EU Regulation 261/2004
Flight cancelled? You have more rights than you think.
If your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure, you are often owed €250 to €600 in compensation on top of a replacement flight or refund. We arrange both.
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€250
Flights up to 1,500 km
e.g. Amsterdam → London
€400
1,500 – 3,500 km
e.g. Brussels → Malaga
€600
Over 3,500 km
e.g. Amsterdam → New York
Per person, for 3+ hours delay at your final destination, cancellation less than 14 days ahead, or denied boarding. Claimable up to 6 years back.
When do you get compensation for a cancellation?
Less than 14 days' notice
Told earlier? Then the compensation lapses, but your right to a refund or rebooking remains.
Alternative arrived much later
Even with a rebooking your right stands if the alternative fell outside the legal time windows.
EU departure or EU airline
Departing from an EU airport, or flying into the EU with a European carrier.
No extraordinary circumstances
A strike by the airline's own staff or a technical fault is, according to the courts, not force majeure.
Your three rights when a flight is cancelled
For any cancellation the airline must offer you the choice: your money back within 7 days, or rebooking to your destination. On top of that you are entitled to care at the airport: food, drinks and a hotel if needed.
If the flight was cancelled within 14 days of departure, the fixed compensation comes on top: €250 to €600 depending on distance. Only if the airline rebooked you within the legal time windows, or in cases of genuine force majeure, does that right lapse.
The time windows, precisely explained
If the airline cancels between 14 and 7 days before departure, it only escapes compensation if your alternative left at most 2 hours earlier and arrived less than 4 hours later. Within 7 days of departure the margins tighten: at most 1 hour earlier out and less than 2 hours later in.
If your rebooking fell outside those margins, you are owed the full compensation amount on top of the replacement ticket. Airlines rarely mention this themselves.
Offered a voucher? You can insist on cash
A voucher is only allowed with your explicit consent. If you did not deliberately choose one, your right to a cash refund remains, plus the compensation on top.
We check your flight, calculate what you are owed and put the airline on notice. Weather excuses go next to the METAR data for that day; if the excuse does not hold, we push on, to court if necessary.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get my ticket refunded and compensation?
Both are possible. A refund or rebooking is a basic right for every cancellation; the €250 to €600 compensation comes on top if the cancellation was within 14 days of departure and there was no force majeure.
The airline offered me a voucher. Do I have to accept it?
No. A voucher requires your explicit consent. You always have the right to choose a cash refund, within 7 days.
What if I only heard at the airport that my flight was off?
Then the cancellation counts as not announced in time and your compensation claim is at its strongest. Keep your boarding pass and every message from the airline; we do the rest.
Does a strike count as an extraordinary circumstance?
Usually not. The Court of Justice ruled that a strike by the airline's own staff is not force majeure. Only external causes, such as closed airspace, can be.
I was rebooked and arrived 5 hours late. Claimable?
Almost certainly. If you arrived well outside the legal time windows, the full compensation amount stands, even though you accepted the rebooking.
What does your help cost?
Nothing upfront and nothing if we lose. Only for a successful claim do we keep a fixed percentage of the payout. No win, no fee.
Sources and legal basis
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, full text (EUR-Lex)
- Court of Justice of the EU, Sturgeon (C-402/07): 3+ hour delays qualify for compensation
- Court of Justice of the EU, Wallentin-Hermann (C-549/07): technical faults are rarely force majeure
- Your air passenger rights (Europa.eu)
Legal framework reviewed on 19 September 2026. This page is general information about EU Regulation 261/2004, not individual legal advice.
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