TRAVEL PROBLEMS · CANCELLED FLIGHTS

Flight cancelled? Refund, rebooking or compensation

A cancelled flight can mean three different things you are owed: your money back, a new flight, and sometimes cash on top. Which ones apply depends on where you were flying and how much notice the airline gave you.

By Zo · Updated October 31, 2026

Ad / affiliate disclosure: I may earn a commission if you use AirHelp through the link on this page, at no extra cost to you. You can always claim directly with the airline yourself for free. Prepared with AI assistance.

The 30-second answer

Refund or new flight: in the EU, the UK and the US, a cancelled flight means you can get your money back if you decide not to travel. In the EU and UK you can choose a replacement flight instead.

Cash compensation on top: in the EU and UK, usually only when the airline told you less than 14 days before departure and the cause was within its control. The US has no federal rule requiring cash compensation for a cancellation.

Are the EU rules changing? Yes, from October 23, 2027. The reform, Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 (Official Journal, October 2, 2026), keeps compensation for "a delay at arrival exceeding three hours" and the EUR 250, 400 and 600 amounts. Reports of a new 4- or 6-hour threshold are wrong for the final text. Flights before October 23, 2027 stay under Regulation 261/2004. Checked on EUR-Lex October 30, 2026.

Cancelled less than 14 days before departure on a flight in, from or into Europe or the UK? You may be owed compensation on top of your refund. AirHelp checks whether your flight qualifies for free; it charges a fee (35%) only if it wins your claim.

Check your flight with AirHelp →
Affiliate link. A refund you can always request from the airline yourself for free; the steps are below.

Refund and compensation are two separate things

People often claim one and forget the other. A refund returns what you paid for the part of the ticket you did not use. Compensation is a fixed amount for the disruption itself, and you can be owed it even if you took the replacement flight. Under EU and UK rules, taking a refund does not cancel a valid compensation claim.

Europe: EU rules for cancelled flights

According to the EU's official Your Europe guidance, the airline must offer you a one-time choice between:

a refund of your ticket, plus a return flight to your first departure airport if you were mid-journey on a connection;
re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity;
re-routing at a later date that suits you, under comparable conditions.

While you wait, the airline must also provide care at no cost: meals and refreshments, a hotel and transport to it if you are rebooked overnight, and two phone calls or emails. If it does not, keep your receipts and ask for reimbursement of necessary expenses.

When you also get compensation

You have a right to compensation if you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before the scheduled departure, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. The amounts are the same as for long delays:

Flight distance	Compensation
1,500 km or less	€250
1,500–3,500 km	€400
Over 3,500 km	€600

The re-routing exceptions

Even with short notice, the airline does not owe compensation if the replacement flight it offered was close enough to your original times:

Notice you were given	No compensation if the new flight…
14 days or more	No compensation in any case
7 to 14 days	departs no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives less than 4 hours later than planned
Less than 7 days	departs no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives less than 2 hours later than planned

Extraordinary circumstances are events that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, such as air traffic management decisions, political instability or adverse weather. Technical failures and the airline's own staff strikes generally do not count. Your refund or re-routing choice and your right to care apply either way.

United Kingdom

The UK Civil Aviation Authority says UK law covers flights departing a UK airport on any airline, arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline, and arriving in the EU on a UK airline. You choose between a refund for the unused parts of your ticket and an alternative flight, either as soon as possible or at a later date that suits you.

Compensation depends on notice and on how late the replacement flight gets you there. With less than 14 days' notice, the full amounts are:

Flight distance	Full compensation
Under 1,500 km	£220
1,500–3,500 km	£350
Over 3,500 km	£520

The amount can be halved if the replacement flight arrives close to your original time, and the CAA lists the exact time bands for each distance. Extreme weather, airport or air traffic control strikes and other extraordinary circumstances are not eligible.

United States

The US Department of Transportation says you are entitled to a refund if the airline cancels your flight, regardless of the reason, and you choose not to travel or accept the alternative offered. The same applies to a significant change, which includes arriving 3 or more hours late on a domestic flight or 6 or more hours late on an international one, a different departure or arrival airport, or added connections.

The refund must be issued automatically, without you having to request it, once you reject the alternative or do not respond.
Timing: within 7 business days for credit card purchases, and within 20 calendar days for other payment methods.
There is no federal requirement for cash compensation beyond the refund. Check your airline's customer service plan for meals, hotels or rebooking on controllable cancellations.

If your US trip started in the EU or UK, or was on an EU or UK airline arriving there, the European or UK rules above can apply to that flight as well.

Cancelled by a US airline? Each airline sets its own rebooking, meal and hotel commitments: see American Airlines, United, Delta and Southwest, or compare every airline side by side. Offered credit instead of money? Read voucher or cash refund before you accept.

What to do in the first hour

Save the cancellation notice with its date and time. The notice date decides whether compensation applies.
Decide: refund or new flight. In the EU the choice is one-time, so do not accept a refund in the app if you still need to get there.
Ask for the reason in writing. "Operational reasons" is not the same as weather.
Compare the new flight times with your original ones against the tables above.
Keep every receipt for food, transport and a hotel.
Be careful with vouchers. You can ask for money instead; read what accepting the voucher gives up.

Two ways to claim compensation

1. Claim directly (free). Use the airline's claim form, quote your booking reference, the cancellation notice date and the regulation (EU Regulation 261/2004, or the UK version). If the airline refuses or does not answer, escalate to the national enforcement body or the CAA.

2. Use a claim service. AirHelp checks eligibility and pursues the airline for you. It keeps a percentage of the compensation as its fee and charges only if it wins; the fee breakdown is in my flight delay compensation guide. Claiming yourself keeps the full amount but takes your own time.

Check your cancelled flight with AirHelp →
Affiliate link. Opens AirHelp's website, where you check eligibility and submit a claim.