What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?

If your flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you reasonable re-routing or a full refund. You may also be entitled to get compensation if your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure. If you are waiting for your replacement flight at the airport, the airline must also offer free care. 

Right to re-routing or reimbursement

The airline must offer you a choice between the following options:

1. Re-routing of your journey
   You will be offered an alternative flight. The airline must offer you an alternative flight in the same travel class. If the airline assigns you a seat in a higher class (e.g. business class), it may not charge extra for this. If the airline assigns you a seat in a lower class, it should refund the price difference.
    
2. Reimbursement
   You will receive a full refund. The reimbursement of your ticket should happen within seven days of the cancellation of your flight. 

If you are not offered a re-routing
Did the airline not offer a re-routing to your final destination? For example, by reimbursing your ticket without offering you a choice? This may cause problems for your journey, as booking a last-minute flight is often considerably more expensive.

If you are forced to book an alternative flight yourself, the airline has to pay for the price difference. Book a flight under comparable conditions. Do not book a flight in a higher travel class.

Right to care

Did you choose the re-routing option and are you awaiting your replacement flight at the airport? Then the airline must provide adequate care:

• meals and refreshments
• 2 telephone calls, telex, fax or e-mail messages
• hotel accommodation
• transport between the airport and the hotel accommodation

Right to compensation

If your flight gets cancelled, you are often entitled to receive compensation for your delay on top of a refund or the re-routing of your flight. The compensation amounts to:

• For flights up to 1500 km + more than 3 hours delay: € 250
• For flights of more than 1500 km within the EU + more than 3 hours delay: € 400
• For flights between 1500 and 3500 km outside of the EU + more than 3 hours delay: € 400
• For flights of more than 3500 km outside of the EU + more than 4 hours delay: € 600

Right to 50% of compensation
In some cases airlines may reduce the compensation by 50%. For example, if the airline has done everything to limit your delay. Or if you have accepted an alternative flight via the same or a new route. In these cases, the compensation amounts to:

• For flights up to 1500 km + a maximum delay of 2 hours: € 125
• For flights of more than 1500 km within the EU + a maximum delay of 3 hours: € 200
• For flights between 1500 and 3500 km outside of the EU + a maximum delay of 3 hours: € 200
• For flights of more than 3500 km outside of the EU + a maximum delay of 4 hours: € 300

No right to compensation in cases of extraordinary circumstances
If a flight is cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances outside of the airline's control, passengers are not entitled to get compensation. This is sometimes referred to as ‘force majeure’ by airlines. Examples of such circumstances are bad weather conditions, such as storms.

Terms and conditions

Under EU regulations, air passengers are often entitled to free assistance, re-routing or a refund of their ticket in the event of a flight cancellation. In some cases passengers can also claim compensation. The European rules apply in the following situations:

• Your flight departs from a country that follows the European rules. It does not matter which airline your flight was with.
• Your flight arrives in a country that follows the European rules and your flight was with an airline from one of these countries.

You are not entitled to receive compensation if:

• The cancellation was announced to you more than 14 days in advance.
• The cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances outside of the airline’s control ('force majeure').

Countries these rules apply to

The European rules apply to air travel to and from:

Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (excluding the Faroe Islands), Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg , Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

#flight-cancelled-by-airline

If your flight has been cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances outside of the airline’s control, this is sometimes referred to as ‘force majeure’. These situations hinder both passengers and airlines. These are some examples of extraordinary circumstances:

• bad weather conditions, such as storms
• unofficial strikes
• natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions
• terrorism

No right to compensation

If your flight has been cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances, you are not eligible to claim compensation. Are you unsure whether the reason for the cancellation of your flight falls under ‘extraordinary circumstances’? Our legal advisers are here to help and advice you. They can tell you more about whether a certain situation classifies as an 'extraordinary circumstance'.

Right to care

You may still be entitled to care. In the event of a flight cancellation, airlines must provide:

• meals and refreshments
• 2 telephone calls, telex, fax or e-mail messages
• hotel accommodation if your flight leaves the next day
• transport between the airport and the hotel accommodation

Learn more

Learn more about the situations to which force majeure applies and your rights on https://www.eccnederland.nl/en/check-your-rights/travelling-eu/am-i-entitled-compensation-flight-disruptions-due-force-majeure. 

#flight-cancellation-extraordinary-circumstances

Did you book your journey through a travel agent, booking website or other intermediary party? Then you should be offered a choice between the following options in case of a flight cancellation:

1. a full ticket refund
2. a re-routing to your final destination

If you choose the refund, you will have two options:

1. ask the airline to refund your ticket
2. ask the intermediary party to refund your ticket

Asking for a refund

Airlines remain responsible for refunding your ticket, even if you have booked using an intermediary service. Airlines are required to reimburse you within 7 days of the cancellation of your flight. There is no such time limit for intermediary parties. It is therefore often fastest to ask for your money back with the airline. Have you already asked the intermediary for a refund, but are you still waiting for your money back? You may always contact the airline directly and ask the airline for a refund instead.

If the airline refuses to refund you

Is the airline refusing to refund your ticket and asking you to contact the intermediary party instead? Let the airline know you disagree using our sample letter: 'Claim refund after flight cancellation'. This template letter is available in both English and Dutch.

#flight-cancellation-intermediary

Airlines may offer you a travel voucher instead of a refund or compensation. However, you do not have to accept this offer. If you would rather receive a refund or compensation, it is your right to ask for this instead.

#flight-cancellation-voucher

Did the airline book you onto an alternative flight? Then the airline should bear the expenses for this flight. The airline may not ask you to pay for this change.

Comparable transport conditions

The alternative flight should be a flight under comparable transport conditions. This means the alternative flight should be in about the same price range as the original flight and have a comparable flight time and route. For example, an added flight time of 30 minutes is acceptable. You do not have to accept an extra stop-over or a flight time twice as long as the original flight.

#flight-cancellation-extra-charges

It may happen that an airline cancels your flight without offering you an alternative. You may have received a message that your flight was cancelled, without being told your options. In these cases the airline must:

• Refund your ticket.
• Pay the price difference if you are now forced to book an alternative flight yourself. (Booking a new flight shortly before departure is often more expensive.)

Are you booking a new flight? Make sure the new flight is a flight under similar conditions. For example, do not book a flight in a higher travel class (e.g. business class if your original flight was economy class).

Are you booking a new flight even though the airline has offered you an alternative flight? In this case the airline is not required to pay for the price difference.

Step-by-step guide

Has the airline cancelled your flight without offering re-routing?

1. Contact the airline in writing and ask for re-routing.
2. Does the airline not offer reasonable re-routing? Inform the airline you see yourself forced to book an alternative flight. Ask the airline to pay for the difference in price.

#flight-cancellation-no-rerouting