Flight cancellation compensation: Enforce your rights easily

Am I entitled to compensation for flight cancellation?

You have good chances if:

• The airline informed you of the cancellation less than 14 days before departure.
• No equivalent replacement flight was offered – or the offered replacement arrives more than 3 hours late at the final destination.
• The cancellation was not due to extraordinary circumstances, i.e. no extreme weather, no safety risks or airspace closures.
• Your flight departs from the EU or lands in the EU (with a European airline) and is therefore covered by EU Regulation 261/2004.

EU passenger rights: Compensation for cancellation

The distance of your flight plays a large part in determining the amount of compensation you will receive – in basic terms, the longer your flight, the more compensation you are entitled to.

Flight ticket cancellation: Compensation reduction

If you opt for an alternative flight offered by the airline which falls within the legal time limit, be aware that the compensation amounts described above are 50% less.

Here is a table to further explain:

Flight cancellation refund: What are my options?

When faced with a flight cancellation, you have a choice of whether you want to continue with your journey or not.

As well as the possibility of claiming compensation, you have the following options:

• Full ticket refund or return flight to the original departure airport
• Alternative flight on the next available flight to your destination
• Alternative means of transport (e.g. train, bus, taxi etc.) to your destination.

Even when passengers are not entitled to compensation for a cancelled flight, the airline should still reimburse the full ticket price. However, many airlines take advantage of passengers and often do not refund tickets, often offering vouchers instead.

Airline cancelled flight: Services

The airline must also provide you with additional services. These consist of free meals and refreshments at the airport, as well as two free phone calls, faxes or emails. When departing on an alternative flight the next day you must also receive free hotel accommodation, plus free transfer to and from the hotel.

In order to find out which services you are entitled to when your flight is cancelled, the flight distance, plus the waiting period for the alternative flight, are factored in.

Overview of services offered in such circumstances:

Flight cancellation checker

Before you make your claim, you can quickly, with no obligation, check your case with our compensation calculator. You can try it now simply by adding your flight date and number.

If you wish you can also submit your case directly afterwards and let MYFLYRIGHT enforce your claim.

Claim for cancelled flight: Route

Where are you flying to and from? Which airline are you flying with? These are crucial questions when making a claim.

The European passenger rights regulation applies to:

• Flights within the EU, regardless of whether the airline is headquartered in the EU.
• Flights from the EU to a non-EU country, regardless of whether the airline is headquartered in the EU.
• Flights from a non-EU country to the EU, only if the flight is operated by an airline headquartered in the EU (this includes Switzerland, Iceland and Norway).

An example to clarify: You are flying with Lufthansa from Munich in Germany to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In this case you are protected both on the outward flight and on the return flight by the EU Passenger Rights Regulation, since Lufthansa has its headquarters in Germany and is therefore in the EU.

If you fly the same route with Emirates, your rights are only secured on the outward flight from Munich, as you are departing from an EU airport. By contrast, the EU Regulation does not apply to the return flight from Dubai, since it is a non-EU airport, and Emirates is headquartered in Dubai.

Overview of flight routes where the EU Passenger Rights Regulation applies:

Extraordinary circumstances: When does the airline not pay?

There is a long list of possible reasons why a flight must be cancelled. By law, airlines are required to be prepared for certain foreseeable situations. A common cause of flight cancellations is strikes. Every year, there are many thousands of people affected by flight cancellations due to strikes.

Not every strike entitles the customer to flight cancellation compensation. A distinction is made, among other things, between air traffic controller strikes, strikes within the airline, and strikes by airport staff. In the following cases, despite a strike, there is an entitlement to compensation:

Not an extraordinary circumstance: Entitlement exists

According to the ECJ, the following situations do not count as extraordinary circumstances:

• Technical defects or maintenance problems
• Icing of the wings due to insufficient preparation (e.g. lack of de-icing fluid)
• Delay of the previous flight, provided this was not caused by extraordinary circumstances
• Staff shortages or incorrect crew scheduling
• Strikes by the airline’s own staff

Yes, extraordinary circumstance: No entitlement to compensation

The following, among others, are considered extraordinary circumstances:

• Extreme, unforeseeable weather conditions
• Political unrest or security risks
• Pandemic-related restrictions
• Air traffic controller or airport strikes outside the airline
• Bird strike (confirmed by the German Federal Court of Justice/ECJ)

Practical note: “Airlines often generally invoke force majeure or ‘extraordinary circumstances’. For passengers, it is worthwhile to secure evidence (weather data, airport displays, receipts).”

Why was my flight cancelled?

The table below shows the most common causes of flight cancellation and outlines in which cases the airline is liable, where the passenger would be entitled to compensation:

Flight cancellation policy: Compensation deadline

The statute of limitations for asserting your passenger rights for compensation in the event of a flight cancellation varies by country. But in which country should you claim against the airline? In all European countries the passenger can choose the country court in which to make their claim based on the following factors:

• Departure airport
• Destination airport
• Headquarters of airline

Overview of the limitation period of selected countries:

What to do when a flight is cancelled

First things first - don’t panic! This is difficult when, on top of simply trying to get to your destination, you now have to figure out your rights as a passenger. We understand that this is no easy task. Always remember that laws are in place to protect your rights as a passenger.

So, there is no reason to be stressed at the airport as you do still have time. However, before you make your claim - whichever method you choose - be sure to have all relevant documents prepared to ensure the best possible outcome.

Flight compensation: Package and business travel

Whether setting off on your long-awaited holiday or for that make-or-break meeting, flight cancellations are guaranteed to ruin the trip.

For package tours, flights and accommodation are purchased together with a tour operator or travel agent. In principle, exactly the same rights apply for a package trip in case of a flight cancellation, in accordance with the EU Passenger Rights Regulation. Moreover, you can enforce a claim against your tour operator for a price reduction. In this regard you can use the Frankfurt table as a guide, with which you can estimate how much discount on the total package price you can get in case of a flight disruption.

Of course, just like with all other flights, you can pursue a claim yourself, or you can contact us at MYFLYRIGHT.

Business trip cancelled: Flight claim

If your flight is cancelled during a business trip, this can have critical consequences. Missing important meetings and presentations, as well as disappointed clients, can be extremely detrimental to your business. But if your flight is cancelled on a business trip, who receives the compensation? You or your company?

In general, the compensation payments are always to the person who would have taken the flight; that is, the traveller. It is completely irrelevant who booked the ticket. However, many employers are aware of this fact and insert clauses within the employment contract that contain specific provisions. So, it may be that you’ve waived your claim for compensation based on your contract. In this case, the employer would receive the compensation. You will also find more information on the topic in our article Business travel.

You can always check whether you have a claim when your flight is cancelled using our compensation calculator.

How to claim flight cancellation compensation

It can be a complicated and lengthy process if you want to claim flight compensation on your own. MYFLYRIGHT makes this process simpler and faster for you – all you have to do is fill out our online form and submit the relevant documents. This only takes around 5 minutes and we take it from there - our team of travel law experts can then assess your claim and, if you are entitled to compensation, make sure it is processed as quickly as possible.

If you still want to try it on your own, and thus save yourself MYFLYRIGHT’s commission in case of success, we have a letter template with which you can make your claim for compensation.

Step 1. Contact the airline by writing to them via email or by posting a letter. Of course, you can opt to write the letter or email yourself, or you can simply use the MYFLYRIGHT letter template. If you choose the template, you can either fill it out online and send it to the airline via email or print it, fill it out, then post it to the airline. If you choose to post, we recommend a registered letter, to ensure there is a record of the airline receiving it.

The following information must be included in your letter or email: