Cancelled Flight Compensation
For flight cancellations with less than 14 days’ notice, you may receive up to €600 per person (minus our fee) under the EU 261 Regulation.
- Check your eligibility in just 2 minutes.
- We handle all airline bureaucracy. Fully online, no paperwork.
- No additional court surcharges even if we have to go to court.
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Flat 25% Success Fee (+ tax)
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If the airline says no, we litigate. Full legal escalation at no extra cost to you.
Am I Eligible for Flight Cancellation Compensation?
Airlines rarely explain your rights clearly when a flight gets cancelled. Eligibility under EU Regulation 261/2004 is determined by four factors, not by the airline’s own assessment of whether you deserve to be paid.
The Basic Eligibility Checklist
To qualify for compensation, your situation must meet all of the following:
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01
Less Than 14 Days’ Notice
The cancellation must have been communicated to you fewer than 14 days before the scheduled departure date. If you received notice 14 days or more in advance, financial compensation does not apply, though your right to a full refund or rebooking remains intact.
Expert noteIf the airline rescheduled your flight to depart more than one hour earlier than the original time without at least 14 days’ notice, this is treated as a cancellation under EU law, not a rescheduling — and the same compensation entitlements apply.
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02
Qualifying Route
- Any flight departing from an EU airport, on any airline, including international (EU or non-EU) air carriers such as American Airlines, United Airlines, Emirates, Delta, or Lufthansa.
- Any flight arriving at an EU airport from a non-EU country, operated by an EU-regulated airline — such as Lufthansa, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Eurowings, or Air France.
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03
Airline Responsibility
Compensation is only owed if the cancellation was within the airline’s control. Cancellations caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather or air traffic control strikes, are exempt from financial compensation.
However, airlines frequently misclassify controllable cancellations as extraordinary circumstances. ClaimFlights independently verifies the actual cause using weather records, ATC data, crew scheduling logs, and engineering reports.
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04
Confirmed Booking and Check-In
You must have had a confirmed reservation and checked in on time for the original flight.
How Much Compensation Can You Claim for a Cancelled Flight?
Compensation under EU261 is fixed by law and calculated on the basis of flight distance, not the price of your ticket. A passenger who paid €50 for a budget seat is entitled to exactly the same compensation as one who paid €500 for the same route.
Compensation by Route Distance
If Lufthansa cancels your Frankfurt to New York flight the evening before departure and offers no acceptable alternative, every passenger on that booking is entitled to €600, regardless of what they paid for their ticket.
Key Facts About the Compensation Amount
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Direct distance, not miles flown
The amount is based on the straight-line (great circle) distance between departure and arrival airports, not the actual flight path.
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Per passenger
Every passenger on the booking with a confirmed reservation is individually entitled to compensation, not a single payment per booking.
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Cash is mandatory
Airlines are legally required to pay in cash, bank transfer, or cheque. If airline staff offer a travel voucher at the desk, you are under no obligation to accept it. Accepting a voucher may waive your right to the full statutory cash amount. Read any document carefully before signing.
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Reduction clause
If the airline offered an alternative flight and that flight arrived within a defined time window of the original, the airline may reduce compensation by up to 50%. If no acceptable alternative was offered, the full amount applies.
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The amounts are fixed
No claim service can recover more than €250, €400, or €600 per passenger. The law sets the ceiling. If anyone suggests otherwise, that is false.
The Value Specialist's Net Payout Calculator
Radically transparent. No hidden court surcharges.
*Other agencies often take 50% of your payout by adding a 15% court fee to their base 35% service fee. ClaimFlights' service fee is just 25% (VAT-free for US & non-EU residents) with no hidden surcharges, even if we go to court for you.
Family of Four Payout Example
A family of four, two adults and two children, was travelling from Frankfurt to Toronto on a Condor flight when their flight was cancelled the evening before departure. The airline offered a replacement flight departing 28 hours later and issued a standard denial letter citing operational reasons.
Compare this with a competitor charging a 35% base fee plus a 15% court surcharge (total 50%):
| ClaimFlights | Other agencies | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross compensation (4 passengers) | ~ €2,400 | €2,400 |
| Success fee | ~ €600 (25%) | €840 (35%) |
| Court surcharge | €0 | €360 (15%) |
| Total you receive | ~ €1,800 | €1,200 |
When Can the Airline Reduce Your Compensation?
If the airline offers you an alternative flight, they may be entitled to reduce the compensation amount by 50%, but only if the delay in reaching your final destination falls within specific time limits set out in EU Regulation 261/2004.
