A cancelled or badly delayed flight can turn an airport day into a blur of app alerts, queues and hurried decisions. The useful first step is not to buy the next ticket immediately. Under EU passenger-rights rules, reimbursement, re-routing, care and financial compensation are separate concepts, and the choice you make can affect what happens next.
First check whether EU rules cover the flight
EU air-passenger rules generally apply to flights departing from the EU, regardless of the airline, and to flights arriving in the EU from outside the bloc when operated by an EU airline. They also apply in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Keep the booking confirmation, boarding pass and every disruption notice: coverage and distance are assessed against the itinerary and operating carrier.
If the flight is cancelled, choose deliberately
The airline must offer a one-off choice between reimbursement, re-routing to the final destination at the earliest opportunity, or re-routing at a later date under comparable conditions, subject to seat availability. Once you choose one option, you normally give up the other two. If you still need to travel, ask for re-routing in writing before purchasing a replacement yourself.
Care is not the same as compensation
While waiting for re-routing or a delayed departure, the airline may owe care appropriate to the delay: refreshments, food, communication and, when an overnight stay becomes necessary, accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel. If the airline does not provide reasonable care and you must pay, keep itemised receipts. Luxury or unnecessary expenses may not be reimbursed.
When financial compensation may apply
For cancellations announced less than 14 days before departure, or arrival delays of three hours or more, fixed compensation may be due when the conditions of Regulation 261/2004 are met. The standard amounts are linked to flight distance: €250, €400 or €600. Re-routing that limits the final delay can reduce the amount by 50%.
Compensation is not automatic. It may not be due when the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with reasonable measures. That exception does not normally remove the right to reimbursement or re-routing after a cancellation, nor the right to appropriate care while waiting.
A practical airport checklist
- Screenshot the airline notification and the departure board.
- Ask the operating airline to state the reason for the disruption.
- Request re-routing or reimbursement in writing and note which option you choose.
- Keep boarding passes, booking references and itemised receipts.
- Record the actual arrival time at the final destination.
- Submit the claim directly to the airline before paying a claim agency.
If the airline does not resolve the claim
Use the carrier’s complaint form first. If the reply is missing or unsatisfactory, the European Commission advises contacting the relevant national enforcement body in the country where the incident occurred; EU residents can also seek help from a European Consumer Centre. Rules can turn on the precise route, carrier, cause and timing, so retain the evidence rather than relying on a generic social-media checklist.
