Your flight is cancelled more than 2 weeks before the trip. What’s next?
Flights get cancelled every day.
It happens due to everything from technical problems to bad weather and political unrests. However, there is one thing to remember - in many situations, when your flight is cancelled, you may be entitled to compensation for flight cancellation. Depending on when you are notified of it.
If it’s 14 days in advance or less, you may receive EU flight cancellation compensation. But what about the rest of the situations? What if it's more than 14 days?
Check your compensation online!
1. Your flight is cancelled more than 2 weeks before the trip. What’s next?
What if your flight is cancelled more than 2 weeks before a trip?
A month or two before a trip? What should you do?
What are your options in these situations?
Mostly you’ll have 2 options:
- a new flight to your destination for free;
- a full refund (bank transfer; no matter the circumstances).
Unfourtunately, mostly you can't get a compensation if an airline cancels a flight well in advance (2 weeks and more).
When an airline cancels one of its flights more than 14 days before the departure, it must put passengers from this flight on a new flight, or reimburse them for ticket costs. That's why when your flight is cancelled more than 2 weeks before the trip you receive an e-mail from the airline, asking you to chose one of the following options:
- Accept an alternative flight (at no extra cost);
- Get a full refund.
You must reply ASAP, so the airline can act accordingly.
If you do not wish to accept an alternative flight, the airline will reimburse you for the amount you paid for the plane ticket. Would it be a last minute cancellation, you could receive both a new flight or refund, and flight cancellation compensation up to €600 per passenger.
2. Are you eligible for flight compensation?
No, you aren't.
If you were notified of the cancellation more than 14 days in advance, mostly you won’t get compensation from the airline. Unless your travel insurance covers it.
Read your travel insurance policy and contact your insurer.
3. Connecting flights
What if you have a connecting flight?
If it’s a flight you booked from the same airline, you’re protected. If you miss your connecting flight the airline will put you on another flight for free.
3.1 Self connecting flights
If you had booked separate (self-connecting) flights, and you’ve missed your next flight due to the cancellation of the first flight, unfortunately, but you’ll have to deal with that yourself. That, unfourtunately, applies to most of connecting flights with low cost airlines and self transfer flights.
And in this situation you aren’t going to get a new flight for free.
Same like you’ll not be eligible to a compensation or reimbursement for that second flight. As, in this situation, it’s not the airline's responsibility.
The main takeaway - self connecting flights are your responsibility.
If you had booked a self-connecting flight via a third party travel agency which offers flight disruption protection (e.g., kiwi.com), then, again, you might be protected. And you might even get a new ticket for free.
Read the terms before making a booking, as conditions may apply.
For example, Kiwi Guarantee protects its customers from flight delays, flight cancellations and schedule changes, but only if you contact Kiwi within 24 hours. Otherwise the Kiwi Guarantee may be cancelled.
Learn more about Kiwi Guarantee on kiwi.com!
3.2 What if you have a travel insurance?
If you had bought a self-connecting flight, and you're going to miss your next flight because of the flight cancellation, don’t worry - mostly you’ll be wholly compensated by an insurance company. But not right away. Make sure not to forget to make a claim.
Your flight is cancelled, and you are going to miss the next flight?
Buy a new ticket and make a claim with your insurance company.
You will likely be reimbursed for the expenses.
3.3 And, what if you don’t have a travel insurance?
You will have to cover all your expenses from your own pocket.
If you have several, self connecting flights, and you miss one of them, you’ll have to deal that yourself. As it’s not the airlines’ responsibility.
So, the only option is to buy a new flight to your destination.
But do it after you have received the new boarding pass for your new, alternative flight provided by the airline of the first flight.
4. In which cases are you eligible for flight compensation?
If you are flying to or from Europe, and there is a problem with your flight, very often you are entitled to compensation up to €600 per passenger.
That’s in case your flight is:
- delayed for more than 3 hours,
- cancelled less than 14 days before planned departure,
- you've been denied boarding because there are no more free seats,
If you are flying from outside the European Union, flight must be operated by European airline. If you're flying with a non-EU airline, the rules are slightly different.
It must be your airline’s fault, not something unavoidable.
Situations such as extreme weather conditions are exempt from compensation. However, even in these situations, when it may not be the airline's fault, you have the right to care.
Here it's also important to mention, that in some situations airline staff strikes aren't considered extraordinary circumstances and they aren't exempt from compensation. This applies to so called wildcat strikes or simply cat strikes, when workers suddenly stop working because they don't agree with their employer (airline) about something.
If your flight is cancelled, and it’s the airline’s fault, you may get both - a new flight to your destination and flight cancellation compensation.
But, yes, only if it happens 14 days or less before the flight.
How to find out why a flight was cancelled?
Contact the airline and ask for an official explanation.
*By Europe and EU we mean all EU Member States, the United Kingdom (UK), Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint Martin, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
5. Claiming compensation for a flight which was cancelled less than 14 days before your trip
There are two options:
- You can do it on your own. Contact your airline. Submit information about your cancellation, plus everything else they might be asking for, and wait. If you aren’t sure about something, use forums to find someone else who have been in a situation like you are now. Ask for advice.
- Or you can work with us. And register your claim online at refundor.com.
This way saving both your nerves and time.
It’s an easy and straight forward process:
- Go to this page on our website;
- Fill in the details about yourself and your flight cancellation;
- Upload your boarding pass and passport copy;
- Sign the claim online.
And… wait for the money in your bank account.
It’s easy, isn’t it?
There are no upfront fees, and you’ll pay nothing if it turns out that you aren’t entitled to compensation after all. No win, no fees, as we say. If we are successful, however, we’ll only take €25 + 25% of the amount of the compensation and transfer you the rest.
Have you got any questions? Contact us.