Cancelled Flight Compensation - Claim In Less Than A Minute With The UK's Best Flight Cancellation Compensation Claims Company

UK Flight Cancellation Claims

As the UK’s leader in cancelled flight claims, we’ve claimed over £80 million in compensation from the airlines, more than any other UK firm.

Join the 680,000 UK airline passengers who’ve chosen Bott and Co. to claim their no-win, no-fee flight cancellation compensation.

The simplest and quickest way to find out how much compensation you can claim for your cancelled flight is to use our flight cancellation claim calculator below. Just add your flight details below to get an instant answer.

When Do Airlines Have To Compensate For Flight Cancellations?

In all circumstances of a flight cancellation, airline passengers are entitled to either a full refund or to accept a replacement flight to be re-routed to their original destination. Passengers have this right even if the airline is not responsible for the cancellation.

What Are My Rights If My Flight Has Been Cancelled?

Under EU Regulation 261, UK airline passengers whose flights have been cancelled have the legal right to either a full refund or a replacement flight. Your legal rights depend on the circumstances of your flight and when you were informed of the flight cancellation.

Additionally, you may be entitled to compensation if you accept a replacement flight and it is delayed.

What Cancelled Flights Are Eligible For Compensation Under EU Reg 261?

EU Regulation 261 protects airline passengers’ rights under the following circumstances:

• Any flight leaving a UK or EU airport
• Any UK or EU airline arriving at a UK or EU airport.

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What Are My Rights If I Accept A Replacement Flight After A Flight Cancellation?

If you accept a replacement flight, the airline is responsible for getting you to your destination as soon as possible, including booking you on a flight with another airline.

Your rights to claim compensation and a refund only apply if your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before your flight was due to depart, you accepted a replacement flight, and you were delayed getting to your destination by more than two hours.

Additionally, you are entitled to “care and assistance” if you have to wait over two hours for your replacement flight. Care and assistance include reasonable expenses in relation to the length of your delay for food and drink, hotel accommodation if necessary, and free transport to and from your hotel.

Below, we explain your right to a refund or to claim compensation based on the numerous circumstances that may arise, including how many days before takeoff you were told of the cancellation.

When Can You Claim Compensation For A Cancelled Flight?

You may be entitled to claim compensation if your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, the cancellation is the airline’s responsibility, and your replacement flight arrives more than two hours later than your originally scheduled flight.

When Can You Claim Compensation For A Flight Cancelled Less Than 14 Days Before Departure?

You can claim compensation for a cancelled flight if it is cancelled less than 14 days before your departure and your replacement flight arrives more than two hours later than your originally scheduled flight.

Compensation would only be due if the airline is responsible for the delay and not caused by an extraordinary circumstance.

How Is Compensation For A Flight Cancellation Calculated?

The amount of compensation you may receive for a flight cancellation will depend on a number of factors, including:

• How many days before departure you were informed of the cancellation
• The length of your flight
• The time difference of arrival and departure between your original flight and your replacement flight.

How Much Compensation Can You Claim For A Cancelled Flight 7-14 Days Before Departure?

Compensation amounts for cancelled flights vary from £110 to £520 per person. The amount of compensation is based on the time difference between your original scheduled flight and your replacement flight.

Compensation is due for delays and if your flight took off earlier than your original flight.

When Can You Claim Compensation For A Flight Cancelled Less Than 7 Days Before Departure?

Compensation for flights cancelled less than 7 days before departure depends on the timing difference between your original flight and the replacement flight you accepted.

Compensation would only be due if the airline is responsible and not caused by an extraordinary circumstance.

How Much Compensation Can You Claim For A Cancelled Flight Less Than 7 Days Before Departure?

To reflect the more significant inconvenience a cancellation at such short notice may cause, the compensation amounts in these instances are slightly higher than for flights cancelled more than 7 days before departure.

How To Claim Compensation For A Missed Connection Due To A Flight Cancellation

You have a number of rights if you have missed your connecting flight due to a flight cancellation. As long as your connecting flight is booked on the same ticket, the airline is responsible for providing the following:

If you have yet to depart

• A full refund for all legs of your journey
• A replacement flight to your final destination, including booking you on a flight with another airline, if it gets you to your final destination quicker than a flight on their airline.

If you have already departed

• A refund for your cancelled flight and to cover the cost of a return flight to your original departure airport
• A replacement flight to your final destination, including booking you on a flight with another airline, if it gets you to your final destination quicker than a flight on their airline.

When Can You Get A Refund For A Cancelled Flight?

If the airline cancels your flight before you depart and you choose not to accept the replacement flight the airline may offer, you can get a refund from the airline.

You can also receive a refund for all other flights you won’t use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights.

The refund should be paid within seven days and is due even if the airline was not responsible for the cancellation.

When Can You Get A Refund And Compensation For A Cancelled Flight?

You would be able to claim a refund and compensation only in the unfortunate circumstances when your original flight is cancelled and your replacement flight is delayed more than two hours than your original flight.

What Is The Time Limit To Claim Compensation For A Cancelled Flight?

