In short: Under Article 8 of EU261 and UK261 you can choose a refund when your flight is cancelled, delayed 5 hours or more, or you are denied boarding. The refund is the full price you paid for the unused parts of the journey, plus the parts already flown if the trip has become pointless, and a flight back to your starting point if you are mid-journey. It is due within 7 days, in cash, by bank transfer or by cheque. Vouchers only with your signed agreement. A refund does not cancel compensation for a late-notice cancellation. If you cancel yourself, the regulation does not help; your fare rules do.
When you have a right to a refund
| What happened | Refund right? | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| The airline cancelled your flight (any notice, any reason) | Yes, your choice of refund or re-routing | Article 5(1)(a) with Article 8 |
| Departure delayed 5 hours or more and you decide not to fly | Yes | Article 6(1)(iii) with Article 8(1)(a) |
| Denied boarding against your will | Yes | Article 4(3) with Article 8 |
| You volunteered to give up your seat | Yes, in addition to the agreed benefits | Article 4(1) |
| A flight brought forward by more than one hour | Yes – treated as a cancellation | CJEU, C-146/20 and others (2021) |
| You cancelled or missed the flight yourself | Not under the regulation – check your fare rules | – |
Which law applies follows the usual scope rules: EU261 for departures from the EU, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland and for EU airlines flying into the EU; UK261 for departures from the UK and for UK or EU airlines flying into the UK. See the scope table.
What must be refunded
Article 8(1)(a) gives you "reimbursement within seven days … of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought". In practice:
- The whole fare, including taxes and charges paid as part of the ticket.
- Agent commission. If you bought through an online travel agent or booking site that was authorised to issue the airline's tickets, the refund must include the commission it charged you. In Harms v Vueling (C-601/17, 2018) the exception was a commission set without the airline's knowledge. In C-45/24 (15 January 2026) the Court added that an airline which lets an agent issue tickets in its name is assumed to know the agent charges commission, even if it does not know the amount.
- A return flight to your first point of departure at the earliest opportunity, if you are stuck part-way through the journey.
The regulation does not settle whether paid extras such as seat selection or checked bags count as part of the "ticket". Ask the airline to refund extras for a flight it did not operate, and use your card rights if it refuses. Insurance and car hire bought from other companies follow their own terms.
Partly used and return tickets
The refund covers the part or parts of the journey not made, and the parts already made if the flight "is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan" (Article 8(1)(a)).
- Outbound cancelled on a return booking: if the trip is pointless without the outbound, you can ask for the whole return fare back. ABTA's guidance gives the same example.
- Return flight cancelled while you are away: you can take a refund of the return leg and book your own way home, or ask to be re-routed. Re-routing is usually the safer choice when replacement fares are high, because the airline must then get you home.
- Connecting journey cancelled at the hub: the refund covers the unflown legs plus the flown ones if the journey has lost its purpose, together with a flight back to your origin.
- Outbound and return as separate bookings (common with low-cost airlines): only the disrupted booking is refunded under the regulation.
Seven days, in money
The regulation sets a 7-day deadline. Payment must be made "in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques" (Article 7(3), applied to refunds by Article 8(1)). The UK government's passenger rights guide and Citizens Advice also state that refunds should be paid within 7 days. In practice many airlines take longer, especially in mass disruption. That does not change the deadline, and it gives you grounds to escalate.
Refunds normally go back to the card or account used to pay. If the card has been closed, give the airline bank details in writing.
Vouchers and travel credit
A voucher, credit shell or "future travel credit" can replace a cash refund only with your signed agreement (Article 7(3)). Clicking through an airline web page that offers a voucher first is not a reason to accept it. If you want your money:
- choose "refund" rather than "voucher" on any online form, and screenshot your choice;
- if only a voucher option appears, write to the airline asking for a cash refund under Article 8(1)(a);
- do not use the voucher if you are disputing it, as that may be taken as acceptance.
The same rule protects cancellation and delay compensation: cash unless you sign up to something else.
Booked through a travel agent or booking site
The legal duty to refund under Article 8 rests on the operating airline. Many airlines pay refunds back through the agent that took your money, and the agent then passes them on. If you are stuck between the two:
- ask the agent in writing whether it has received the refund from the airline, and when;
- write to the airline too, quoting Article 8(1)(a), your booking reference and the agent's name, and ask it to confirm the date and recipient of the refund;
- if neither pays, use the escalation steps below and contact your card issuer.
The refund includes any commission the agent charged you, where the airline authorised it to sell its tickets (C-601/17; C-45/24). See our airline refund guides for easyJet, British Airways, Ryanair and Jet2.
