Plane ticket refund: all the cases where you might be entitled

Voluntary cancellation: depends on the fare purchased

If the fare is refundable, the request must be submitted to the airline or agency according to the conditions set at purchase: there is no fixed legal deadline here, and processing times depend on each carrier's commercial policy.

Unused route segments and billing errors

For multi-segment tickets, some airlines refund the portion of the unused route, others apply more restrictive conditions: it's worth checking before cancelling a single segment. Airline errors, such as double charging or a fare applied incorrectly, entitle you to a refund regardless of the original tariff conditions, because this is an undue payment, not a service cancellation.

The 7-day deadline applies to cancellations by the airline

When the refund is due to an airline-decided cancellation, denied boarding, or failure to rebook on an alternative flight, Article 7 of EC Regulation 261/2004 sets a precise deadline of 7 days from the request, with payment via bank transfer, cheque, or, with written passenger agreement, vouchers. A regulation reform approved in July 2026 and operational from the second half of 2027 will additionally introduce automatic refund within 30 days for those rejecting the proposed rebooking, without needing to submit a claim: an additional protection compared to the current rule, which for now remains in force in its original version.

Agencies, packages, and chargeback as a last resort

Tickets purchased through an agency follow a slightly different process: the request goes through the agency, which then interfaces with the airline, lengthening overall processing times. For flight plus hotel packages, refund of the flight alone can be more complex to obtain separately. When the airline fails to respond within reasonable timeframes to a legitimate request, a chargeback with your bank or card network remains a last resort, though processing times vary by institution and are not fixed by any specific aviation rule.

Before submitting your request, verify whether your case falls under the direct protection of EC Regulation 261/2004 (cancellation, denied boarding) or the commercial conditions of your fare: this determines the deadline you can invoke.