EU Regulation 261 extends airline passengers’ rights to claim for any flight cancellation they may have suffered in the past 6 years.

When Can You Claim Compensation For A Flight Cancelled More Than 14 Days Before Departure?

If your flight is cancelled more than 14 days before you are due to depart, you will not be entitled to claim compensation.

However, you are entitled to either a full refund or to accept a replacement flight. The airline is responsible for providing a replacement flight that gets you to your destination as close to the scheduled arrival time as your original flight. This responsibility extends to booking you on a flight on another airline. This is known as re-routing.

What Are Extraordinary Circumstances For Flight Cancellations?

The airline is not responsible for paying compensation if the flight is cancelled due to what is known as an extraordinary circumstance in EU Regulation 261.

However, an airline may consider an extraordinary circumstance differently than the regulation states.

Bott and Co. has been at the forefront of flight compensation law since 2013, winning multiple landmark cases at the Supreme Court that enabled millions of UK airline passengers to claim compensation for their cancelled flights.

Circumstances classed as extraordinary in EU261 are instances where events outside the airline’s responsibility cause the delay.

The term “extraordinary circumstances” may apply to events where the delay was caused by something unexpected and not easily anticipated by the airline.

Examples Of Extraordinary Circumstances For Flight Cancellations

Situations when you wouldn’t be able to claim flight compensation due to extraordinary circumstances:

• Extreme and unexpected weather conditions
• Strikes and industrial action, including strikes unrelated to the airline, such as air traffic control strikes, baggage handler strikes, or border force strikes
• Air traffic control decisions affecting flight scheduling
• Hidden manufacturing defects or technical issues with the plane
• Bird strikes, flying into and damaging the engine
• A passenger or member of airline staff taken ill on the flight, including a medical emergency on board
• An unruly passenger on the flight
• Acts of terrorism or civil unrest
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel bans
• Security risks
• Disease outbreaks
• Disruptions to airspace, including drones.
• Unexpected IT outages that are beyond the responsibility of the airline

Examples That Are Not Extraordinary Circumstances For Flight Cancellations

Situations when you would be able to claim flight compensation due to extraordinary circumstances:

• Insufficient airline staff, pilots, cabin crew, check-in staff, or ground staff
• Airline staff sickness, including pilots and cabin crew
• Airline staff strikes
• Known technical issues or defects with the aircraft
• Technical problems with in-person or online check-in, boarding the flight
• Flight overbooking or involuntarily denied passenger boarding
• Expected bad weather
• Lightening strikes
• Bad weather affecting a previous flight causes your flight to be delayed.

Citing “extraordinary circumstances” is the only valid defence an airline has against paying compensation for flight cancellations, and the majority of the court battles we’ve encountered test the definition of what an extraordinary circumstance is.

How To Claim Compensation For Flight Cancellations Due To Bad Weather

Bad weather is only considered an extraordinary circumstance if it is considered “freak” or “wholly exceptional.”

Bad weather must also affect the ‘flight in question’ for airlines to use as a defence. If your flight was delayed because of the knock-on effects of a different flight being affected by bad weather, your flight should be claimable.

Our guide on claiming compensation for flights affected by bad weather provides more detail on this area of law.

Can I Claim Compensation For A Cancelled Flight Due To Air Traffic Control?

Unfortunately, it is very rare to be able to claim for flight cancellations caused by Air Traffic Control, as most circumstances of flight cancellations caused by ATF are classed as extraordinary circumstances and are not the responsibility of the airline.

Cancelled flights caused by Air Traffic Control strikes which affect your flight are not claimable. Similarly, if Air Traffic Control limits the number of flights allowed to fly, compensation would not be due.

Can I Claim Compensation For A Cancelled Flight Due To A Strike?

You may be able to claim compensation for your cancellation if there was a strike within the airline, as this would be classed as the airline’s responsibility.

However, most other examples of strikes causing flight cancellations would not be eligible for compensation. These would include strikes by ATF, baggage handlers, airport staff, including airport security.

Flight Cancelled Due To Crew Sickness Or Shortages – Can I Claim Compensation?

Yes, you could claim compensation if your airline is unable to provide enough staff to operate your flight. This includes the grounds crew, cabin crew and pilots. This area of law was recently tested, with the court deciding in favour of the passenger.

Flight Cancelled Due To Technical Issues – Can I Claim Compensation?

You may be able to claim compensation if it can be proven that a known technical issue or defect with the plane caused the cancellation. However, if it is hidden, you will not be able to claim. We have been involved in a number of landmark cases relating to this area of the law. Our guide on claiming flight compensation for a technical defect goes into much more detail.

Suffered A Flight Cancellation And At The Airport? You Have A Right To Care and Assistance

Article 9 of EU Reg 261 states that airlines must provide passengers with “care and assistance” if their flight is cancelled and their replacement flight is delayed more than a certain number of hours.

Airline passengers are eligible for “care and assistance” if their flight is delayed at least 2 hours (for flights under 1,500km), delayed at least 3 hours (for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km), or at least 4 hours for flights over 3,500km.

