Your flight was cancelled
A cancellation gives you two separate things: your money back or a seat on another flight, your choice — and, if you were told less than fourteen days ahead, a fixed cash sum on top. Taking the refund does not give up the compensation.
Work out what your flight is owed →The two entitlements people confuse
Airlines blur these, and it costs passengers money.
Article 8 — refund or re-routing. You choose: the full price of the unused ticket back, or a seat to your destination at the earliest opportunity. The choice is yours, not the airline's.
Article 7 — compensation. A fixed sum for the disruption itself, owed unless the airline gave you enough notice or has a genuine extraordinary circumstance.
They are cumulative. “We have refunded you” is not an answer to a compensation claim.
The notice rule
| When you were told | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before departure | None |
| 7 to 13 days before | Owed, unless re-routed within tight limits |
| Less than 7 days before | Owed, unless re-routed within tighter limits |
The re-routing limits are specific: told 7–13 days ahead, the replacement must leave no more than two hours early and arrive under four hours late; told inside 7 days, no more than one hour early and under two hours late. Outside those windows the money is still owed. Check the actual times before accepting that you are not entitled.
Being moved to a flight the next day
That is re-routing, and it triggers duty of care in the meantime: meals, and a hotel with transport for the overnight. It is owed whatever caused the cancellation. If the airline did not provide it and you paid, keep the receipts and claim them back.
If the airline offers a voucher
Article 7(3) allows payment in vouchers only with your signed agreement. You may decline and ask for a bank transfer, and you keep that right after an offer has been made. A voucher is worth less than cash: it expires and it is only good with the airline that let you down.
Questions
Can I get a refund and compensation?
Yes. The refund under Article 8 and the compensation under Article 7 are separate entitlements. Accepting one does not waive the other.
My flight was cancelled three weeks before. Am I owed anything?
You are owed a refund or re-routing, but not compensation — fourteen days' notice removes the fixed sum whatever the reason for the cancellation.
The airline rebooked me without asking. Is that allowed?
The choice between re-routing and a refund is yours under Article 8. If you wanted your money back and were rebooked instead, say so in writing and ask for the refund.