What to Do When Your Flight Is Cancelled: Step-by-Step Guide

First, what actually happened

Take a breath. A cancellation looks like the end of your trip and it almost never is. In most cases you will be on another flight within a day, and in many cases within a few hours.

The important thing is that the next twenty minutes matter more than the next two hours. While everyone else is calling home, you can be rebooked and documented.

What to do right now

1. Photograph the departure board showing your flight as cancelled. Include the clock if you can.
2. Screenshot the airline's app or the email or text telling you about it.
3. Join the rebooking queue and, at the same time, open the airline app and call the airline. Whichever answers first wins.
4. If you are already in the terminal, ask staff at the gate rather than walking to a distant service desk. Gate agents can often rebook faster.
5. Note down the agent's name and the time you spoke to them.

What to ask the airline for

• Rebooking on the next available flight to your destination, including flights operated by other airlines where the fare rules allow it
• A refund instead, if you no longer want to travel
• Meal vouchers if the wait is long
• A hotel and transfers if the new flight is the next day
• Written confirmation of the reason for the cancellation

What you are actually entitled to depends on where you are flying from, which airline you are on, and why the flight was cancelled. Asking politely and clearly is still the fastest route to getting it.

What not to do

• Do not book a brand new expensive ticket on another airline before asking the original airline to rebook you. That usually kills your claim for the cost.
• Do not leave the airport without knowing what happens next.
• Do not accept a voucher as your only option if you actually want a refund. Ask which one you are agreeing to.
• Do not throw away boarding passes or receipts.

What the airline may owe you

Two separate things often get mixed up. Care during the disruption (food, hotel, a new flight) is one thing. Compensation for the disruption itself is another, and it depends on the rules that apply to your route.

If your flight departed from the EU, or arrived in the EU on an EU airline, EU261 may apply. Flights from the UK follow a similar UK scheme. US and Canadian rules work differently and are mostly about refunds and rebooking rather than fixed compensation.

What happens next

Once you are home, gather the booking reference, boarding passes, the cancellation notice, and your receipts. Then write to the airline. Keep it short, factual, and ask for a specific outcome.

If they refuse and you think they are wrong, you can escalate to the relevant national authority or an alternative dispute resolution body.