason in writing. The airline must give you a written notice of your rights (Article 14).
- Choose refund or re-routing and confirm it in writing. Do not accept a voucher if you want money.
- Claim compensation from the operating airline – see the cancellation guides for Wizz Air, Aer Lingus, easyJet, British Airways, Ryanair and Jet2. Use our letter generator or template.
- Escalate after 2 months (8 weeks in the UK) or a final refusal. Flights from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland: the national enforcement body or ADR body of the country where the cancellation happened – usually the departure country, or the arrival country for an EU-airline flight into the EU (see, for example, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal or Ireland), then a national court or the European Small Claims Procedure. UK flights: an ADR scheme or the CAA, then court (small claims, Simple Procedure) after a letter before action.
Evidence to keep: the booking confirmation, the cancellation notice, any re-routing offer and your reply, new boarding passes, your actual arrival time, and receipts for meals, transport and hotels. Time limits are set nationally – for example 3 years in Germany, 5 in France, 6 in Ireland, 6 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 5 in Scotland; see time limits by country. Full process: how to claim.
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Common rejection reasons, and how to answer them
| The airline says | What you can reply |
|---|---|
| "We told you more than 14 days before." | Ask for proof of when and how you were told (Article 5(4)). Notice given only to your agent does not count unless it reached you (C-302/16). |
| "You accepted re-routing, so nothing more is due." | Re-routing and compensation are separate. Only the Article 5(1)(c) windows or the 50% reduction can reduce compensation. |
| "You took a refund." | A refund does not cancel compensation for a late-notice cancellation (Articles 5(1)(a) and 5(1)(c)). |
| "Staff shortages / crew sickness." | Not extraordinary: TAP C-156/22 (CJEU, 2023); Lipton v BA Cityflyer [2024] UKSC 24. |
| "Strike." | Whose strike? The airline's own staff: compensation due (C-28/20). Third parties, such as ATC: usually not. |
| "Here is a voucher." | Cash unless you agreed in writing (Article 7(3)); refunds within 7 days (Article 8(1)(a)). |
Frequently asked questions
Am I entitled to compensation if my flight is cancelled?
Yes, if you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure, the replacement offered fell outside the time windows in Article 5, and the cause was not an extraordinary circumstance. Whatever the cause and whenever you were told, you are always entitled to a refund or re-routing, plus care while you wait.
Can I get compensation and my ticket money back?
Yes. The refund or re-routing (Article 8) and the fixed compensation (Article 7) are separate rights. Taking a refund does not cancel your right to compensation for a late-notice cancellation.
Can I get a 100% refund if my flight is cancelled?
Yes, if you choose a refund rather than re-routing. You get the full price you paid for the parts of the journey not flown. You also get the parts already flown refunded if the trip no longer serves any purpose, plus a flight back to your starting point. It is due within 7 days. See flight refund rights.
How far in advance can airlines cancel flights without paying compensation?
14 days or more before departure. Between 7 and 14 days, and under 7 days, the airline escapes compensation only if it offers a replacement close to the original timings (see the 14-day table on this page). The airline has to prove when it told you.
What happens if my flight is cancelled because of an air traffic control strike?
An ATC strike is normally an extraordinary circumstance, so fixed compensation is usually not due. You still have the right to choose a refund or re-routing, and to care (meals, hotel) while you wait. A strike by the airline's own staff is different: compensation is due (CJEU, C-28/20).
Three weeks before departure the airline moved my flight. Is that a cancellation?
A schedule change is not always a cancellation. A flight brought forward by more than one hour is treated as cancelled (CJEU, joined cases C-146/20 and others, 21 December 2021). If you were told more than 14 days ahead, there is no compensation, but you can still choose a refund instead of the new time.
How long does the airline have to refund a cancelled flight?
Seven days (Article 8(1)(a)), in money, by the original payment method or bank transfer or cheque. Vouchers are only allowed if you agree in writing. If the airline is slow, write to it, escalate as on this page, and ask your card issuer about a chargeback. In the UK, for credit card payments between £100 and £30,000, ask about a section 75 claim too.
I booked a package holiday and the flight was cancelled. Who do I contact?
Fixed compensation is still claimed from the airline. The refund of a package, or changes to it, are the tour operator's responsibility under package travel law: EU261 and UK261 both say the package rules take over (Article 8(2)). See package holiday flight delays.
Related guides
- Flight delay compensation
- Flight refund rights
- Care while you wait: meals and hotels
- Denied boarding compensation
- Missed connection compensation
- Where to complain in each European country
- Case law library
This guide is general information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers and we are not AirHelp; we receive a commission when a claim submitted through our partner links succeeds. See our affiliate disclosure.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EU261), Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9 – EUR-Lex
- UK261, Article 5 (cancellation) – legislation.gov.uk
- UK261, Article 7 (right to compensation) – legislation.gov.uk
- UK261, Article 8 (reimbursement or re-routing) – legislation.gov.uk
- Flight cancellations – your rights – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- If your flight’s delayed or cancelled – Citizens Advice
- Air passenger rights – Your Europe (European Commission)
- Krijgsman, C-302/16, judgment of 11 May 2017 – Court of Justice of the EU
- Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20, judgment of 23 March 2021 – Court of Justice of the EU
- Press release 226/21: flights brought forward by more than one hour (C-146/20 and others) – Court of Justice of the EU
- Lipton v BA Cityflyer [2024] UKSC 24 – UK Supreme Court, via The National Archives
- Air passenger travel guide: summary of passenger rights – GOV.UK (Department for Transport)
We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.