If an airline cancels a flight covered by EU passenger-rights rules, it must offer you a one-time choice: reimbursement, rerouting to your destination as soon as possible, or rerouting later on a date you choose. Decide before accepting a refund or replacement booking: once you choose one option, you cannot switch to the other two for that cancellation.
First, check whether EU cancellation rules cover your flight
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to flights within the EU regardless of the operating airline, departures from the EU to a non-EU destination on any airline, and arrivals in the EU from outside the EU when operated by an EU airline. The European Commission says the rules also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Check the operating carrier—the airline that operates the flight—which may not be the company that sold your ticket. See the Your Europe air passenger rights guidance.
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Choose the outcome you want before responding
The airline must offer these three options on a one-off basis. They are alternatives, not cumulative benefits for the same cancellation.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches| Option | What it means | Consider it if… |
|---|---|---|
| Reimbursement | Return of the ticket price for the journey not made. For a connecting journey, you may also be entitled to a return flight to your original departure point at the earliest opportunity. If a part of the journey already completed no longer serves your original travel plan, the regulation provides for reimbursement of that part as well. | You no longer want to travel, or the trip no longer makes sense. |
| Rerouting at the earliest opportunity | Travel to your final destination as soon as possible, under comparable transport conditions. | You still need to make the trip promptly. |
| Rerouting on a later date | Travel to your final destination on a later date you choose, under comparable transport conditions and subject to seat availability. | You still want to travel but can choose a later date. |
The airline should present the choice; do not assume a voucher or an automatic refund is the only option. The regulation sets a seven-day deadline for reimbursement. Once you choose one of the three options, the other two are no longer available for that disruption. Read the text of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and the Your Europe cancellation guidance.
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How to make the request
- Contact the operating airline. Use its cancellation message, customer-support channel or complaint form. If a travel agency or another airline sold the ticket, that does not necessarily make it the operating carrier responsible for the flight.
- Identify the booking and affected flight. Include your booking reference, passenger names, flight number and date, and a reliable way for the airline to contact you.
- State one option clearly. For example: “I choose rerouting to my final destination at the earliest opportunity under comparable transport conditions.” Or specify reimbursement, or a later travel date for rerouting.
- Ask for written confirmation. Keep the cancellation notice, your request, the airline’s response and any relevant receipts. If the airline did not offer the choice and refunded your original ticket unilaterally, Your Europe says you may seek the price difference for a replacement ticket under comparable transport conditions. Keep evidence of the replacement cost and your communications.
These are practical recordkeeping steps; EU guidance establishes the rights and complaint route but does not prescribe a particular letter template.
Assistance while waiting for rerouting
If you choose rerouting and are waiting at the airport, the airline must provide assistance: meals and refreshments in proportion to the waiting time, and two calls, texts or emails. If the alternative journey requires an overnight stay, necessary accommodation is also due. These care obligations are separate from both reimbursement and possible compensation. Extraordinary circumstances may affect compensation, but do not remove the underlying cancellation-choice and assistance rights. See the Your Europe guidance and the European Commission air-passenger-rights information.
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Check separately whether fixed compensation may be due
Compensation is a separate question from whether you choose a refund or rerouting. A claim may be available if the airline informed you of the cancellation less than 14 days before the scheduled departure. Under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, the statutory amounts are:
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| Flight distance | Compensation amount |
|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | €250 |
| More than 1,500 km within the EU, or another flight between 1,500 km and 3,500 km | €400 |
| More than 3,500 km | €600 |
The airline can avoid paying compensation if it proves that extraordinary circumstances caused the cancellation, could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, and that the required notice and rerouting conditions for an exception are met. The notice-period exceptions depend on the departure and arrival times offered for alternative travel. Check the precise conditions in Article 5 and Article 7 of the regulation and the Your Europe guidance.
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Account for these itinerary and cancellation details
- A flight moved earlier: The European Commission’s FAQ treats a flight brought forward by more than one hour as cancelled. See the official air-passenger FAQ.
- Strikes: An internal airline staff strike is not treated as an extraordinary circumstance. An external strike, such as action by air-traffic-control or airport staff, may qualify. The airline must establish the link to the disruption and show that reasonable measures could not have avoided it; a strike does not automatically decide every claim.
- Separate return booking: If outbound and return flights were booked separately, cancellation generally affects reimbursement for the cancelled flight, not the separate return flight.
- One reservation, multiple carriers: The consequences for the whole itinerary can depend on its booking structure. Check whether the flights are part of one reservation and contact the operating airline about the affected journey.
For the applicable rules and examples, consult the Your Europe guidance and the European Commission FAQ.
Complain to the airline, then escalate if needed
- Submit a complaint to the operating airline first, normally through its complaint form. Attach the booking details, cancellation notice, the option you selected and supporting receipts or correspondence.
- If the response is missing or inadequate, you may complain to the relevant national enforcement authority in the country where the incident took place if the airline has not replied within two months or its answer is unsatisfactory.
- Check other routes for resolving the dispute. Alternative dispute resolution may be available; official guidance notes that access to those procedures is for EU residents. National court limitation periods vary, so ask the relevant national authority or consumer centre about the deadline that applies.
See the Your Europe complaint guidance for national contacts and information about claim-assistance agencies. Using an agency is optional; review its fees, terms and eligibility before agreeing to use its service.
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Which rules apply as of October 2026?
As of 4 October 2026, the instructions above reflect Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and current Your Europe guidance. The Council announced final clearance of amended passenger-rights rules on 13 July 2026; it says the updated rules enter into force 12 months and 20 days after publication in the Official Journal. That is a future change, not a replacement for the rules currently in force. Check the Council’s announcement on the updated air passenger rights for the stated commencement mechanism.
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