Delayed Flight Cancelled Flight Denied Boarding

What applies if your flight is cancelled?

A cancelled flight is defined as a flight that was scheduled but did not take place.

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However, there are situations that are technically considered cancellations even if the aircraft actually takes off, or the other way around:

Aircraft returns:

If the aircraft takes off but is forced to return to the departure airport and does not reach its destination, the flight is considered cancelled.

Diversion:

If the flight lands at an airport different from the one booked (and not within the same city or region), it is considered cancelled.

Schedule change:

If the airline moves the departure time forward by more than one hour, it should be treated as a cancelled flight.

Difference compared to a delay:

A flight that is significantly delayed (even until the next day) is usually not considered cancelled as long as it keeps its original flight number and schedule, although the distinction can sometimes be difficult.

The Right to Choose (Refund or Re-routing)

When a flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you a choice between three options. This choice must be offered once and applies immediately.

1. Refund

You are entitled to a full refund of the ticket price for the part of the journey you were unable to use (and for the part already used if the trip no longer serves its purpose). If you are stranded at a connecting airport, you must also be offered a free return flight to the original departure point as soon as possible.

  • The refund must be made within 7 days.
  • It must be paid in money. Vouchers may only be used if you provide written consent.

2. Re-routing at the earliest opportunity

You are rebooked to your final destination under comparable transport conditions as soon as possible.

  • The airline must use all available resources, including booking you on flights with other airlines or on alternative transport (train/bus) if they cannot offer a seat themselves within a reasonable time.

3. Re-routing at a later date

You are rebooked to a later date that suits you, provided seats are available.

Right to Care and Assistance

If you choose to be re-routed “at the earliest opportunity,” you are entitled to free care and assistance during the waiting time. This also applies if the flight is cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances.

You are entitled to:

  • Meals and refreshments: In proportion to the waiting time.
  • Hotel accommodation: If the re-routing requires one or more overnight stays, the airline must provide and pay for a hotel room. It is the airline’s responsibility to arrange this, not only reimburse the cost afterwards.
  • Transport: Between the airport and the hotel.
  • Communication: Two phone calls, emails, or similar forms of communication.

If the airline does not meet its obligations and you are forced to pay these expenses yourself, you have the right to claim reimbursement afterwards for "necessary, reasonable, and appropriate costs" Keep all receipts.

Right to Financial Compensation

In addition to re-routing or a refund, you may also be entitled to standard financial compensation (damages for loss of time) if you were not informed about the cancelled flight in time.

You are entitled to compensation if:

  • You were informed about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure.
  • And the airline cannot offer a re-routing that is close to the original schedule (see below).
  • And the reason for the cancellation is not due to extraordinary circumstances (see section 4).
Exception for Re-routing (When Compensation Is Not Paid):

Even if you are informed late, the airline does not have to pay compensation if they offer a re-routing that meets the following conditions:

  • Information 7–13 days before departure: New departure no more than 2 hours earlier AND arrival no more than 4 hours later than the original schedule.
  • Information less than 7 days before departure:New departure no more than 1 hour earlier AND arrival no more than 2 hours later than the original schedule.

Compensation levels

The amount is based on the flight distance::

  • €250:Flights up to 1,500 km.
  • €400:Flights within the EU over 1,500 km and all other flights between 1,500–3,500 km.
  • €600:Flights outside the EU over 3,500 km.

Note:The amount may be reduced by 50% if you arrive with only a limited delay after re-routing (2, 3, or 4 hours depending on the distance).

Extraordinary Circumstances (When Compensation Is Not Payable)

The airline is not required to pay financial compensation (section 3) if it can prove that the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

What Counts as Extraordinary Circumstances?
  • Weather:Conditions that make flying impossible (e.g. storms, heavy fog, volcanic ash).
  • Strikes by external partners:Strikes by air traffic control or airport staff (strikes the airline cannot influence).
  • Bird strikes:Collisions with birds are considered extraordinary events.
  • Security threats:Sabotage, airspace closures, terrorism threats, and similar situations.
  • Manufacturing defects:Hidden defects in the aircraft identified by the manufacturer (not normal wear and tear).

When the extraordinary circumstances exception does not apply?

  • Technical problems: Normal technical faults or poor maintenance are considered part of normal operations and therefore give the right to compensation.
  • Staff shortages or illness:Illness among the airline’s own staff is not considered extraordinary. It is a situation the airline is expected to handle.
  • Internal strikes:Strikes by the airline’s own employees, as these are within the airline’s control.
Useful Additional Information
  • Booking through a travel agency:Even if you booked through a travel agency, the airline operating the flight is responsible for compensation and assistance. If the travel agency failed to pass on information about the cancellation to you, the airline is still obliged to pay compensation.
  • Journeys with different modes of transport:f you miss your flight because the train to the airport was delayed (even if it was on the same ticket), air passenger rights do not apply to the train journey. Instead, the rail passenger regulation applies. .
  • Burden of proof:It is the airline that must prove that you were informed about the cancelled flight in time.