Flight cancelled on the day of departure: what you can claim
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Kurze Antwort
A same-day cancellation always falls inside the strictest notice window: fixed compensation is due unless the airline offered a replacement departing no more than 1 hour early and arriving less than 2 hours late, or proves extraordinary circumstances. In every case you can choose a refund or re-routing, and the airline must feed and, if necessary, accommodate you while you wait.
Wie viel Entschädigung könnte ich für einen annullierten Flug erhalten?
250 €–600 € pro Passagier, je nach Entfernung, wenn die Airline Sie weniger als 14 Tage vor Abflug informiert und Sie nicht innerhalb der gesetzlichen Zeitfenster anderweitig befördert hat – es sei denn, sie beweist außergewöhnliche Umstände. Erstattung oder anderweitige Beförderung sind in jedem Fall geschuldet.
Gilt das für Ihren Flug?
Wurde Ihr Flug annulliert?
Ein paar kurze Fragen – noch keine Flugnummer nötig. Sie erhalten ein vorläufiges Ergebnis auf Basis Ihrer Angaben; die vollständige Prüfung bestätigt es anhand der Reiseroute.
Von dieser Seite bereits bekannt
- Annulliert
Wann wurden Sie über die Annullierung informiert?
| Distanz | EU / CH (VO 261/2004) | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| Bis 1.500 km | 250 € | 220 £ |
| 1.500 – 3.500 km | 400 € | 350 £ |
| Über 3.500 km, beide Flughäfen in EU/EWR | 400 € | — |
| Über 3.500 km | 600 € | 520 £ |
Your immediate choices
When the cancellation is announced, the airline must offer you a choice:
- Re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity — on its own flights or, if that is much later, on another airline or by train where reasonable (the Commission’s guidelines and case law require comparable transport conditions).
- Re-routing at a later date of your choice.
- A full refund within 7 days, plus a return flight to your departure point if the trip has become pointless.
Do not accept a voucher unless you prefer one; cash refunds are your right.
Care while you wait
Meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transport if the re-routing departs the next day. If the airline’s desk hands you nothing, buy what you need, keep every receipt and claim reimbursement.
Compensation
Because you were told less than 7 days before departure, compensation (€250 / €400 / €600; £220 / £350 / £520) is due unless:
- the replacement flight departed no more than 1 hour before the original and arrived less than 2 hours after the original scheduled arrival; or
- the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided.
When the replacement got you there within 2 hours (short haul), 3 hours (medium haul) or 4 hours (long haul) of the original arrival, the airline may halve the amount.
Evidence to gather at the airport
- the cancellation notification with its timestamp (screenshot);
- the reason given on the board or by staff — ask for it in writing;
- the replacement flight offered, with its times;
- receipts for food, hotel and transport.
Typical airline defences and how to answer
- “Operational reasons” → ask for the specific cause; it is not a legal category.
- “Air traffic control” → ask for the ATC regulation reference and whether other flights operated.
- “Technical problem” → not extraordinary; compensation is due.
- “Crew unavailable” → not extraordinary.
Häufige Fragen
How much compensation for a same-day cancellation?
€250, €400 or €600 (£220, £350 or £520) per passenger by distance, unless the replacement flight departed at most 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late, or the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.
Do I have to accept the rebooking the airline offers?
No. You choose between re-routing at the earliest opportunity, re-routing on a later date of your choice, or a full refund. The airline must present the choice, not impose one.
What if the airline cannot rebook me until tomorrow?
It must provide a hotel, transport and meals in the meantime, and compensation is due (a next-day flight is far outside the 1-hour / 2-hour windows) unless the cause was extraordinary.
Is a cancellation caused by an airline strike compensable?
Yes when the strikers are the airline's own staff — the Court of Justice ruled that such strikes are not extraordinary. Air-traffic-control or airport strikes are extraordinary.
Quellen
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-302/16 Krijgsman v SLM — the operating carrier bears the burden of proving the passenger was informed of the cancellation in time
- European CommissionInterpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
- European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights
- European Union — Your EuropeAir passenger rights
Letzte rechtliche Prüfung: 12. September 2026 · Inhalt aktualisiert: 12. September 2026
Weniger als 14 Tage vorher annulliert?
Geben Sie Flug, Zeitpunkt der Information und das Angebot ein; die Prüfung wendet die Fristen und Umbuchungsfenster an und nennt den Betrag.