Cancellation in terms of EU Regulations

Contents
1. Flights FROM an EU airport 1.1. Tier 1 2. Compensation 3. Assistance at the airport 3.1. Tier 2

There are two different tiers of entitlement that apply under EU law to cancellations by airlines. They are not formally called tiers, but we have named them so for convenience and clarity. They apply in the following instances:

• when flying from an EU airport; or
• when flying to an EU airport, from an airport outside of the EU on an EU carrier.

The tier that applies will depend on: i) how long in advance of your original flight booking the airline cancelled the flight and ii) what the time difference is between your new departure and arrival times and the original flight booking’s departure and arrival times.

For more information on flights which fall outside of EU law, see our ‘Cancellation and delay outside the application of EU law’ section.

• If your flight was cancelled on the day of departure, or up to 7 days before you were due to depart, and your new flight departs more than one hour before the original scheduled time of departure, or arrives more than two hours after the original scheduled arrival time

or

• If your flight was cancelled between 7 and 14 days before you were due to depart, and your new flight departs more than two hours before the original scheduled time of departure, or arrives more than four hours after the original scheduled arrival time

Then you are entitled (under Regulation (EC) 261/2004) to the following:

• If you decide not to travel, you are entitled to a refund, within seven days, of the parts of the tickets not used. If it is a connecting flight and you have already made part of the journey and do not want to continue with it, reimbursement of the total price of the ticket (including parts of the journey not made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to your original travel plan) within seven days, and a free flight back to point of departure.

You are not entitled (under Regulation (EC) 261/2004) to reimbursement of any other components of your trip, such as hotel and transfer costs.

or

• Re-routing to your final destination as soon as possible or, if you agree, at a later date. (If the airline flies you to another airport in your destination city, then they must pay for the transfer to the airport you were booked for or to another close-by point of your choice.)

The airline is not obliged to pay compensation if it can prove that the cancellation was caused by "extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken". Such extraordinary circumstances might occur "in cases of political instability, meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight concerned, security risks, unexpected flight safety shortcomings and strikes that affect the operation of an operating air carrier".

Length of journey	Delay to destination	Compensation
Up to 1500km	Up to 2 hours	€125
Up to 1500km	More than 2 hours	€250
1500km to 3500km	Up to 3 hours	€200
1500km to 3500km	More than 3 hours	€400
More than 3500km	Up to 4 hours	€300
More than 3500km	More than 4 hours	€600

• Meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to waiting time
• Two free telephone calls, emails, telexes or faxes
• Overnight hotel accommodation and transfers

• If your flight was cancelled more than 14 days before your departure

or

• If your flight was cancelled between 7 and 14 days before your departure, and your new flight departs no more than two hours before the original scheduled time of departure, and arrives less than four hours after the original scheduled arrival time

or

• If your flight was cancelled less than 7 days before your departure, and your new flight departs no more than one hour before the original scheduled time of departure, and arrives less than two hours after the original scheduled arrival time

Then under EU law you are entitled to:

A refund of the full price you paid for your ticket within seven days, for the part or parts of your journey not made (and for the part or parts already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to your original travel plan) and a return flight to the departure airport as soon as possible.

or

Re-routing to your final destination as soon as possible or, if you agree, at a later date. (If the airline flies you to another airport in your destination city, then they must pay for the transfer to the airport you were booked for or to another close-by point of your choice.)

For information on delayed flights, see our ‘Delay in terms of EU Regulations’ and ‘Cancellation and delay outside the application of EU law’ sections.