TUI cancelled flight compensation

Which TUI flights this guide covers

"TUI" is a holiday group, not just an airline. For compensation, what matters is the airline that operated your flight:

• TUI Airways Limited (UK company number 00444359, registered office Wigmore House, Luton) is the UK airline. TUI's booking terms say a flight-only booking operated by TUI Airways is a contract with TUI Airways itself.
• TUI's flight delay page says it can only process claims for TUI Airways flights, and lists flight numbers starting TOM, BY, OR or BLX. BY is TUI Airways' own airline code.
• If your TUI holiday used another airline (for example a scheduled carrier on a long-haul route), TUI tells you to claim compensation from that airline on its own website. The organiser of your package is still responsible for the holiday as a whole.

Which law applies depends on where the flight departed, not where you live:

For the full scope rules see UK261 explained, and for the TUI Airways overview see TUI flight delay compensation.

When a TUI cancellation means compensation

Under Article 5 of UK261 and EU261, the amount of notice you were given decides whether compensation is due at all:

The amount depends on the great-circle distance of the flight (use our flight distance calculator):

If TUI re-routes you and you arrive within 2, 3 or 4 hours (by distance band) of the original arrival time, it may cut the compensation by 50%. TUI's own flight delay page quotes the same figures in pounds and euros. Compensation is per passenger, children included, and has to be paid in money; vouchers only count if you sign to accept them.

How often TUI Airways cancelled flights at UK airports in 2025:

Flights operated

61,607

2025, at UK airports

On time (≤ 15 min late)

59.2%

worse than the UK average (72.7%)

3 hours or more late

0.83%

1 in 120 flights · worse than the UK average

Cancelled

0.14%

88 flights · better than the UK average

Average delay

23.4 min

UK average 15.1 min

Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics 2025 – departures and arrivals combined, measured against the schedule at the UK airport. How we use this data

Refund, new flight and care while you wait

Whatever the reason for the cancellation – even bad weather – TUI Airways must offer you a choice (Article 8):

• a refund of the unused ticket within seven days (and of the used part if the trip no longer has any purpose), plus a flight back to your starting point if you are mid-journey; or
• re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity, or on a later date that suits you.

While you wait, TUI must provide care: meals and refreshments, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transfers if you are stuck overnight. TUI's flight delay page says it hands out refreshment vouchers whose value depends on the length of the delay, distance and time of day, and arranges hotels and meals (alcohol excluded) for overnight delays. Keep receipts for anything you have to pay yourself. More detail: care and assistance rights and refund rights, or our TUI-specific TUI refund guide.

Cancelled flight on a TUI package holiday

Most TUI customers book a package. TUI's package terms state that the contract is with TUI UK Limited (company number 02830117) and that the package is protected by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. That gives you two claims against two different companies:

• Flight compensation (£220–£520) is owed by the operating airline – TUI Airways for TUI-operated flights, or the other airline if TUI used one.
• The holiday itself is the organiser's responsibility. If TUI cancels the whole package, it must offer a replacement holiday or a full refund; regulation 14(3) of the 2018 Regulations says the refund must be paid "without undue delay" and in any event within 14 days. TUI's package terms also set out its own compensation for major changes made before departure (from £25 to £100 per adult, depending on how late the change is notified – check the current terms for exclusions).

If the cancellation cost you part of your holiday (a lost hotel night, a missed transfer), that is a claim against the organiser under the Package Travel Regulations. Any flight compensation you receive can be deducted from it, so you are not paid twice for the same loss (regulation 16(9)). Our package holiday guide explains the overlap step by step.

Reasons TUI gives – and which ones hold up

TUI can refuse compensation only if the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. In practice:

• Technical problems with the aircraft are normally not extraordinary. The Court of Appeal settled this for UK flights in Jet2.com v Huzar (2014). See technical faults.
• Crew shortages or sickness are generally part of running an airline – see crew shortages.
• Air traffic control restrictions and strikes by people outside the airline (ATC, airport staff) usually are extraordinary; a strike by TUI's own staff usually is not. See ATC and strikes.
• Weather counts only if it actually affected your flight – see bad weather.

If TUI names a reason, ask it to say exactly what happened to your flight and to provide evidence. A general reference to "operational reasons" is not proof.

How to claim for a cancelled TUI flight

1. Use TUI's flight delay claim form (linked from tui.co.uk's flight delay page). TUI says the form is only for TUI Airways flights and that incomplete details slow the assessment down.
2. Each passenger is entitled to compensation; give every name on the booking, the flight number, date and booking reference.
3. TUI says it aims to process claims within 14 days, longer in busy periods. If you qualify, it sends a link for your bank details.
4. If TUI rejects the claim or does not answer within 8 weeks, refer it to AviationADR – TUI Airways is listed as a member by the CAA and names the scheme in its flight-only terms. It is free for passengers. See ADR schemes and our ADR complaint template.
5. As a last step you can go to court: 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland: 5 years. See small claims court.

Our step-by-step TUI claim guide covers the form, expenses and common rejections in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation do I get if TUI cancels my flight?

If you were told less than 14 days before departure and the cause was within TUI's control, £220, £350 or £520 per passenger on flights from the UK (€250, €400 or €600 under EU261), depending on distance. It can be halved if TUI's replacement flight got you there only slightly late.

TUI cancelled my package holiday – do I get my money back?

Yes. If the organiser cancels the package, you are entitled to a full refund of what you paid for the package, and the 2018 Package Travel Regulations require it within 14 days. You can instead accept a replacement holiday if one is offered.

My TUI holiday flight was with another airline. Who do I claim from?

Flight compensation comes from the airline that operated the flight; TUI's own page tells you to claim on that airline's website. Problems with the rest of the holiday caused by the cancellation are still a matter for TUI as organiser.

Can TUI give me a voucher instead of a refund?

Only if you agree in writing. Under Article 7(3) and Article 8 of UK261/EU261, refunds and compensation are payable in money; vouchers are an option you can accept, not something TUI can impose.

The TUI Airways name belongs to its owner; EU261 Flight Delay is an independent information site and is not affiliated with TUI Airways. Information only, not legal advice.

Sources

1. Flight delays with TUI Airways – TUI UK
2. How do I claim my flight delay compensation? – TUI UK
3. TUI Airways flight-only terms and conditions – TUI UK
4. TUI package holiday terms and conditions – TUI UK
5. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (UK version), Article 5 – legislation.gov.uk
6. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (UK version), Article 7 – legislation.gov.uk
7. Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, regulation 14 – legislation.gov.uk
8. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
9. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority

We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.