Flight Canceled or Delayed? Your Rights, Refunds and Compensation

Photo: Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash

If your flight is canceled, the main passenger-rights rules (EU, UK, US and Canada) let you get your money back if you do not want the replacement flight the airline offers. Whether you also get meals, a hotel or cash compensation depends on which rules cover your flight, how late you arrive, how much notice you got, and whether the cause was within the airline’s control. In the EU and UK, a cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice or an arrival delay of three hours or more can mean fixed compensation. In the US, the main federal protection is a refund rather than a cash payout.

What are your rights if your flight is canceled?

Three protections come up again and again, though not every system gives all three.

• A refund or a new flight. The EU’s official Your Europe guidance says you can choose between reimbursement, re-routing or a return to your starting point (Your Europe: air passenger rights). The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says your airline must let you choose between a refund and a replacement flight (UK CAA: cancellations).
• Care while you wait. Under EU and UK rules this means food and drink and a way to communicate, plus a hotel and transport to it if you have to wait overnight.
• Compensation for the inconvenience. A fixed payment, owed in some cases only, and generally not when the cause was outside the airline’s control.

Missing a flight because you arrived late is a different situation with far fewer protections; see what happens if you miss your flight.

Which rules apply to your flight?

The rules follow the route and the airline, not your nationality.

• EU rules (often called EU261) cover flights within the EU on any airline, flights departing the EU on any airline, and flights arriving in the EU from outside on an EU airline, according to Your Europe. They do not apply if you already received benefits for the same problem under a non-EU country’s law.
• UK rules (UK261) work in a similar way, with amounts in pounds. The CAA’s guidance is the place to check whether your flight qualifies.
• US rules focus on refunds. Federal regulations require airlines to give a full refund, including taxes and ancillary fees, when a flight to, from or within the United States is canceled or significantly delayed or changed and you choose not to travel or accept the alternative offered (14 CFR Part 260).
• Canadian rules come from the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), which sort disruptions into three groups: within the airline’s control, within its control but required for safety, and outside its control (APPR, SOR/2019-150).
• Elsewhere, national rules vary. India’s aviation regulator, for example, publishes its own requirements for passengers affected by denied boarding, cancellations and delays (DGCA India). Check your departure country’s regulator.

On a connecting trip booked as one reservation, Your Europe says a missed connection is covered under EU rules. Separate tickets are a different story; our guide to self-transfer flights explains why.

How much compensation can you get for a delayed or canceled flight?

These are the fixed amounts in the official sources, per passenger. They apply only when the disruption qualifies, for example a cause within the airline’s control and short notice of a cancellation.

Rules	When compensation can be due	Amount per passenger
EU (EU261)	Cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice, denied boarding, or arrival 3+ hours late, unless extraordinary circumstances	€250 (1,500 km or less); €400 (over 1,500 km within the EU, and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km); €600 (over 3,500 km). Some flights over 3,500 km arriving 3 to 4 hours late: €300
UK (UK261)	Arrival more than 3 hours late; cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice, unless extraordinary circumstances	£220 (under 1,500 km); £350 (1,500 to 3,500 km); over 3,500 km: £260 if 3 to 4 hours late, £520 if more than 4 hours late
Canada (APPR)	Delay or cancellation within the airline’s control and not required for safety, notified 14 days or less before departure	Large airlines: C$400 (arrival 3 to under 6 hours late), C$700 (6 to under 9 hours), C$1,000 (9+ hours). Small airlines: C$125, C$250, C$500
United States	The federal refund rules (Part 260) set refunds, not fixed delay or cancellation payments. Fixed compensation applies to involuntary bumping from oversold flights (see below)	Refund of the fare, taxes and ancillary fees if you do not travel

UK figures: UK CAA: delays. Canadian figures: APPR section 19.

Two details catch people out. EU and UK compensation is based on how late you arrive, not how late you leave. And Your Europe says the EU amount may be reduced by 50% if the airline re-routes you and you reach your final destination within a set time (2, 3 or 4 hours late, depending on distance).

When does the airline not have to pay compensation?

Airlines most often refuse compensation by citing “extraordinary circumstances” (the EU and UK term) or a situation outside their control (the Canadian term).

• Usually extraordinary or outside the airline’s control: weather that makes flying unsafe, air traffic control decisions, security risks, political instability, and strikes by people who do not work for the airline, such as airport staff. Canada’s list adds items such as airport operation issues and medical emergencies.
• Usually not extraordinary: Your Europe says most technical problems and strikes by the airline’s own staff do not count. The CAA points to court rulings that found technical problems, including the early failure of an aircraft component, were not extraordinary.

