Cancelled flight compensation: your refund, your new flight and up to £520
When an airline cancels your flight, you always get a choice of a refund or a replacement flight. If it told you less than 14 days before departure, you may be owed compensation of £220 to £520 per person as well – depending on the replacement it offered and why the flight was cancelled.
- Always: a full refund or a replacement flight – your choice.
- Told less than 14 days before? Compensation may be due as well.
- Up to £520 per person under UK261 (€600 under EU261).
- Not owed for extraordinary circumstances, such as air traffic control strikes.
Check your claim – it's free
Tell us your flight. If it qualifies, you sign online and our London team deals with the airline. You only pay if we win.
| Flight distance | UK261 | EU261 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | £220 | €250 |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | £350 | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | £520 | €600 |
Refund or replacement flight: your choice
If UK261 covers your flight, the airline must let you choose. You can take a refund for every part of the ticket you have not used – on a return booking where the outbound is cancelled, that means the whole return fare. Or you can be rerouted, either as soon as possible or on a later date that suits you.
If another airline is flying to your destination significantly sooner, the CAA says you may have the right to be booked on it. While you wait for a replacement, the airline must give you food, drink and, if needed, a hotel and transport to it.
When you can get compensation for a cancelled flight
Compensation depends on how much notice you were given and how close the replacement flight was to your original times:
- 14 days' notice or more: no compensation, but you still get the refund or rerouting choice.
- 7 to 13 days' notice: no compensation if the new flight leaves no more than two hours before your original time and gets you to your destination less than four hours late.
- Less than 7 days' notice: no compensation if the new flight leaves no more than one hour early and gets you there less than two hours late.
- Outside those limits, the fixed amounts apply – and for some replacements that arrive only a little late, the CAA tables show half the amount (£110, £175 or £260).
Cancelled flight compensation: how much?
The full amounts are the same as for delays: £220 for flights under 1,500 km, £350 for 1,500–3,500 km and £520 for flights over 3,500 km, per passenger. For flights covered by EU261, the amounts are €250, €400 and €600. The ticket price makes no difference.
Check your claim – it's free
Tell us your flight. If it qualifies, you sign online and our London team deals with the airline. You only pay if we win.
Reasons airlines give – and whether they count
"Operational reasons", crew shortages, a strike by the airline's own staff and most technical problems are within the airline's control, so compensation can still be due. Air traffic control restrictions, extreme weather, airport staff strikes and security alerts are usually extraordinary circumstances, and compensation is not due – though the refund or rerouting choice, and care, still apply.
The airline should tell you why your flight was cancelled. If it says extraordinary circumstances, it has to be able to explain why.
Package holiday cancelled?
If the flight was part of a package, the compensation claim is still against the airline that was due to operate the flight. Separately, the tour operator has its own duties under the Package Travel Regulations if the holiday itself changes – that is a different claim from flight compensation.
Questions people ask
Can I get a refund and compensation for a cancelled flight?
Yes, they are separate. The refund (or a replacement flight) is always yours to choose. Compensation is extra, if you were told less than 14 days before and the cause was not extraordinary circumstances.
My flight was cancelled 2 weeks before. Can I claim?
If the airline told you 14 days or more before departure, fixed compensation is not due. You can still choose a full refund or a replacement flight.
The airline offered a voucher. Do I have to accept it?
Under UK261 a refund must be paid in money unless you agree to something else, such as a travel voucher. You do not have to accept a voucher.
Can I claim for a hotel and meals after a cancellation?
If you chose to be rerouted as soon as possible, the airline must provide food, drink and a hotel if needed. If it didn't, keep the receipts and claim reasonable costs back. That is separate from compensation.
How much do you charge?
Checking your flight is free. If we win, our fee is 25% of the compensation, with no VAT. If you don't get paid, you pay nothing. If a claim has to go to a solicitor or court, the fee is 45%, and no court action starts without your OK.
Check your claim – it's free
Tell us your flight. If it qualifies, you sign online and our London team deals with the airline. You only pay if we win.
More flight compensation guides
Sources
Checked against official guidance on 2 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.
- CAA – Cancellations
- CAA – Am I entitled to compensation? (extraordinary circumstances)
- Your Europe (European Union) – Air passenger rights
- legislation.gov.uk – Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK
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