What compensation am I entitled to for a cancelled flight?

Cancelled Flight? Know Your Compensation Rights.

A cancelled flight throws a wrench into travel plans, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated. While airlines typically offer alternative travel arrangements, it’s crucial to understand your rights and the potential for compensation beyond just rebooking. The key factor in determining your eligibility for further compensation often hinges on one crucial decision: accepting or declining the airline’s proposed alternatives.

Many airlines will proactively offer rebooking on the next available flight, sometimes even on a partner airline. They might also offer travel vouchers or credits for future flights. While these options can be convenient, accepting them often waives your right to further compensation. This is a critical point to remember. By accepting a rebooked flight, even if it significantly disrupts your schedule, you are essentially agreeing to the airline’s proposed solution and forfeiting potential claims.

If your flight is cancelled, the first step is to fully understand the reason for the cancellation. While cancellations due to “extraordinary circumstances,” such as severe weather or air traffic control strikes, generally limit the airline’s liability for compensation, cancellations within the airline’s control, like mechanical issues or staffing shortages, often entitle you to more.

Here’s the crux: to be eligible for compensation beyond a refund or rebooking, you generally need to decline all alternative travel options offered by the airline. This means refusing rebooking, vouchers, and other proposed solutions. By doing so, you preserve your right to pursue a claim for compensation based on the regulations governing air passenger rights in your specific region.

These regulations vary depending on your departure location and destination. For example, regulations like EC 261 within the European Union and UK261 within the United Kingdom stipulate specific compensation amounts based on flight distance and delay duration for cancellations within the airline’s control. Similar regulations exist in other regions, though the specific entitlements differ.

Choosing a refund instead of rebooking puts the onus on you to arrange and cover the cost of alternative travel. However, if the cancellation falls under the airline’s responsibility, you can then claim reimbursement for these reasonable expenses, which might include new flights, ground transportation, accommodation, and meals incurred due to the disruption. Keep all receipts and documentation as evidence.

In summary, while accepting rebooking or travel vouchers might seem like the easiest option in the face of a cancelled flight, it can limit your compensation rights. Before accepting any offer, carefully consider your options, understand the reason for the cancellation, and research the applicable passenger rights regulations. If you choose a refund and decline alternative travel arrangements, you preserve your right to potentially claim significant compensation and reimbursement for the disruption caused by the cancellation. Remember to document everything and contact the airline directly to initiate a claim.