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Cancelled flight compensation
If your flight was cancelled at short notice, you are owed a refund or a replacement flight, and you may also be owed fixed compensation of up to £520 (UK261) or €600 (EU261) per passenger.
Your choices when a flight is cancelled
The airline must offer you a choice between a full refund of the unused ticket (and a flight back to your first departure point if you had already started the journey) or re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or at a later date that suits you. It must also give you care and assistance, such as meals, refreshments and a hotel when you are stranded. Compensation is separate from all of this.
The 14-day notice window
Whether compensation is due depends mainly on how much notice the airline gave you.
14 DAYS OR MORE
No compensation
If you were told at least 14 days before departure, the airline does not owe compensation. You still get your refund or re-routing.
7 TO 14 DAYS
Often compensated
Compensation is not due only if the airline offered a replacement flight that left no more than 2 hours before the original time and reached your final destination less than 4 hours after the original arrival time.
LESS THAN 7 DAYS
Often compensated
Compensation is not due only if the replacement flight left no more than 1 hour before the original time and reached your final destination less than 2 hours after the original arrival time.
The 27-case lookup. Our engine checks your cancellation against a fixed matrix of 27 statutory outcomes. It combines the notice you were given (14 days or more, 7 to 14 days, or under 7 days) with how far the replacement flight moved your departure and arrival times. You answer a few plain questions and we apply the right case, so you know the result before you pay.
How much you can claim
The same distance-based amounts apply as for delays, per passenger: £220 / €250 up to 1,500 km, £350 / €400 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, and £520 / €600 over 3,500 km. The airline can reduce the amount by half if the replacement flight gets you to your final destination within 2, 3 or 4 hours (depending on distance) of the original arrival time. Compensation is not due if the airline proves the cancellation was caused by an extraordinary circumstance (see extraordinary circumstances).
What to gather
- The date and time the airline told you about the cancellation, and how (email, text, app).
- Details of any replacement flight offered, including its departure and arrival times.
- Your booking confirmation and receipts for costs you had to pay.
Related guides
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This page is general information about UK261 and EU261. It is not legal advice. FlightPayout is not a law firm and cannot guarantee that an airline will pay. The amounts and time limits shown are those in force when this page was written; both regulations are under political review, so check the latest position before you rely on them.