Package holidays
If your flight is part of a package, the regulation keeps the return-flight right but leaves the refund to package travel law (Article 8(2)). In the EU that is the Package Travel Directive (EU) 2015/2302, which requires the organiser to refund "without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days" after the package contract is terminated (Article 12(4)); in the UK, the Package Travel Regulations 2018. Citizens Advice says UK organisers must refund within 14 days when they cancel a package. You claim the package refund from the tour operator, while any fixed delay or cancellation compensation is still claimed from the airline. See package holiday flight delays.
If the airline will not refund you
- Put it in writing. Cite Article 8(1)(a), the 7-day deadline, the amount and your payment details. Our letter generator and template help.
- Card protection. Ask your card issuer about a chargeback, wherever in Europe your card was issued. In the UK, for credit card purchases of more than £100 (and up to £30,000), you may also have a section 75 claim against the card provider. The UK government guide notes credit card protection for purchases over £100.
- Escalate. After 2 months (8 weeks in the UK) or a final response. EU, EEA and Swiss flights: the national enforcement body or ADR body of the country where the flight was disrupted – our country guides name it, for example Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal or Poland. UK flights: an ADR scheme or the CAA.
- Court. In the EU, a national court or the European Small Claims Procedure for cross-border claims; in the UK, a letter before action, then the small claims court.
- Airline insolvency. If the airline goes bust, ATOL-protected bookings are refunded through the ATOL scheme, and card protection may cover flight-only bookings (GOV.UK guide).
Refund claims follow the same national limitation rules as compensation: for example 3 years in Germany (from the end of the year), 5 in France, 6 in Ireland, and in the UK 6 years (Scotland 5). See time limits.
Refund and compensation: can you have both?
For a cancellation notified less than 14 days ahead and within the airline's control, yes: the refund (Article 8) and compensation of €250–€600 / £220–£520 (Article 7) are separate. For a long delay, the compensation depends on arriving 3+ hours late; if you take a refund at 5 hours and stay at home, you are unlikely to qualify. Check your flight:
Cancelled flight? Check compensation as well
Two minutes, free, no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get a full refund if my flight is cancelled?
Yes, if you choose a refund instead of a replacement flight. Article 8(1)(a) requires reimbursement of the full cost of the ticket at the price you paid, for the parts not flown – and for parts already flown if the trip has lost its purpose – within 7 days.
Can I get my money back if I cancel my flight myself?
Not under EU261 or UK261: they only cover cancellations, long delays and denied boarding caused by the airline. If you cancel, your fare conditions decide what you get back. Flexible fares may be refundable; many cheap fares are not. Check the airline's terms and ask what can be returned.
What can I do if an airline refuses to refund my money?
Write to the airline citing Article 8(1)(a) and the 7-day deadline. If it still does not pay, escalate to the national enforcement body or ADR body of the country where the flight was disrupted (EU, EEA and Swiss flights) or to the airline's ADR scheme or the CAA (UK flights), and ask your card issuer about a chargeback. In the UK, credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000 may also be claimable under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. A national court or the European Small Claims Procedure is the last step.
Can I get a 100% refund on a flight cancellation?
Yes: the regulation speaks of "the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought". That includes taxes and charges, and – if you booked through an agent the airline authorised to sell its tickets – the agent's commission (CJEU, C-601/17 and C-45/24).
How long does an airline have to refund a cancelled flight?
Seven days (Article 8(1)(a)). The CAA's delay and cancellation pages do not repeat the deadline, but the regulation and the UK government's passenger rights guide both state it.
I accepted a voucher. Can I still get cash?
The law only allows a voucher with your signed agreement, so the answer depends on what you agreed. Read the voucher terms – some airlines let you convert unused vouchers to cash. If you were pushed into it or never agreed in writing, ask for a cash refund and escalate if refused.
Does a refund mean I lose my compensation?
For a cancellation with less than 14 days' notice, no: refund and compensation are separate rights. For a delay of 5 hours or more, if you take the refund and do not travel, you are unlikely to also get delay compensation, because you never arrived late.
Related guides
- Cancelled flight compensation
- Flight delay rights: meals, hotels and care
- Denied boarding compensation
- How to claim, step by step
- 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 4, 5, 6, 7(3) and 8 – EUR-Lex
- UK261, Article 8 (reimbursement or re-routing) – legislation.gov.uk
- UK261, Article 7 (form of payment, Article 7(3)) – legislation.gov.uk
- Flight cancellations – your rights – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- Air passenger travel guide: summary of passenger rights – GOV.UK (Department for Transport)
- If your flight’s delayed or cancelled – Citizens Advice
- Air passenger rights: reimbursement and re-routing – Your Europe (European Commission)
- My flight’s been cancelled – what will happen to the rest of my holiday? – ABTA
- Press release 128/18: Harms v Vueling, C-601/17 – Court of Justice of the EU
- Directive (EU) 2015/2302 on package travel and linked travel arrangements, Article 12(4) – EUR-Lex
- Press release 3/26: Verein für Konsumenteninformation, C-45/24 (commission collected by an intermediary) – Court of Justice of the EU
We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.