A cancellation gives you three separate things under EU and UK rules: a choice about what happens to your trip, care while you wait, and in many cases a fixed payment. Airlines often offer only the first. The three do not depend on each other, so ask for each one.
Refund or re-routing: your choice, not the airline’s
The airline must offer you the choice between (Art. 5(1)(a) and Art. 8(1), Regulation 261/2004):
- A full refund within seven days, covering the unused parts of the ticket, and the used parts too if the trip no longer serves its purpose, with a flight back to your first departure point where relevant
- Re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, under comparable transport conditions
- Re-routing at a later date that suits you, subject to seat availability
“Earliest opportunity” is not limited to the airline’s own flights. An airline that puts you on its own flight the next day, when another carrier had seats earlier, has not taken all reasonable measures (CJEU, TAP, C-74/19).
Tip
If you had to buy a new ticket yourself because the airline offered nothing, claim the cost back and keep the receipts.
When compensation is due
You are owed fixed compensation unless you were told early enough or re-routed closely enough (Art. 5(1)(c)):
| When you were told | No compensation only if the new flight |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before departure | No compensation in any case |
| Between 14 and 7 days before | Leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives less than 4 hours later |
| Less than 7 days before | Leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives less than 2 hours later |
The amounts are the same as for delays (Art. 7(1)):
| Flight distance | EU / EEA | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| Over 1,500 km within the EU, and other flights of 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 |
If the airline re-routes you and you arrive no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late (by distance band), it may halve the amount (Art. 7(2)).
The airline escapes compensation if it proves the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures (Art. 5(3)). It must prove this; you do not have to disprove it.
- A strike by its own crew or a routine technical fault does not qualify.
Good to know
A refund and care are still owed either way.
Care at the airport
While you wait for a replacement flight, the airline must provide (Art. 5(1)(b) and Art. 9):
- Meals and drinks in reasonable relation to the wait.
- Two phone calls or emails.
- A hotel with transfers if the new flight leaves the next day or later.
This applies even during events that close airspace for days (CJEU, McDonagh, C-12/11).
United States
US rules give no compensation for cancellations, but the refund is strong. If the airline cancels a flight to, from or within the US and you do not accept the alternative or a travel credit, it must refund you automatically, without you having to ask (14 CFR Part 260):
- Within 7 business days for credit card purchases.
- Within 20 calendar days for other payments.
The Department of Transportation has paused enforcement only for flights that were simply given a new flight number with no significant change to your itinerary. See US DOT rules.
Brazil
Under ANAC Resolution 400/2016, a cancellation gives you the choice between re-accommodation, a full refund and transport by another mode (Art. 21).
- Re-accommodation is free and can be on another airline’s flight at the first opportunity (Art. 28).
- The refund is due within seven days of your request (Art. 29).
- Material assistance applies while you wait: food after two hours and accommodation after four when an overnight stay is needed (Art. 27).
- Schedule changes made in advance must be communicated at least 72 hours before the flight (Art. 12).
There is no fixed compensation; damages are claimed under the Consumer Defence Code. See ANAC Resolution 400 and, for flights within Brazil, cancelled flight in Brazil.
What to do now
- Ask the airline in writing (app chat or email is fine) which option you choose: refund or re-routing.
- If you need to travel, ask for the earliest flight on any airline, not only theirs.
- Save the cancellation message. Its date and time decide whether compensation is due.
- Keep receipts for food, hotel and transport.
- Send a written claim for compensation. Use our claim letter or check the amount first in the calculator.
If you would rather not handle the claim yourself, companies such as AirHelp and Compensair do it for you and keep 35% of the compensation when they win, more if the case goes to court (AirHelp price list and Compensair payment policy, read on 8 October 2026). Claiming directly from the airline is free. The trade-offs are in claims companies.
What changes in 2027
Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, adopted in 2026, applies from 23 October 2027.
- Compensation will be excluded only where notice was at least 14 days, or the re-routing leaves no more than one hour early and arrives less than two hours late; the wider tolerance for 7 to 14 days’ notice disappears.
- If the airline does not offer re-routing within three hours, you will be able to book your own and recover up to 400% of the original ticket price.
Good to know
Until then, the rules on this page apply.