Timing
What to do when the flight is cancelled
Passenger rights in several regions are stronger than airlines volunteer, and short breaks are where they bite hardest.
Comparisons of cancellations and delays usually pick a winner. This one picks the circumstances, which is more useful.
The difference in one place
- Rerouting and care obligations are separate from compensation.
- Extraordinary circumstances remove compensation but not the duty to reroute.
- Airlines rarely volunteer the full entitlement.
Three separate entitlements
Where passenger rights regulations apply, a cancellation typically triggers a right to rerouting or refund, a right to care while waiting, and sometimes a right to compensation. These are separate, and being refused one does not remove the others. Airlines frequently offer a refund alone, which is the cheapest option for them and often not the best for you.
Rerouting is usually the thing you want
On a short break, a refund is not much use — you wanted to be somewhere. Regulations in several regions require rerouting at the earliest opportunity, which can include another carrier. Asking specifically for rerouting rather than accepting a refund is the practical step.
Care is owed while you wait
Meals, refreshments and, for overnight delays, accommodation and transport are typically owed regardless of the cause. Where the airline does not provide it, keeping receipts and claiming afterwards is the standard route. This applies even when compensation does not.
Compensation depends on cause and notice
Extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or air traffic control action generally remove compensation. Technical faults and crew shortages generally do not, though airlines sometimes claim otherwise. Notice period before departure also affects entitlement in several regimes.
Adjust the size of it until it is something you would actually do tired.
Document everything
Photograph the departure board, keep boarding passes and receipts, and get the reason for cancellation in writing where possible. Claims are decided on evidence, and the burden of assembling it falls on you. National enforcement bodies and ombudsman schemes exist where an airline refuses a valid claim.
Side by side
| Consideration | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Three separate entitlements | Rerouting and care obligations are separate from compensation. |
| Rerouting is usually the thing you want | Extraordinary circumstances remove compensation but not the duty to reroute. |
| Care is owed while you wait | Airlines rarely volunteer the full entitlement. |
The takeaway
Ask for rerouting, keep every receipt, and get the reason in writing.
The version you keep doing is the version that works.
Questions readers ask
Does travel insurance cover cancellation by the airline?
Often only where the airline does not, and terms vary. Statutory passenger rights are usually the first route; insurance covers gaps such as onward bookings.
Can I book my own replacement flight and claim it back?
Sometimes, and it is risky — airlines frequently refuse. Ask them to reroute first and get any refusal in writing before booking independently.
Also by Hanne Jacobsen
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