Make your flight cancellation claim today
Under Regulation 261/2004, passengers whose flights are
cancelled have three main rights. The most important right is the
right to financial compensation to reflect the inconvenience to the
passenger, but passengers also have the right to assistance
(subsistence expenses), and the right to a refund or
re-routing.
Right to assistance / Expenses
Wherever a flight is cancelled and passengers must wait to be
re-route, the passenger is entitled to assistance under article 9
of the Regulations including meals and refreshments which are
reasonable in relation to the waiting time and hotel accommodation
where an overnight stay becomes necessary, as well as transport
between the airport terminal and the hotel accommodation and two
free telephone calls, emails or fax messages.
If the airline refuses to provide this assistance and the
passenger has to pay for food and accommodation himself, then he
should should keep receipts and can reclaim these expenses from the
airline at a later date.
Re-routing or refund
The passenger has the choice of being re-routed to his final
destination under comparable conditions, or instead receiving a
refund of any unused portion of the ticket. If the passenger
chooses a refund, then the airline must return him to his original
point of departure free of charge as soon as possible.
Sometimes the flight which is cancelled may just be one leg of a
journey. If this is the case and the passenger chooses a refund, he
must also be refunded the value of the used portion of the ticket
in addition to the unused portion, as the initial leg of the
journey no longer serves any purpose.
It is important to remember that it is entirely up to the
passenger whether he will choose rerouting or a refund. Sometimes
airlines will try to persuade you to take travel vouchers or credit
but you do not have to accept this - you have the right to insist
on a cash refund.