Checked 26 October 2026
Cancelled flight compensation: what you can claim and when
When an airline cancels your flight you have two separate entitlements. You can always choose a refund or a new flight, plus care while you wait. You are owed fixed compensation of £220 to £520 only if the airline told you less than 14 days before departure and no extraordinary circumstance caused the cancellation.
Two entitlements, not one
The regulation (UK261, or EU261 for flights leaving an EU airport) gives you both sets of rights, and they apply independently.
- Always owed
- A choice between a full refund and re-routing, plus care (meals, phone calls and a hotel if needed) while you wait. This applies whatever caused the cancellation and however much notice you had.
- Owed in some cases
- Fixed compensation. It applies if the airline told you less than 14 days before departure and the cancellation was not caused by an extraordinary circumstance.
Taking the refund does not cost you the compensation, and taking the new flight does not either. The one thing that can remove it is a re-route that meets the exceptions below.
Refund or re-routing
You choose between these two options.
- Refund. A full refund within 7 days, covering the unused parts of the ticket. It also covers the parts you already used if the journey no longer serves its purpose.
- Re-routing. A seat at the earliest opportunity, or on a later date of your choice.
Re-routing can be on another airline if that gets you to your destination sooner. Vouchers are optional. The airline cannot make you accept one in place of a refund.
When the airline owes compensation
Compensation is due if the airline told you of the cancellation less than 14 days before departure. It is not due if the airline offered a re-route that limited the disruption, as follows.
| When you were told | The airline escapes paying only if it re-routed you to |
|---|---|
| 7 to 14 days before departure | Depart no more than 2 hours before the original time and arrive less than 4 hours after the original arrival time |
| Less than 7 days before departure | Depart no more than 1 hour before the original time and arrive less than 2 hours after the original arrival time |
If the replacement flight does not fit those limits, compensation is still due. If you were told 14 days or more before departure, the regulation owes no compensation. Refund or re-routing is still owed.
How much you are owed
The amounts under UK261 are fixed per passenger by the great-circle distance of the original flight. Children with a paid seat count. Infants travelling free do not.
| Distance | Example routes from London | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Edinburgh | £220 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Malaga, Faro, Athens, Istanbul, Tenerife, Marrakech | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | New York, Dubai, Orlando, Cancun, Bangkok | £520 |
On a flight over 3,500 km the amount drops to £260 if you were re-routed and arrived less than 4 hours after the original arrival time. EU261 amounts are €250, €400 and €600, with €300 as the reduced long-haul amount. Flights within the EU over 1,500 km pay €400.
Who has to prove the notice
The airline must prove it told you in time. If you say you heard on the day and the airline says it emailed you three weeks earlier, it needs the record to show it. If a tour operator or travel agent was told but you were not, the airline is still liable to you.
When the cancellation email arrives
- Save it. Take a screenshot of the message and the time it arrived. Keep the booking reference.
- Decide between refund and re-routing. Tell the airline which you want, in writing. If you take a refund, it is due within 7 days.
- Look at the replacement flight. Note the new departure and arrival times against the original. They decide whether the exceptions above apply.
- Ask about another airline. If the offered flight is much later, ask for a seat on another airline that gets you there sooner.
- Keep receipts for meals, taxis and a hotel if the airline does not provide them.
Not sure whether your flight qualifies?
Check your flightFree to check. If a claim company takes the case it keeps 35% of the payout, VAT included, and nothing if the claim fails. You can also claim it yourself for free.
Extraordinary circumstances
The airline does not owe compensation if it proves an extraordinary circumstance caused the cancellation, and that it took all reasonable measures. It still owes you the refund or re-routing and care.
Usually accepted: severe weather; air traffic control restrictions or strikes; airport closures or runway problems; security risks; political instability; strikes by third parties such as ground-handling staff; bird strikes (CJEU, Pešková, 2017); hidden manufacturing defects; a medical emergency or disruptive passenger on that flight.
Not accepted:
- Technical faults arising from the normal operation of an aircraft (Huzar v Jet2.com [2014] EWCA Civ 791; CJEU, van der Lans, 2015).
- Strikes by the airline's own staff (CJEU, Krüsemann, 2018, and Airhelp v SAS, 2021).
- Crew sickness, including the captain (Lipton v BA CityFlyer [2024] UKSC 24).
- Crew shortages, crew out of hours and rostering.
- "Operational reasons" with nothing more.
Claiming afterwards
Claim from the airline first, using its online form or a letter. The pages for Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways, Jet2, TUI and Wizz Air link to the direct forms. TUI says to wait 72 hours after a cancellation before submitting.
If the airline has not replied within 8 weeks, or you disagree with its final reply within 12 months, you can use a free dispute scheme. AviationADR covers Ryanair, easyJet, TUI Airways, Wizz Air and Virgin Atlantic. CEDR covers British Airways. Jet2 is not in a scheme listed by the CAA, so use the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team. After that, the county court is the next step.
The time limit is 6 years from the flight in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland. The guide to claiming yourself covers each stage, and the comparison of claim companies shows what each keeps.
Cancellation questions
I was moved to a flight the day before. Do I still get compensation?
Only if you were told less than 14 days before and the replacement does not meet the limits in the table. Told 7 to 14 days before, an airline avoids paying only if the new flight left no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late. A flight the day before leaves far more than 2 hours early, so it fails that test.
The airline cancelled and rebooked me automatically. Can I still claim?
Yes. An automatic rebooking is a re-route you did not choose. You can still ask for a refund. Compensation depends on the notice you were given and whether the new flight fits the limits above.
My flight was cancelled 13 days before departure. Is that enough notice?
No. Fourteen days is the line, so 13 days is less than 14. The airline can avoid paying only through an extraordinary circumstance or a re-route that departs no more than 2 hours early and arrives less than 4 hours late.
I booked through a travel agent. Who do I claim from?
The airline is still liable to you, even if the agent or tour operator was told of the cancellation and you were not. Quote your booking reference and the flight details when you claim from the airline.
Can I claim the hotel I had already paid for?
Not under this regulation, which covers care while you wait and the fixed compensation. A prepaid hotel at your destination is a travel insurance or contract claim. Check your policy or the terms of the booking.