Compensation is Reduced by Half
Your compensation is halved if the airline re-routes you and your new arrival time does not exceed your originally scheduled arrival time by more than:
- 2 hours for flights up to 1,500 km Reduced to €125
- 3 hours for flights between 1,501–3,500 km Reduced to €200
- 4 hours for flights over 3,500 km Reduced to €300
When You Are Not Entitled to Any Financial Compensation
There are specific situations where the airline is completely exempt from paying financial compensation because they provided adequate notice and suitable alternative transport:
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14+ Days Notice
You were informed of the cancellation 14 or more days before departure.
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7 to 14 Days Notice
You were informed between 7 and 14 days before departure AND the alternative flight departs no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives less than 4 hours after your original scheduled arrival time.
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0 to 7 Days Notice
You were informed less than 7 days before departure AND the alternative flight departs no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives less than 2 hours after your original scheduled arrival time.
If the airline’s alternative flight does not meet these strict conditions, the full compensation amount applies. The burden of proof is on the airline to demonstrate that the alternative they offered qualifies for the reduction or the exemption.
Even if you are not entitled to financial compensation under these notice exemptions, your right to choose between a full ticket refund or a rebooking to your destination remains completely intact.
Your Rights for Flight Cancellations at the Airport
Financial compensation is not the only right available when a flight is cancelled. EU Regulation 261/2004 also guarantees an immediate right to care, and unlike financial compensation, this right applies even if the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances.
When Does the Right to Care Apply?
The airline must provide care from the moment the cancellation is confirmed. There is no minimum wait time threshold, unlike the delay provisions. If your flight is cancelled and a rebooked flight is not departing immediately, the airline is obligated to assist.
What Must the Airline Provide?
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Meals and refreshments appropriate to the waiting period.
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Two free phone calls, emails, or fax messages.
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Hotel accommodation if an overnight stay becomes necessary.
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Transport between the airport and the hotel (and back for the return journey).
If your flight is cancelled, you have the immediate right to choose not to travel. The airline must offer you a full refund of your ticket price, which must be processed within 7 days.
Your Right to a Refund, and When It Must Be Paid
If your flight is cancelled and you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a full refund of your ticket price. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, this refund must be processed within 7 days of your request.
The 7-day deadline applies regardless of the cause of cancellation — including extraordinary circumstances. Even if the airline owes no financial compensation because the cancellation was caused by severe weather or an ATC strike, the refund obligation is absolute and time-bound.
If the airline fails to process your refund within 7 days, this is a separate breach of EU law, independent of the compensation claim. Document the date you made your refund request. If payment has not arrived within the statutory window, ClaimFlights can pursue both the compensation claim and the overdue refund through the same process.
The refund covers the full ticket price paid, including taxes and fees. Airlines may not deduct administrative charges from a refund issued under EU261.
Refunds for Connecting Flights (Mid-Journey Cancellations)
If you are on a connecting flight and your second leg is cancelled, the alternative flight offered may no longer serve your original travel plan. In this case, you are entitled to a full refund for the unused parts of your ticket, a refund for the parts you already flew, and the airline must provide you with a free return flight to your first point of departure at the earliest opportunity.
What If the Airline Refuses or Is Unreachable?
If airline staff are unavailable or refuse to provide care, arrange necessities yourself and keep every original receipt.
Stick to reasonable expenses:
- Essential food
- Non-alcoholic refreshments
- Modest accommodation
Luxury items are unlikely to be reimbursed by any court.
ClaimFlights pursues reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket expenses alongside the statutory compensation claim. Airlines routinely ignore individual expense claims from passengers acting alone. Our legal team includes these expenses in the formal case, ensuring they are recovered as part of the full claim.
Should You Accept a Voucher or Rebook on Your Own?
Don’t accept a voucher in exchange for cash
Do not accept a travel voucher in exchange for cash compensation without reading the terms. Many vouchers contain wording that constitutes a waiver of your EU261 rights.
Do accept a rebooking from the airline
Accept a rebooking from the airline if you need to travel. This does not affect your right to claim financial compensation separately.
Don’t book your own replacement flight
Do not book a replacement flight out of pocket and expect the airline to reimburse the full cost. Airlines are not required to cover self-arranged rebookings. If you choose to book your own alternative, that is at your own risk.
Complex Claims — Multi-Leg, Non-EU Passengers, and Rejected Cases
This is where automated claim apps typically fail. ClaimFlights specialises in scenarios that require legal expertise, independent data verification, and a willingness to take airlines to court.
Connecting Flights and Missed Connections
If your cancelled first leg caused you to miss a connecting flight and arrive at your final destination three or more hours late, or not at all, your compensation is calculated based on the total journey distance from your departure airport to your final destination — not the distance of the cancelled leg alone.
A passenger booked a single itinerary from Dublin to Dubai via London. The Dublin–London leg, operated by Ryanair, was cancelled. The passenger was rerouted and arrived in Dubai 9 hours late.
