Cancelled Flight Refund

Can you get a cancelled flight refund?

Yes, you can get a refund if your flight is cancelled, regardless of the reason.

According to European Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, if an airline cancels your flight, you are entitled to a full refund for your ticket. However, this is not your only option. You can choose from three alternatives: a full refund to your bank account, rebooking on a new flight, or receiving vouchers/points that can be used for future travel.

Continue reading. I’ll tell you more about an airline refund.

Check flight compensation online.

Cancelled Flight Refund

Can you get a cancelled flight refund?

Yes. You are entitled to a refund in case your flight gets cancelled, no matter the cause. You can get a refund even if your flight is cancelled at the last minute, or it is cancelled due to bad weather or other things the airline can’t control.

European Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 guarantees your right to a refund.

The only exception is if you yourself cancel a flight, not the airline. Then it depends on the specific circumstances and your ticket.

1. Flight Cancellation Refund Options: Vouchers or Bank Transfer

You can choose either.

If your flight gets cancelled, you’ll get an email with three options: a refund to your bank account, rebooking on another flight, or vouchers/points for future travel.

If you wish to receive a refund to your bank account, you are entitled to it.

You don’t have to accept vouchers if you don’t want to. European Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 guarantees your right to a refund to your bank account.

Refund must be made in full.

You should be receiving it in 7 days.

2. New Flight or a Full Refund

Can you get a new flight instead of a refund?

If you are flying with a European airline, then yes.

The airline must offer you a choice between a refund and a new flight to your destination. You can choose either. If you decide not to travel, you can get a full refund instead of a new flight, or vice versa. Just remember, you can’t have both.

In all situations, you may also be entitled to flight cancellation compensation. Continue reading to learn more about this option.

How to Get a Refund for a Cancelled Flight?

Claiming a refund from the airline is easy.

If your flight gets cancelled, you’ll receive an email offering three options: a refund to your bank account, rebooking on another flight, or vouchers/points for future travel.

Simply inform the airline of your choice by replying to the email or requesting a refund through your account.

Remember! If the airline is offering only two options – a new flight or a voucher – you can still request a transfer to your bank account if this is what you want.

Airline Refusing to Refund Ticket

What if there’s no refund for a cancelled flight because the airline is refusing it?

If the airline denies your ticket refund, remind them of their obligations under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (or UK261), Articles 5 and 8. If this doesn’t work, contact the national enforcement body of the country from which your flight departs.

If the airline refuses to pay compensation, you can use the services of a compensation claim company or contact the National Enforcement Body.

Refund, Compensation, or Both: What Are You Entitled To?

In some situations, you are entitled to both – flight cancellation compensation and refund.

• When are you entitled to a refund for flight cancellation? Any time an airline cancels your flight. This right is separate from the airline’s refund policy.
• When are you entitled to both? When your flight is cancelled at the last minute—0-14 days before the departure date.

I will delve into the details. Continue reading to find out more.

1. Your Flight is Cancelled at the Last Minute: Less Than 2 Weeks Before Departure

You are entitled to a full refund or a new flight, plus compensation

If the airline cancels your flight, they must offer you an alternative flight to the same destination or provide a full refund. You can choose the option that best suits you! If the cancellation is the airline’s fault, they owe you compensation for the inconvenience, but only when the cancellation occurs within 14 days of departure.

If your flight is cancelled due to bad weather or other extraordinary circumstances, you can’t get flight cancellation compensation from your airline. But you still may get a refund because a refund must be paid no matter why the flight is cancelled.

Remember, airlines must pay refunds directly to your bank account, as with compensation. You are not obliged to accept airline vouchers.

For non-European airlines, this applies only to flights departing from Europe.

If your flight is cancelled 0-14 days before departure, you can get a refund or a new flight + compensation. Even if you opt for a refund, you still get compensation – they’re not the same!

2. Your Flight Is Cancelled More Than 2 Weeks Before the Trip

You are entitled to a refund or a new flight to your destination

If your flight is cancelled more than 14 days before your trip, you are not entitled to compensation.

However, European airlines must still offer a refund if you no longer wish to travel. The airline must either fully reimburse you for your journey or provide an alternative flight to your destination.

Your cancelled flight refund must be paid within 7 days to your bank account. You don’t have to accept vouchers from the airline.

For non-European airlines, this applies only to flights departing from Europe.

To What Flights Does This All Apply?

Thanks to European flight compensation laws, all of this applies to European airlines and also airlines flying from somewhere else to Europe.

Air passenger rights laws are nearly the same in the EU, EEA, and UK.

Therefore, I often refer to them collectively as European air passenger rights, using terms like European flight compensation and European flight compensation regulation. I may also use the term Europe to describe this entire region, where the flight compensation regulations EC 261/2004 and UK261 apply (both are almost identical).

• For European airlines, these rules apply to all flights within, to, and from Europe.
• For non-European airlines, they apply to flights departing from Europe.

By Europe, European Union and EU here on this website we mean all EU Member States, the United Kingdom (UK), Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. This is where these European regulations work.

Do you have more questions about cancelled flight refund or flight cancellation compensation? Feel free to ask in the comments.

Featured photo by cottonbro studio from Pexels