A flight is cancelled if it's not operated at all, i.e. when the original flight is abandoned and another flight is offered in substitution.
If you were moved to a different flight with a different time and flight number, this generally means that the flight was cancelled rather than delayed, even if the airline hasn't called it a cancellation. If your flight took off but had to return to the airport and the passengers had to be transferred to a different flight, this is also likely to be a cancellation.
The Court of Justice of the European Union recently decided that, under the EU rules, a flight is also considered cancelled if it's brought forward by more than one hour. The flight departing at the earlier time may be regarded as an offer of re-routing. Although this ruling only applies to flights that fall under the EU rules, the UK courts might take guidance from this judgment when deciding a case under the UK rules – so you could use it to help negotiate with an airline or tour operator when claiming under the UK rules.
You'll automatically be entitled to either:
If you choose to be rerouted, you'll be entitled to find out details of possible alternative transport and, potentially, compensation (see below).
If the airline offers you to be rerouted on a flight from a different airport, it must pay the cost of transporting you there.
The airline must also provide the following help, free of charge, while you wait to be rerouted:
If the airline doesn't do this, you're entitled to claim an amount that is appropriate and reasonable for the costs you've incurred. You should keep all your receipts.
As well as a replacement flight or refund, you might also be entitled to compensation. This depends on a combination of:
You may be entitled to compensation unless you're told about the cancellation within one of the following timeframes:
The airline isn't obliged to pay compensation if it can prove that the cancellation was caused by 'extraordinary circumstances' that couldn't have been avoided, such as bad weather conditions or security risks. 'Extraordinary circumstances' don't include technical problems that are not out of the ordinary and are normally associated with the aircraft and are also unlikely to apply if the flight is cancelled because the crew are unavailable.
Compensation limits depend on whether your flight falls under EU or UK rules. See Overview of EU and UK rules for more on this.
Length of journey | Compensation (EU rules) | Compensation (UK rules) |
---|---|---|
1,500 km or less |
€250 |
£220 |
More than 1,500 km (flights between EU countries) |
€400 |
N/A |
1,500 km to 3,500 km (flights not between EU countries |
€400 |
£350 |
More than 3,500 km |
€600 |
£520 |
If you've agreed to be rerouted, you'll be entitled to the compensation outlined in the table above, unless the delay to your arrival time is within certain limits (see below). In that case, the compensation is halved.
Length of journey | Hours over original scheduled arrival time | Compensation if arrival is within the time limit (EU rules) | Compensation if arrival is within the time limit (UK rules) |
---|---|---|---|
1,500 km or less |
Up to 2 hours |
€125 |
£110 |
More than 1,500 km (flights between EU countries) |
Up to 3 hours |
€200 |
N/A |
1,500 km to 3,500 km (flights not between EU countries |
Up to 3 hours |
€200 |
£175 |
More than 3,500 km (all other flights) |
Up to 4 hours |
€300 |
£260 |
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that under the EU rules, where a flight's departure has been brought forward by more than an hour, it would entitle you to compensation. The airline can't reduce that compensation by 50% - full compensation would always be payable even if the flight arrives before the scheduled arrival time of the original flight.
So, if the airline offers compensation at a reduced level where your flight was brought forward, you may want to get legal advice as the UK courts could take guidance from this judgment when deciding a case under the UK rules, which are mostly identical to the EU rules.