A flight cancellation refund is the money you get when your flight is cancelled. It can be due to the airline canceling a flight, or you deciding not to travel.

In this article, we’ll focus on the situations when the airline cancels a flight.

This refund is separate from compensation.

Getting a refund means getting back the money you paid for the ticket (or the unused part of it), while compensation is additional money paid for the inconvenience under certain laws.

What Are Flight Cancellation Refund Rights in the EU and UK?

If your flight falls under EU Regulation 261 or UK Regulation UK261, your right to a refund is clearly defined and legally protected.

Your flight falls under EU261/UK261, if:

• Your flight departs from the EU or UK, regardless of airline, or
• Your flight arrives in the EU or UK and is operated by an EU/UK airline

In all these situations, if the airline cancels a flight, you can get a cancellation refund.

It’s the airline’s obligation to offer you a choice between a refund and a new flight. You can choose either of the two options. Yes, you aren’t obliged to take the alternative flight offered by the airline – you can choose not to fly at all.

The important part: flight cancellation refund rights are not the same everywhere. In some regions, refunds are strictly regulated by law. In others, they depend mostly on the airline’s own rules. In the EU and the UK, these rights are regulated.

How Long Does It Take Until You Receive Flight Cancellation Refund?

In the EU and UK, flight cancellation refunds must be paid within 7 working days. In reality, it may take a month or two. To try and get the money sooner, make sure to remind the airline of yourself if you haven’t received the money in 7 days.

It’s regulated by both the EU261 and UK261.

In all the other situations, when the rights are as regulated, it may take anything from a few hours to many months or even years. I have had a personal experience when an airline I had a flight with went bankrupt, and I got my money back in less than two months. Many aren’t as lucky in situations as dire.

If you cancel a flight yourself, then there are all kinds of possible scenarios.

My Flight Is Cancelled, But I Have a Non-Refundable Ticket

If your flight falls under the EU or UK flight compensation regulations, and the airline has cancelled a flight, you have a right to a full refund. Even if you had a non-refundable ticket. The type of the ticket does not matter.

The airline cancelled a flight.

You can get back the money you paid.

But only if the flight falls under the EU or UK regulation. In all the other situations, it will depend on the situation and the specific airline’s terms and conditions that you have agreed to when purchasing that flight.

Flight Cancellation Refund vs Flight Cancellation Compensation

Flight cancellation refund is not the same as flight cancellation compensation.

Under EU261 / UK261:

• Refund = money you paid for the ticket
• Compensation = extra payment (€250–€600 / £220–£520) for inconvenience

Any time your flight is cancelled, you can get a full refund. If you don’t want to take the alternative flight offered by the airline.

Additionally, you may also be entitled to flight cancellation compensation. If the cancellation was due to the airline’s fault, and if it was a last-minute flight cancellation.

In the EU and UK, a flight cancellation is considered last-minute if it happens less than 2 weeks (14 days) before the date and time of departure.

You Can Get Both Flight Cancellation Refund and Flight Cancellation Compensation

There are many situations when you can get both the compensation and a refund.

Here’s how to think of it:

• You are getting a refund because you can’t use the flight you booked.
• If this is a last-minute cancellation, it’s also causing an inconvenience. You can get paid for that. As long as the flight cancellation qualifies as a last-minute cancellation and was due to the airline’s fault. See our guide on UK/EU flight cancellation compensation to learn more.

What Typically Happens Outside the EU & UK If Your Flight Is Cancelled?

First of all, your refund rights depend largely on the airline’s own policies and the type of ticket you purchased.

• In many situations, airlines do not automatically offer a full cash refund when they cancel a flight. Some airlines will refund the entire ticket price, but this is often limited to flexible or higher-priced fares. Cheaper or promotional tickets may come with significant restrictions, even if the cancellation was not your fault. This is why having travel insurance matters (read more: EKTA Travel Insurance Review).
• Many airlines offer a travel voucher or flight credit as a refund. These vouchers usually come with conditions, such as expiration dates, limited routes, or requirements that the new booking be made in the same passenger’s name. While vouchers can be useful, they are not the same as receiving your money back. I, personally, have received vouchers from Air Asia, which I later used for flights to other places in Asia.
• Some airlines insist on rebooking. Sometimes, only on the same route. Mostly, these are small local airlines that operate only a few routes.

The main takeaways:

• Refund is not the same as flight compensation. Often, you can get both.
• In the EU and the UK, your rights are highly regulated.
• You can buy travel insurance to be protected on more flights.

Featured photo by Pixabay