Cancelled flight compensation: your rights and how much you can claim
Last reviewed: November 2026
In a nutshell
If your flight is cancelled and you were told less than 14 days before departure, you may be owed fixed compensation per passenger, unless the airline offered a replacement flight close to your original times, or the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances. You're always entitled to a refund or a replacement flight.
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See if you're likely owed compensation, how much, and the time limit. If you are, get a ready-to-send claim letter for £9.99 / €11.99 / $14.99 per booking. You keep 100%.
Check my flight free →How much notice matters
- Told 14 days or more before departure: no compensation (but you can still get a refund or new flight).
- Told 7–13 days before: no compensation if the replacement flight left no more than 2 hours earlier and arrived less than 4 hours later than planned.
- Told less than 7 days before (including at the airport): no compensation if the replacement left no more than 1 hour earlier and arrived less than 2 hours later.
- Otherwise, compensation is normally due unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.
How much?
The same distance bands as delays: €250, €400 or €600 under EU rules, or £220, £350 or £520 under UK rules, per passenger. If your replacement flight got you there within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original arrival time (depending on distance), the airline can halve it.
A flight that leaves more than an hour EARLY can also count as a cancellation (EU Court of Justice, Azurair, C-146/20).
Refund or replacement flight
Whatever the reason for the cancellation, you can choose a full refund or a replacement flight to your destination. Compensation is separate and comes on top: taking a refund doesn't cancel your right to compensation.
Quick answers
If I take a refund, can I still claim compensation?
Yes. A refund and compensation are separate rights.
My flight was cancelled 10 days before. Am I owed anything?
Possibly. It depends on the times of the replacement flight you were offered: if it left more than 2 hours earlier or arrived 4 hours or more later than planned, compensation may be due.
Find out if you're owed compensation
See if you're likely owed compensation, how much, and the time limit. If you are, get a ready-to-send claim letter for £9.99 / €11.99 / $14.99 per booking. You keep 100%.
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General information about UK and EU air passenger rights, not legal advice. Rules can change; check the details of your own flight.