Note. If a connecting flight is cancelled mid-journey and you decide to abandon your trip, you also have the right to a full refund and a free return flight back to your original departure airport.
Important. This only applies when the entire journey was booked under a single reservation. Two separately booked flights do not qualify for a combined distance calculation.
Non-EU Passengers Claiming EU261
Nationality and residency are entirely irrelevant under EU Regulation 261/2004. The regulation applies based on the flight route, not who is on board. A non-EU citizen flying on a qualifying EU route has identical rights to a European resident.
A US citizen booked a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Munich. The Munich–Chicago return leg was cancelled with two days’ notice. This flight departed from an EU airport (Munich) and was operated by an EU-based carrier.
Claims Against Non-EU Airlines
Non-EU airlines such as United Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Air Canada are bound by EU Regulation 261/2004 on all flights departing from EU airports.
The airline’s country of registration is irrelevant for departing flights. However, for flights arriving in the EU from a non-EU airport, only EU-registered carriers are covered.
Previously Rejected Claims
Airlines send template rejection letters as a standard first response. A rejection from the airline is not a final legal determination. ClaimFlights acts as the second opinion for passengers whose claims were refused — either by the airline directly or by another claim service that stopped at the letter stage.
We cross-reference the airline’s stated reason for cancellation against independent weather, ATC, crew, and engineering data. Where the airline’s stated cause is contradicted by the data, we proceed to court at our own expense.
Time Limits — How Far Back Can You Claim?
A cancellation from several years ago can still be a valid claim today. The right to compensation does not expire at the point of the flight, it expires at the end of the statutory limitation period set by the country in which the airline is based or the flight operated.
As the passenger advocate with proven courtroom experience across multiple EU jurisdictions, ClaimFlights regularly pursues historical claims, including cases passengers had long dismissed as too old or too complicated.
Limitation Periods by Country
| Jurisdiction | Time Limit |
|---|---|
| Ireland, Cyprus | 6 years |
| France, Spain, Greece | 5 years |
| Germany, Austria | 3 years |
| Italy, Netherlands | 2 years |
| Poland, Belgium | 1 year |
The 3 years are calculated from the end of the calendar year in which the cancellation occurred. A flight cancelled in March 2022 would have a deadline of 31 December 2025.
With only a 1-year window, passengers with Polish-departure cancellations must act immediately. Contact ClaimFlights as soon as possible; even if you believe the deadline may have passed.
Don’t Let Your Claim Expire
Airlines benefit from passenger inaction. Every month that passes reduces the recoverable period. If your flight was cancelled within the applicable window, the money is still yours to claim.
Extraordinary Circumstances: When Are Airlines Exempt from Paying?
The most common reason airlines refuse to pay cancelled flight compensation is a claim of extraordinary circumstances. While these exemptions are legitimate in genuine cases, airlines routinely apply them to situations where the actual cause was within their control.
When the Airline Is Exempt from Paying
Cancellations caused by the following are generally considered extraordinary circumstances. Financial compensation is not payable, though the right to care and a refund or rebooking still applies.
- Bad weather events that make flying objectively unsafe, such as volcanic ash, hurricanes, and extreme snowstorms, cause airport closures.
- Air traffic control strikes (strikes by staff not employed by the airline).
- Airport security threats, acts of terrorism, or political instability.
- Bird strikes: the European Court of Justice has confirmed these are extraordinary, placing no obligation on the airline to compensate.
- Hidden manufacturing defects issued by an aircraft manufacturer across a fleet — not individual technical issues, but mass safety groundings.
When the Airline Is Legally Required to Pay
If the cancellation resulted from any of the following, it is not an extraordinary circumstance. The airline owes full compensation.
- Technical faults, mechanical failures, or computer system outages — these are part of running an airline and have been consistently confirmed as non-extraordinary by EU courts.
- Crew shortages or crew scheduling failures — including situations where a crew has timed out due to the airline’s own rostering decisions.
- Strikes by the airline’s own employees — pilots, cabin crew, or ground engineers employed directly by the carrier.
- Late arrival of an inbound aircraft caused by earlier operational failures on the same day.
- Operational decisions made by the airline for commercial or logistical reasons.
Why This Matters and Why ClaimFlights Catches It
Airlines state their reason for cancellation in internal records. ClaimFlights accesses independent weather data, published ATC notices, crew scheduling patterns, and engineering logs to verify whether the stated cause matches the actual cause. Where an airline claims weather disruption while other carriers operated normally from the same airport on the same day, that discrepancy is documented and presented to the court.
If an airline’s rejection is based on a misclassification of the cancellation cause, we overturn it.
