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:
- The cancellation was notified less than 14 days before departure.
- The airline cannot prove extraordinary circumstances (see below).
- You were not offered a satisfactory alternative (an alternative with similar timing — typically arriving within 2 hours of the original).
The amounts
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| ≤ 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500-3,500 km (intra-EU > 1,500 km also) | €400 |
| > 3,500 km (outside EU) | €600 |
Per passenger — including infants on a paid ticket. A family of 4 on a Paris-Dakar flight cancelled = €2,400.
Official reference: the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) publishes an official FAQ on air passenger rights (in French), and the French public service portal has an English-language page on flight cancellation compensation. Both confirm the same distance-based thresholds detailed above.
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
- Gather evidence: booking confirmation, boarding pass, cancellation notification (email/SMS), proof of arrival time at destination.
- Calculate your distance (great-circle, departure airport → final destination).
- Write to the airline: registered letter + customer service email. Cite EC 261/2004, give amount and IBAN.
- If refused or no reply within 2 months: escalate to the National Enforcement Body (NEB) of the departure country.
- 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.