Why the 14-day threshold matters
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 sets out a clear principle: when an airline cancels a flight, it owes the passenger fixed compensation unless the cancellation was notified at least 14 days before the scheduled departure time. What counts is the date you actually received the notice — e-mail, SMS or phone call — not the date the airline internally decided to cancel.
A flight cancelled 20 days ahead therefore triggers no fixed compensation: only reimbursement or re-routing remain due. A cancellation announced 13 days, 5 days or two hours before take-off, on the other hand, falls squarely within the compensation regime, subject to the conditions below.
The compensation scale by distance
The amount depends neither on the ticket price nor on the travel class, but solely on the great-circle distance between the departure airport and the final destination shown on your booking:
- €250 for flights of 1,500 km or less (e.g. Paris–Barcelona, Dublin–Manchester).
- €400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km (e.g. Amsterdam–Athens, Lisbon–Dakar).
- €600 for flights over 3,500 km outside the European Union (e.g. Paris–New York, Brussels–Bangkok).
Where connecting flights are booked on a single reservation, the calculation uses the final destination, not the cancelled leg alone. A Nice–Paris–Montreal itinerary remains a €600 claim even if only the domestic segment was cancelled.
The 50% reduction: when does it apply?
Article 7(2) allows the carrier to halve the compensation if it offers re-routing whose arrival time at the final destination does not exceed the original scheduled arrival by more than:
- 2 hours for flights of 1,500 km or less → €125.
- 3 hours for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500–3,500 km → €200.
- 4 hours for flights over 3,500 km outside the EU → €300.
The reduction only applies where re-routing was offered and actually taken. If you chose a refund instead of an alternative flight, the airline cannot rely on this provision to cut your entitlement.
Notice-period exemptions
Even within the 14-day window, the airline may avoid paying compensation if the re-routing it offers stays close enough to your original schedule:
- Notice given between 14 and 7 days before departure: no compensation if the replacement flight departs no more than 2 hours earlier than planned and arrives less than 4 hours after the original arrival time.
- Notice given less than 7 days before departure: no compensation if the replacement departs no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives less than 2 hours after the original arrival time.
Both conditions are cumulative. A flight brought forward by four hours, even if it lands on schedule, defeats the exemption. Airlines frequently apply this test incorrectly, which is why every offer letter deserves close reading.
Extraordinary circumstances
Compensation can be refused when the cancellation results from extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken: weather incompatible with safe operation, airspace closure, air traffic control strikes, political instability or bird strikes.
By contrast, European case law generally treats the following as not extraordinary: technical faults arising from normal aircraft maintenance, strikes by the airline's own staff, crew rostering problems, commercial network restructuring or low load factors. The burden of proof lies with the carrier, never with the passenger.
Rights that come on top of compensation
Fixed compensation is cumulative with two separate obligations:
- A choice between a full refund of the ticket within 7 days (including unused segments) and re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date of your convenience.
- A duty of care: meals and refreshments proportionate to the waiting time, hotel accommodation and transfers where an overnight stay becomes necessary, plus two phone calls or e-mails.
Scope and time limits
The Regulation covers all flights departing from an airport located in the EU, regardless of the carrier, and flights arriving in the EU operated by an EU airline. In France, claims can generally be brought for flights cancelled up to 3 years in the past; the limitation period varies depending on the country where the claim is filed.
To build a solid file, keep your booking confirmation, the cancellation notice with its timestamp, boarding passes for the replacement flight and receipts for any expenses incurred.
Check your eligibility in two minutes
Airlines Quick Refund reviews your file, calculates the exact amount due after applying the distance scale and reduction rules, and handles the amicable claim with the airline on your behalf. Our 35% fee is charged only if the claim succeeds — nothing is due if it does not.
Check your cancelled flight for free using our compensation calculator.