Cancelled flight: how much you're entitled to based on distance and notice

Advance notice and distance determine the amount

The first element is the advance notice received: if the cancellation is communicated at least fourteen days in advance, generally no financial compensation is due, only a refund or alternative flight. Below this threshold, the right to compensation is almost always activated. The second element is the distance of the route: for flights up to 1,500 kilometres compensation is 250 euros, between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres it rises to 400 euros, beyond 3,500 kilometres it reaches 600 euros.

Exceptions that change the calculation

If the airline offers an alternative flight with an arrival time very close to the original, the compensation can be reduced by half, even when the distance would fall into the higher tier. Exceptional circumstances — extreme weather, strikes external to the airline, safety risks — instead completely exclude the right to compensation, while leaving intact the right to refund or rebooking.

Two technical details worth knowing

Distance is not calculated as the crow flies but according to the method of great circle distance, the shortest route between the two airports: it rarely changes the applicable tier, but it is worth knowing in case of distances close to a threshold. The method of payment also deserves attention: the airline may offer a travel voucher rather than cash, but the passenger always has the right to refuse it in favour of a refund in euros, regardless of how the airline presents the offer.

How much time is there to file a claim

The deadline for filing a claim varies from country to country: ranging from about one year in some states to ten years in Luxembourg, with Italy set at two years and four months from the flight date. It should be noted that in July 2026 the European Parliament and the EU Council approved a reform of EC regulation 261/2004 that confirms the current amounts (250, 400 and 600 euros) but introduces faster refund handling times for airlines; the new rules will apply approximately from mid-2027.

Calculate in advance which compensation tier your flight falls into before contacting the airline: if the service failure affected many passengers, it may also be worth pooling efforts through a collective claim.