Cancelled flight: what you are owed
A cancellation gives you three separate rights: a choice of refund or new flight, care while you wait, and compensation if the notice was short.
Checked against official sources on 16 October 2026
In short
- You choose: a full refund, or a new flight as soon as possible or on a later date.
- While you wait, the airline must give you food, drink and, if needed, a hotel.
- With less than 14 days’ notice you may also be owed £220 to £520 per passenger.
- No compensation is due if extraordinary circumstances caused the cancellation, but the refund and care rights still apply.
1. Refund or a new flight: your choice
When your flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you a choice of:
- A refund of the ticket price for the parts of the journey you did not make, paid within 7 days. If you are partway through a journey and it no longer makes sense to continue, you can also be refunded for parts already flown and flown back to where you started.
- Rerouting to your destination as soon as possible, in comparable conditions.
- Rerouting at a later date that suits you, if seats are available.
The CAA says rerouting can mean a flight with another airline, or another kind of transport, if that would get you there significantly sooner. The refund is money, not vouchers, unless you agree in writing to take vouchers.
2. Care while you wait
If you choose to be rerouted as soon as possible, the airline must provide food and drink in proportion to the wait, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transport to it if you have to stay overnight. If it cannot arrange these, the CAA says you can buy reasonable care yourself and claim the cost back. Keep every receipt. Alcohol and luxury hotels are likely to be refused. See your rights during a delay for more.
3. Compensation if the notice was short
Compensation depends on how much notice you were given and, if you were rerouted, how close the new flight was to your original times.
| Notice given | No compensation if the airline offered a new flight that… |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No compensation in any case |
| 7 to 14 days | left no more than 2 hours before your original departure, and arrived less than 4 hours after your original arrival |
| Less than 7 days | left no more than 1 hour before your original departure, and arrived less than 2 hours after your original arrival |
If the new flight fell outside those times, or no new flight was offered, compensation is due at the usual rates: £220, £350 or £520 per passenger by distance. The airline can halve it if the new flight got you there within 2, 3 or 4 hours of your original arrival time, depending on distance. See compensation amounts.
When the cause matters
The airline does not have to pay compensation if it proves the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided with all reasonable measures, such as severe weather or air traffic control restrictions. The CAA is clear that the refund, rerouting and care rights apply whatever the cause. See extraordinary circumstances.
How to claim
Write to the airline that operated the flight. If it refuses or does not reply within 8 weeks, you can take the complaint to an approved dispute resolution body for free. Our how to claim guide walks through each step.