Regardless of the reason for the delay, the airline must provide passengers with:

• Food and drink in reasonable relation to waiting time
• Free hotel accommodation when a stay of one night or more is necessary
• Free transport between the airport and the hotel
• Two free telephone calls, emails, or fax messages

The airline should cover all these costs during the delay as part of their ‘care and assistance’ obligations.

This right applies to delays, even if caused by what the regulation calls an extraordinary circumstance.

No Win No Fee Flight Cancellation Compensation Claim Solicitors

Since 2013, Bott and Co. have been leading the fight for airline passenger rights under EUReg 261.

Winning multiple landmark cases at the Supreme Court, Bott and Co. has helped millions of passengers claim compensation from the airline.

For those who choose to have our industry-leading legal team represent them, we provide our services on a no win no fee basis, meaning you are at no financial risk if your claim is unsuccessful.

Simple Claim Process

• Add your details to our claim checker
• We will confirm if you were mis-sold
• We will negotiate a settlement with the lender
• You receive the compensation you are due.

How To Claim Compensation For Cancelled Flights

Just add your flight details to our flight compensation calculator to start your claim with us.

Instantly, we will check the eligibility of your flight and tell you how much you can claim. Then, we only need a few more details to submit your claim.

Your claim is handled on a no-win, no-fee basis, so you will pay nothing if we can’t recover your compensation.

We helped establish this area of law by winning multiple landmark cases at the Supreme Court and have since helped hundreds of thousands of UK airline passengers claim flight delay compensation from the airlines. Many of them have been turned down after trying to claim directly with the airline.

If you wish to claim directly with the airline, your next step will be to write to them. Set out exactly what happened with your flight, why you believe you are entitled to compensation, and the amount you wish to claim as per your rights under Regulation EU 261/2004. We have a flight compensation claim template letter you can download and send to the airline if you need help.

Claim With The UK’s Best Flight Cancellation Compensation Claims Company

We’re the UK’s most recommended and successful flight compensation claims company.

Bott and Co. has been at the forefront of flight compensation law since 2013, winning multiple landmark cases at the Supreme Court that enabled millions of airline passengers to claim compensation.

Since 2013, we’ve successfully claimed over £80 million from the airlines, more than any other UK firm. Our award-winning legal services have helped over 680,000 UK passengers claim compensation.

Unlike many other firms in the industry, we are fully regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We are completely independent, so our only focus is getting you the compensation you are legally entitled to.

We’re also the only firm to provide full legal support rather than an expensive add-on. We take pride in representing our clients, which is why our legal team reviews every single claim and has achieved industry-leading success rates over the last decade.

Frequently Asked Questions On Claiming For Flight Cancellation Compensation

What Is The Definition Of A Flight Cancellation

EU261 defines a flight cancellation as “The non-operation of a flight which was previously planned and on which at least one place was reserved”.

Essentially, this means the plane never took off. So even if you sit on the plane waiting to depart and then are asked to leave, it still counts as a cancellation, not a delay.

What To Do At The Airport When Your Flight Is Cancelled

Your journey to claim compensation for your cancelled flight may start at the airport. When claiming, it is always good to have as much information as possible to help with your claim. Usually, the more information we have, the quicker the claim can be paid.

If you are at the airport and your flight has been cancelled, try to compile as much evidence and information as possible from the airline for the reason for your cancellation. This may include:

• Ask an airline representative for the reason for the cancellation
• Collect as much evidence as possible to prove the length of the delay, such as written documentation from the airline or a photo of the departure board
• Keep all of your travel documents, including your boarding pass
• Keep all receipts for expenses you incur during your delay.

I Booked My Flight Through A Travel Agent, Who Do I Claim Compensation From?

When claiming for a flight cancellation, you will always claim directly from the “operating carrier.” In this case, that is the airline, so you will claim against the airline, not the travel agent.

Who Do I Claim Compensation From For A Cancelled Flight On A Packaged Holiday?

The tour operator for your package holiday is responsible. As such, they should either provide a refund for the whole cost of the holiday or provide you with an alternative flight to your original destination.

Do I Have To Accept Vouchers Instead Of Compensation For Cancelled Flights?

You are under no legal obligation to accept vouchers instead of financial compensation. We advise all passengers not to accept vouchers as they may come with certain restrictions, including how long they are valid for, and you usually relinquish all rights to further compensation if you accept them.

If I Book A New Flight Myself, Can I Claim A Refund For My Cancelled Flight?

You should make every effort to have the airline rebook you on another flight before making your own arrangements. Your rights to claim may be more limited if you make alternative arrangements.

Is UK Flight Cancellation Compensation Law The Same As EU Flight Cancellation Law?

Yes, EU Reg 261 was written into UK Law during the Brexit transition period. UK passengers enjoy the exact same rights as European passengers. Except now, depending on where you are flying, they are protected by the UK law or the existing EU version. Additionally, compensation is now paid in UK Pounds rather than Euros.

The name of the new UK law is Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (as amended by The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019).” It can sometimes be referred to as “UK261.”