Cancelled flight compensation: how to get up to €600 per passenger

A flight cancellation is stressful. But European law protects you and entitles you to financial compensation — on top of the refund or rerouting.

Who is covered by EC 261/2004?

The Regulation applies if:

• Your flight departs from an EU airport (any airline), OR
• Your flight arrives in the EU operated by an EU-licensed airline.

It covers EU passengers and non-EU passengers alike, on any class (economy, business, first), and applies to scheduled and charter flights.

The conditions for compensation

You are entitled to compensation if all three conditions are met:

1. The cancellation was notified less than 14 days before departure.
2. The airline cannot prove extraordinary circumstances (see below).
3. You were not offered a satisfactory alternative (an alternative with similar timing — typically arriving within 2 hours of the original).

The amounts

Per passenger — including infants on a paid ticket. A family of 4 on a Paris-Dakar flight cancelled = €2,400.

What is NOT an extraordinary circumstance

The European Court of Justice has gradually narrowed the airlines' definition. The following are NOT extraordinary:

• Technical issues with the aircraft (Wallentin-Hermann, 2008)
• Airline staff strikes (Krüsemann, 2018)
• Overbooking
• Late crew, missing pilot
• Bird strike on a healthy aircraft (depends on context)

What IS an extraordinary circumstance

• Severe weather conditions (storm, fog, snow)
• External air traffic control strikes
• Political instability, security threats
• Volcanic ash, natural disasters

Even in extraordinary circumstances, the right to care (meals, hotel, transport, phone) remains. Only the €250-600 compensation is excluded.

Cancellation and rerouting: the trap

The airline cancels your flight and books you on the next day's. If you arrive at your final destination more than 3 hours after the original schedule, compensation is due. Common on Africa routes: evening flight cancelled → next morning flight → 12h delay → €600.

Key reminder: the right to a refund and the right to compensation are SEPARATE. You can take the full ticket refund AND claim compensation. Never accept a "voucher in exchange for waiving compensation".

The 5-step claim process

1. Gather evidence: booking confirmation, boarding pass, cancellation notification (email/SMS), proof of arrival time at destination.
2. Calculate your distance (great-circle, departure airport → final destination).
3. Write to the airline: registered letter + customer service email. Cite EC 261/2004, give amount and IBAN.
4. If refused or no reply within 2 months: escalate to the National Enforcement Body (NEB) of the departure country.
5. Last resort: small claims court or specialised service like Robin des Airs.

How Robin des Airs helps you

We handle the entire claim, including litigation. 25% commission only on success — no fee, no risk, no payment if we don't recover anything. Specialists on Europe ↔ Africa routes (Air France, Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian, KLM, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Tunisair).

Related: Refuse the voucher: demand a cash refund, Extraordinary circumstances under EC 261: when the airline can refuse.