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Flight cancelled: your rights

What EU261 entitles you to when a flight is cancelled — compensation, refund, rerouting, and care.

When your flight is cancelled, EU Regulation 261/2004 gives you three distinct rights: (1) financial compensation of €250–€600 per passenger, (2) a choice between a full ticket refund or rerouting to your destination, and (3) the right to care (meals, hotel) while you wait. These rights apply to flights departing from EU airports, and to flights arriving at EU airports with a European carrier. DelayPaid handles claims for flights operating to or from Dutch airports.

Right 1: Financial compensation

The airline owes you fixed compensation unless:

  • They informed you of the cancellation at least 14 days before departure, or
  • They notified you 7–13 days in advance and offered rerouting that would reach your destination no more than 4 hours after your original arrival time, or
  • The cancellation was caused by genuine extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.

If none of these exceptions apply, compensation amounts are:

DistanceCompensation
Up to 1,500 km€250 per person
1,500 – 3,500 km€400 per person
Over 3,500 km€600 per person

Right 2: Refund or rerouting

Regardless of the reason for cancellation and regardless of how much notice was given, you always have the right to choose between:

  • Full refund of your ticket price (for all legs not flown, and for legs already flown if the cancellation makes your remaining journey pointless), or
  • Rerouting to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, under comparable conditions, or at a later date of your choice.

Right 3: Care while you wait

While waiting at the airport for your rerouted flight, the airline must provide (Article 9 EU261):

  • Meals and drinks proportionate to the waiting time.
  • Hotel accommodation and transport to/from the hotel if an overnight stay is necessary.
  • Two free telephone calls, emails, or faxes.

If the airline does not provide this, pay for it yourself and keep all receipts. You can claim these costs back separately from the compensation.

What counts as extraordinary circumstances?

Airlines frequently claim extraordinary circumstances to avoid paying compensation. The burden of proof lies with the airline. Circumstances that do qualify:

  • Severe weather making safe operation impossible (not just rain or light wind).
  • Political instability or security threats at the destination.
  • Air traffic control strikes (not airline staff strikes).
  • Hidden manufacturing defects discovered after a safety directive.

Circumstances that generally do not qualify:

  • Technical defects inherent to normal airline operations (Wallentin-Hermann ruling, EU Court of Justice).
  • Airline staff strikes (as these are within the airline's control).
  • Overbooking.

Your options — honestly stated

You can file your EU261 claim directly with the airline for free. You can also file a free complaint with the ILT (Netherlands enforcement authority) if the airline refuses. DelayPaid takes over the full procedure — including escalation and court if needed — for 25% incl. VAT, only if successful. We never promise you'll win.

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