ClaimFlights Commitment — Flat Fees, Human Support, and Courtroom Rigor
In a market crowded with automated apps that only take straightforward cases, ClaimFlights operates as a dedicated passenger advocate. We do not work with airlines. We work for you.
Get the Highest Payout with No Hidden Fees
Our commitment to Radical Transparency means you keep one of the highest net payouts in the market without worrying about fine print or surprise deductions. We charge a flat 25% (+VAT) success fee with zero administrative charges and no withdrawal penalties before court filing.
If your case requires litigation, the complete cost of that court action is covered under our standard rate; it never gets added to your bill. While competing agencies bury 10% to 15% court surcharges in their terms, taking up to 50% of your payout when a case goes to court, ClaimFlights protects your money. We ensure that the financial advantage stays exactly where it belongs: in your pocket.
We Sue Where Others Give Up
Airlines routinely deny valid claims with automated template letters, hoping passengers will simply give up. As a true Passenger Advocate, ClaimFlights initiates full legal escalation and takes the airline to court when a legitimate claim is wrongfully refused.
Our near-perfect court success rate reflects what happens when a company litigates as a standard practice rather than a last resort.
Have you already been rejected by an airline or turned away by a less persistent claim app?
We independently review rejected claims against independent databases. If the facts contradict the airline’s excuse, we will proudly enforce your rights in court at our own financial risk.
Stress-Free Process Managed by Real Experts
Our Stress-Free, Data-Driven Full Service takes the paperwork, legal jargon, and hassle entirely out of your hands. You simply spend 2 minutes filling out an online form, and our team manages the rest of the bureaucracy end-to-end:
- Independent flight data analysis — weather, ATC, crew, engineering
- Formal legal demand to the airline
- Full court escalation if the airline refuses
- Status updates at every stage, or whenever there’s news from the court or airline
- Direct access to case handlers — no automated bot responses
- GDPR-compliant; no sale of your booking data to third parties
Stop letting airlines keep money that belongs to you. Choose the passenger advocate that prioritises your payout and your privacy.
Why should I choose ClaimFlights for my cancelled flight claim?
We are the value specialists. Most of the other cancelled flight compensation companies charge a base fee plus a separate court fee if the airline refuses to pay for your cancelled flight, which many do. ClaimFlights charges a flat 25% with no surcharges. On a €600 cancellation claim, you typically keep €450. With a competitor charging 35% plus a 15% court fee, you may keep only €300.
How long does it take to get compensation for a cancelled flight?
Cases settled directly with the airline can be resolved in 6 to 12 weeks. However, airlines often fight cancellation claims. Claims requiring court action to prove the airline was at fault can take 12 to 24 months, depending on the country, the airline, and the court. ClaimFlights provides realistic timeline expectations from the outset and keeps you informed throughout.
Can I claim cancellation compensation if my employer paid for the ticket?
Yes. Under EU261, the right to compensation belongs to the passenger who experienced the cancelled flight, not to the person or company who purchased the ticket. Unless a specific employment contract states otherwise, the cancellation compensation is yours to keep.
Do children qualify for cancelled flight compensation?
Yes. Any child on a confirmed reservation whose flight was cancelled is entitled to the same compensation as an adult, provided their ticket was not issued free of charge. Infant fares paid at a reduced rate still qualify for the full compensation amount.
What documents do I need to start a flight cancellation claim?
Typically, your boarding pass or booking confirmation and a form of ID. If you have any emails or written communication from the airline stating why the flight was cancelled, include it. However, our independent flight database can often fill in the gaps if you no longer have the documentation.
Can I claim compensation if the airline already refunded my cancelled ticket?
Yes. A ticket refund merely covers the cost of your seat because the flight didn’t happen. EU261 compensation is an additional payment designed to cover the inconvenience of the cancellation itself. Receiving a refund does not extinguish your legal right to claim up to €600 in financial compensation.
The airline blamed the cancellation on “extraordinary circumstances.” Can I still claim?
Possibly. Airlines frequently blame cancellations on “extraordinary circumstances” (like weather or ATC strikes) even when the situation does not legally qualify. ClaimFlights independently verifies the actual cause of the cancellation. If the airline’s stated reason is unsupported by weather or engineering data, we proceed with the claim and take the airline to court if necessary.
Why might ClaimFlights reject my case?
ClaimFlights operates with a near-perfect court success rate because we rigorously verify every claim against independent flight and weather data. If we decline your case after our free pre-check, it is because current EU261 laws and precedents (such as genuine severe weather) make it legally unwinnable. We refuse to tie you into months of stressful, hopeless litigation just to take a chance. If we cannot accept your claim, we will explain exactly why and provide guidance on alternative free paths — such as contacting National Enforcement Bodies (NEBs) or Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entities — if you still wish to pursue the matter yourself.
