Flight refunds & compensation
Cancelled flight? You're owed a refund — and often €600 on top.
A cancellation gives you the choice of a full cash refund or rerouting. If the airline told you less than 14 days before departure, EU and UK rules add fixed compensation per passenger.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 844 557-2216 — our agents can also rebook you.
Free eligibility checker
60 seconds. No account. We tell you what you're owed and who can get it for you.
Your rights when a flight is cancelled
Whatever the reason, a cancelled flight entitles you to choose: a full refund of the unused ticket (paid in cash to your original payment method, within 7 days in the EU/UK and 7 business days in the US), or rerouting to your destination at the earliest opportunity, or at a later date of your choice. A voucher can be offered but you never have to accept one.
Compensation amounts
| Flight distance | EU261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| 1,500–3,500 km (and all intra-EU flights over 1,500 km) | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 |
Compensation can be halved if the airline rebooked you and you arrived within 2–4 hours of the original schedule (depending on distance).
When airlines don't have to pay
Extraordinary circumstances: severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, political instability, security risks, and strikes by third parties such as airport staff. Airlines regularly claim these when the real cause was crew shortage, a technical fault or their own staff striking — all of which courts have ruled are not extraordinary. That's exactly where a claim firm earns its fee.
Cancelled US flight?
There's no fixed compensation on US domestic flights, but since 2024 the DOT requires airlines to issue an automatic cash refund for any cancellation you don't accept a rebooking for, plus refunds of bag fees and extras you paid for and didn't receive. Read our US refund rules guide.
Common questions
The airline offered me a voucher. Do I have to take it?
No. In the EU, UK and US you can insist on a cash refund to your original payment method. Vouchers are optional.
My flight was cancelled 3 weeks ago but I'm only reading this now. Too late?
Not at all. Claims can be made up to 6 years after the flight in the UK and 2–6 years in EU countries. Old flights are worth checking.
Does the compensation apply to each person on the booking?
Yes — the amount is per passenger, including children with a paid seat.
The airline says it was the weather. Is that the end of it?
Not necessarily. The airline has to prove the weather actually prevented that flight, and that it took all reasonable measures. Claim firms check airport logs and other flights that operated.
How it works
Enter your flight
Airports, airline, date and what went wrong. Our checker applies EU261, UK261, US DOT and Montreal Convention rules instantly.
See what you're owed
A clear answer: compensation amount per passenger, refund rights, care you were entitled to — and the exceptions airlines use to say no.
Hand it to a claim partner
For compensation cases we connect you to licensed no-win-no-fee firms that chase the airline, including in court. You pay nothing unless they win.
Flight disrupted in the last 6 years?
It takes a minute to find out what the airline owes you.