Travel8 min read
Flight delayed or canceled? What the airline actually owes you
The short answer
For flights touching the EU/UK, EU261 entitles you to €250–€600 in cash for delays over 3 hours, cancellations, or denied boarding — unless it was genuinely extraordinary circumstances. In the US, there is no cash-compensation law, but you are always entitled to a full refund (not a voucher) if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight, and meal/hotel costs for controllable delays under airline customer-service commitments.
EU/UK flights: the €600 law
EU261 (and its UK twin) pays fixed cash compensation: €250 for flights under 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, €600 over 3,500 km — when you arrive 3+ hours late, get canceled within 14 days of departure, or are denied boarding. It applies to any flight DEPARTING the EU/UK (any airline) and to EU/UK carriers flying INTO the EU/UK. The airline's only out is "extraordinary circumstances" — genuine weather, ATC strikes, security events. Crew shortages, maintenance, and "operational reasons" do NOT count, whatever the agent says.
US flights: refunds and duty of care
Domestic US rules are weaker but real: if the airline cancels or "significantly changes" your flight, you are entitled to a full refund to your original payment method — cash, not a travel credit — even on a nonrefundable ticket. For controllable delays (maintenance, crew), every major US airline has committed to meal vouchers at 3+ hours and hotel accommodation for overnight delays. Ask at the desk; they do not offer. Credit card trip-delay coverage (4–6 hour thresholds on premium cards) stacks on top: keep every receipt.
The rebooking script that skips the line
When the cancellation text lands, do not join the gate line — call the airline's international or elite line while simultaneously rebooking yourself in the app. The magic phrase for phone agents: "What are my options on [partner carrier]?" Airlines book their own metal first; asking for a specific alternative (which you found on Google Flights while waiting) moves you from standby #40 to a confirmed seat. On international itineraries, Rule 240-era interline agreements still let agents move you to competing carriers — ask for it explicitly.
Filing the compensation claim
For EU261: file directly with the operating airline (their EU261 claim form), citing the regulation, flight number, and actual arrival time — claims firms take 25–40% for work that is genuinely one form. Expect 2–8 weeks and one form-letter rejection ("extraordinary circumstances"); reply once citing the specific reason given and why it does not qualify — persistence flips most rejections. Keep everything: boarding passes, the delay notification screenshot, receipts for meals and hotels (duty-of-care reimbursement is separate from the fixed compensation).
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Start freeQuestions people actually ask
- Does weather kill my EU261 claim?
- Genuine extraordinary weather does — but airlines overuse it. If other flights were departing during your delay, or the "weather" was at a different airport, push back: the burden of proof is on the airline, and national enforcement bodies (and small-claims court) side with passengers when the evidence is thin. A vague "weather" rejection is the most commonly overturned rejection there is.
- Can I get both a refund and EU261 compensation?
- They cover different things. If you choose not to travel after a cancellation, you get the refund; if you travel and arrive 3+ hours late, you get the fixed compensation (plus duty-of-care costs). You do not double-dip the refund AND fly — but rebooking, flying late, and claiming the €600 is exactly what the law intends.
- The airline offered a voucher instead of a refund — take it?
- Only if you actually want it. US rules entitle you to cash back for cancellations and significant changes, and vouchers usually expire with restrictions. If the voucher comes with a bonus (20–50% extra is common) and you will use it within the year, it can be the better deal; otherwise decline politely and request the refund to the original form of payment — they must process it within 7 business days.
- What about delays that cause a missed connection?
- Same ticket, same protection: compensation is measured by arrival time at your FINAL destination, and the airline must reroute you at no cost, including meals and hotels for forced overnights. Booked as separate tickets, you are on your own for the second leg — which is the strongest argument for single-ticket itineraries and 3+ hour self-transfer windows.