Your Rights As A Passenger On A Canceled Flight

It is not a very good news for any passenger to know that their flight is cancelled. However, there is nothing to worry about for any passenger if their flight is cancelled because airlines across the world offer passengers with refunds and options like flight transfer. Different countries have different laws and provide the passengers rights in case of a flight cancel. In this article, we will give you a detailed explanation about your rights as a passenger on a cancelled flight.

Flight Cancelation Rights In Europe and US

Flight cancellation rights around the world differ from each other in some way or another. In this article, we will consider the Flight Cancellation Rights of the European Union and US as it will explain most of the rights of a passenger on a cancelled flight.

If we look at the rights provided in the US, there are no such law that requires airlines to provide the passenger with any compensation other than a refund. Even though there is no such law, Airlines in United States have been providing passengers with compensations like food vouchers, hotel bookings, new flight ticket, etc. Passengers in US can only claim these compensations if they are not able to fly due to an oversold flight.

In case of the European Union and UK, the compensation policies are a lot better for the passengers on a cancelled flight. The benefits vary on different airline routes and are according to the airline’s cancellation notifications. The passenger’s rights are codified in the EU Directive 261/2004 (EU261). The airlines must follow these rules in case any flight is cancelled due to any of the mentioned reasons.

EU261 Conditions

EU261 have different conditions that need to be fulfilled, let us have a look at what benefits and compensations a passenger can claim if their flight is cancelled.

ALL flights departing from an EU airport;
Any flights arriving at an EU airport that are operated by EU airlines only.

Compensation also depends upon when the notification for cancellation was rolled out by the airline.

14 days or more: no compensation (only refund or rebooking)
7 to 14 days: Compensation granted if the airline cannot offer an alternate flight that leaves two hours before the original flight and lands less than four hours later.
Under 7 days: Compensation granted if the airline cannot offer a new route that leaves less than an hour before the original flight and lands less than two hours later.

Compensation depending upon the distance of the flight

If your flight is cancelled less than before 14 days of departure or if there is no rerouting available, the airline company will either provide you a monetary refund of the flight ticket amount or else provide you with any other benefits like the once mentioned above. Here’s how much you may get refunded depending on the distance of the flight.

Flights under 1,500 kilometers: €250
Over 1,501 kilometers (within the EU) and between 1,501 and 3,500 kilometers (outside the EU): €400
Over 3,500 kilometers (outside the EU): €600

As per the EU261 policies, these monetary compensations are quite a good deal for any passenger travelling on a cheap EU airline ticket. If the passenger is not provided with a monetary refund, he/she will be provided with other benefits which are called as “Duty of Care” as per EU261. Here are some of the Duty of care which airline will have to adhere:

Provide vouchers for meals with the value depending on the length of delays
Hotel rooms for overnight connections
Reimbursement for communication-related expenses such as a SIM card or phone calls.

In case of ‘Extraordinary Events’ like lightning strikes or bad weather, the airline is not bound to provide a monetary refund but will have to offer a duty if care for the passengers travelling on a cancelled flight.

We hope this will be very informative for you, have you ever got any compensations? let us know in the comment section below.