In short: After a cancellation, Wizz Air lets you choose in your WIZZ Account (up to 3 hours before the original departure): accept the alternative flight, rebook free on the same or a comparable route from 14 days before to 30 days after the original date, take WIZZ credits, or get a refund to your original payment method. Separately, if notice was under 14 days and the cause was within Wizz's control, you can claim €250 / €400 / €600 (EU261) or £220 / £350 / £520 (UK261) per passenger. Which law applies depends on the operating company: W6 Hungary, W4 Malta or W9 UK.
Which Wizz Air company cancelled your flight
"Wizz Air" is a group of separately licensed airlines. The first two characters of your flight number tell you which one operated it:
| Code | Airline | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| W6 | Wizz Air Hungary | Hungary (EU) |
| W4 | Wizz Air Malta | Malta (EU) |
| W9 | Wizz Air UK | United Kingdom |
For UK passengers this decides which regulation applies:
| Route | W6 / W4 (EU airlines) | W9 (UK airline) |
|---|---|---|
| UK → EU (e.g. Luton–Bucharest) | UK261 (departure from the UK) and EU261 (EU airline landing in the EU) – claim under one only | UK261 |
| EU → UK (e.g. Bucharest–Luton) | EU261; UK261 also covers an EU airline landing in the UK – claim once | EU261; UK261 also covers a UK airline landing in the UK – claim once |
| Within the EU | EU261 | EU261; UK261 also covers a UK airline landing in the EU – claim once |
| Non-EU → EU (e.g. from the Middle East) | EU261 | Not EU261; UK261 covers a UK airline landing in the EU (Art. 3(1)(b)) |
The full explanation, including Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's closure in 2025, is on our Wizz Air Hungary, Malta and UK page.
When a Wizz Air cancellation means compensation
Compensation depends on when you were told and how far you were flying (Articles 5 and 7):
| Notice | Compensation due? |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No |
| 7–13 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 h earlier and arrives less than 4 h later |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 h earlier and arrives less than 2 h later |
| Distance | EU261 | UK261 | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 | Luton–Warsaw (about 1,455 km) |
| 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | £350 | Luton–Bucharest (about 2,105 km) |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 | longer routes to the Middle East |
The amount may be halved if Wizz's replacement flight got you there within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original arrival time (by distance band). Check the band with our distance calculator. No compensation is due if Wizz proves extraordinary circumstances – but a cancellation for technical, crew or "operational" reasons usually does not qualify.
How often Wizz Air cancelled flights at UK airports in 2025:
- Flights operated
- 57,887
- On time (≤ 15 min late)
- 76.8%
- 3 hours or more late
- 0.82%
- Cancelled
- 0.34%
- Average delay
- 14.7 min
2025, at UK airports
close to the UK average (72.7%)
1 in 122 flights · worse than the UK average
200 flights · better than the UK average
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
Your options: alternative flight, rebooking, credits or refund
Wizz Air's Help Centre lists four options after a cancellation it caused; the exact list for your booking is in your WIZZ Account or the cancellation email:
- Accept the alternative flight Wizz has offered.
- Rebook free of charge to another Wizz flight on the same or a comparable route, on any date from 14 days before to 30 days after the original departure, subject to seats.
- WIZZ credits for the full fare.
- Refund of the total fare paid for the cancelled flight to your original payment method.
You make the choice in the WIZZ Account you booked with, up to 3 hours before the original departure time – or at the airport ticket desk, through the link in the cancellation email, Live Chat or the call centre. If you booked through a travel agency or comparison site, the agency controls the booking; Wizz asks that the agency contacts it, or that you obtain the booking details (confirmation code, email, phone and card details) from the agency.
Credits or cash? The law gives you a refund in money; credit is only an alternative you may choose. Wizz says credits are available within 48 hours, while card or bank refunds can take up to 30 days – and it offers a form to convert credits back into cash. Details: Wizz Air refunds.
Check your Wizz Air flight
Two minutes, free, no sign-up.
Care at the airport and self-arranged travel
Wizz Air's passenger rights page says it provides assistance under Regulation 261/2004 after a cancellation:
- Two free phone calls or emails, or reimbursement of their reasonable cost.
- Hotel and transfers if your new flight is not on the same date, or reimbursement within a reasonable amount. Keep VAT invoices for hotel, transport and meals.
- Alternative transport you arrange yourself – train, bus, another airline or car hire – if Wizz cannot rebook you on the same or next day and later dates do not suit you. Wizz asks you to speak to its ground handling agents first, to travel under comparable conditions and to choose a reasonably priced option; keep the tickets and invoices.
These costs are claimed through Wizz's claim form, separately from the fixed compensation. General rules: care and assistance.
How to claim for a cancelled Wizz Air flight
- Log in to your WIZZ Account and open the claim form from the Compliments and complaints page (Wizz requires you to log in to submit a message).
- Pick the right category – Wizz warns that a wrong category slows things down – and request compensation and any expenses, with receipts attached.
- Wizz says its customer relations team replies within 30 days. Track the claim under "Your Claims" in your account; do not open a duplicate, as duplicates are merged.
- If Wizz refuses, refer the dispute to AviationADR (Wizz names it, and the CAA lists Wizz Air as a member) for UK cases, or to the enforcement body of the EU country you departed from. See ADR schemes and national enforcement bodies.
Full walkthrough: how to claim from Wizz Air. Overview of delays: Wizz Air delay compensation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Wizz Air pay compensation for cancelled flights?
Yes, when you were told less than 14 days before departure and the cancellation was not caused by extraordinary circumstances: €250, €400 or €600 under EU261 (£220, £350 or £520 under UK261) per passenger, by distance. You claim through the form in your WIZZ Account.
If I take WIZZ credits, can I still claim compensation?
The credits replace the ticket price; compensation is a separate right under Article 7. Choosing credits instead of a cash refund does not by itself give up the compensation claim.
How long does Wizz Air take to refund a cancelled flight?
Wizz says WIZZ credits are available within 48 hours, and that refunds requested via the claim form are processed within 30 days, with card or bank refunds taking up to 30 days to arrive. The law (Article 8) sets 7 days for a refund.
Can I rebook a cancelled Wizz flight for free?
Wizz's Help Centre says you can rebook free of charge to a Wizz flight on the same or a comparable route, from 14 days before to 30 days after the original date, subject to availability, up to 3 hours before the original departure.
The Wizz Air name belongs to its owner; EU261 Flight Delay is an independent information site and is not affiliated with Wizz Air. Information only, not legal advice.
Sources
- Cancelled flight: what to do? – Wizz Air
- Passenger rights (cancelled flight) – Wizz Air
- Refund processing time and status – Wizz Air
- Claim submission – Wizz Air
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (UK version), Article 5 – legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (UK version), Article 7 – legislation.gov.uk
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- 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.