Even when no compensation is owed, the refund-or-reroute choice still applies, and so does the EU and UK duty of care. Your Europe sets care thresholds by distance: a departure delay of 2 hours or more for flights of 1,500 km or less, 3 hours or more for longer intra-EU flights and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and 4 hours or more for all other flights, with a hotel if the new departure is the next day or later.

What should you do in the first hour after a cancellation or long delay?

1. Get rebooked fast. Use the airline app, the transfer desk and the phone line at the same time.
2. Get the reason in writing, or screenshot the app or email notice. The cause decides whether compensation is owed.
3. Do not accept a voucher by default. US rules let airlines offer a voucher or credit only as an explicit alternative, with clear notice of your right to a full refund.
4. Ask for meals and a hotel if your wait crosses the thresholds above. If you get nothing, buy reasonable essentials and keep every receipt.
5. Note your actual arrival time at your final destination. It sets EU, UK and Canadian compensation.

If your checked bag goes astray too, separate deadlines apply; see our guide on what to do when an airline loses your luggage.

What if you are bumped from an overbooked flight?

Being denied boarding against your will on an oversold flight usually carries the clearest compensation rights.

• EU: Your Europe says you should always receive compensation if you are denied boarding, unless there are reasonable grounds such as health, safety, security or missing travel documents. The €250, €400 and €600 bands apply.
• US: On flights within the US, airlines must pay at least 200% of the one-way fare to your destination or first stopover, up to $1,075, if the alternative gets you there more than 1 hour but less than 2 hours late, and at least 400%, up to $2,150, beyond that. For international flights from a US airport the bands are 1 to 4 hours and over 4 hours. Airlines may offer travel credit instead, but must tell you the cash amount and that you can choose cash (14 CFR 250.5).
• Canada: APPR section 20 sets minimum compensation of C$900 (arrival less than 6 hours late), C$1,800 (6 to under 9 hours) and C$2,400 (9 hours or more).

Should you take a refund or a new flight?

• Take the new flight if you still need to make the trip and the alternative is reasonable. Under EU rules, re-routing can reduce compensation by 50% rather than remove it, and Canada’s regulations set minimum compensation both for passengers who travel on the alternative and, at a lower level, for those who take a refund.
• Take the refund if the trip no longer works, or a fresh fare elsewhere gets you there sooner. On a delay of more than five hours, the CAA says you can choose not to travel and get a refund, but only if you no longer want to make the trip. US refunds are due within 7 business days for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods (14 CFR 260.2). Your Europe says EU refunds should be paid within 7 days, and the APPR sets 30 days (section 18.2).

When you rebook yourself, connection length and fare type affect how easily the next disruption can be fixed; see how long a layover should be.

How do you claim compensation, and how long do you have?

Compensation is not paid automatically in the EU, UK or Canada; you have to claim it from the airline that operated the flight, in writing, with your booking reference, flight number, date, actual arrival time and receipts.

• EU: If the airline does not reply within 2 months, or you are not satisfied, Your Europe says you can complain to the national authority. Court time limits follow each country’s own rules.
• UK: If the airline takes more than eight weeks or you are unhappy with its final answer, the CAA says you can escalate to an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body or to the CAA’s complaints team.
• Canada: File your request before the first anniversary of the delay or cancellation; the airline must pay or explain why not within 30 days (APPR section 19).

Flight cancellation and delay FAQ

Do I get compensation if my flight is canceled because of weather?

Generally not under EU, UK or Canadian rules, because weather that makes safe operation impossible is treated as extraordinary or outside the airline’s control. You still keep the right to a refund or a new flight, and EU and UK care rules can still apply while you wait.

Is a 2-hour delay enough to claim compensation?

Not under EU or UK rules, where compensation starts at an arrival delay of three hours. A 2-hour delay can still entitle you to meals and refreshments on flights of 1,500 km or less.

Does a US airline owe me cash for a long delay?

The federal refund rules deal with refunds, not fixed payments. A flight to, from or within the US counts as significantly delayed when you are due to arrive 3 or more hours late on a domestic itinerary, or 6 or more hours late on an international one (14 CFR 260.2), and you can then get a full refund if you choose not to travel.

Final takeaway

When your flight is canceled or badly delayed, secure the next flight or your refund first, get the reason in writing, and keep every receipt. Then check which rules cover your route: EU and UK rules can pay up to €600 or £520 per passenger, Canadian rules up to C$1,000 for delays and cancellations, while US rules center on a full refund. For more practical planning help, browse the Farelyt flight guides.