If your flight is cancelled at the last minute you are always entitled to choose between a refund and an alternative flight, to care at the airport and, if you were told less than 14 days before, to compensation of €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, unless there were extraordinary circumstances. Compensation is only ruled out if the airline offers you an alternative flight with times very close to the original ones. Here is what to do at the airport and how to claim.
What you are owed when a flight is cancelled
- A choice between a refund and an alternative flight: your ticket refunded within 7 days, or a flight to your destination as soon as possible or on a date that suits you.
- Care: meals and drinks, two phone calls or emails and, if you fly the next day, a hotel and transport to it.
- Compensation: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger depending on distance, if the cancellation was announced less than 14 days before.
The refund and care are always owed, even with extraordinary circumstances such as bad weather or an air traffic control strike. Compensation is not.
When compensation is not owed
Besides extraordinary circumstances, compensation is not owed if the airline told you in time or offered an alternative flight with times close to the original ones:
| Notice given | No compensation if the alternative flight… |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | Always ruled out |
| 7 to 14 days | leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives less than 4 hours later than the original |
| Less than 7 days | leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives less than 2 hours later than the original |
If the flight is cancelled on the day or at the airport, compensation is usually owed unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.
What to do at the airport
- Ask for written confirmation of the cancellation and the reason, or take a photo of the departures board.
- Choose between a refund and rerouting: if you still need to travel, ask to be put on the first available flight, even with another airline.
- Ask for meal vouchers and a hotel if the wait is long; otherwise keep your receipts.
- Do not accept a voucher instead of a refund unless you want to: it must be paid in money.
- Note the times and flight numbers, including the alternative flight: they are needed to work out compensation.
How much compensation is worth
- €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, such as Dublin–Amsterdam;
- €400 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, such as Dublin–Rome, and for flights within the EU over 3,500 km;
- €600 over 3,500 km outside the EU, such as Dublin–New York.
The amount is per passenger, children included, and comes on top of the refund or rerouting. If your ticket was refunded, compensation is still owed: see our guide to refunds and compensation.
How to claim compensation
The full rules are on our cancelled flight page. With DelayFlight24 you can check for free in 2 minutes whether you are owed compensation: if you go ahead, we handle the claim, the reminders and, if needed, court action. You pay nothing upfront and our fee is 25% + VAT only if you get compensated. If the airline blames bad weather or a strike, read our guide to extraordinary circumstances.
Frequently asked questions about last-minute cancellations
My flight was cancelled the day before: how much am I owed?
A refund or an alternative flight, care and, unless there were extraordinary circumstances, €250, €400 or €600 per passenger depending on distance.
I was put on a flight two hours later: am I owed compensation?
With less than 7 days' notice, not if the alternative flight left no more than an hour early and got you there less than 2 hours after the original time. Otherwise, yes.
The airline only offers a voucher: do I have to accept it?
No. The refund must be paid in money; a voucher only counts if you accept it in writing.
I paid for the hotel myself: can I get it back?
Yes, if the airline did not provide care you can claim reasonable expenses back, with receipts.
The cancellation was caused by a strike: what am I owed?
It depends on who was on strike. An air traffic control strike usually rules out compensation; a strike by the airline's own staff does not (judgment C-28/20). The refund and care are always owed.
Work out your compensation now
Enter where you flew from and to: in 2 minutes you will know whether you are owed compensation and how much.
- Free check, no commitment
- No upfront costs: 25% + VAT only if we win
- We deal with the airline for you
Find out more
- Air passenger rights
- Delayed flight: when you can claim compensation
- Cancelled flight: refund and compensation
- Overbooking: what you are owed
- What our service costs
Article updated on 22/10/2026 by the DelayFlight24 editorial team.