A delay board that says "cancelled" is the moment most travellers discover they have no idea what they are owed. The answer depends on where the flight departs from, which airline operates it and why it went wrong. This guide covers the three sets of rules that apply to almost every flight Way4Fly sells: US rules, European Union rules and the UK's version of them. It is general information, not legal advice; the airline's own contract of carriage and the regulator's site are the final word.
First, the universal rule: a refund if the airline cancels
If the airline cancels your flight, or changes it so much that you no longer want to travel, you are entitled to a refund to the original form of payment, not just a voucher, under US, EU and UK rules alike. You do not have to accept a credit. If you booked through Way4Fly, our travel desk processes that refund with the airline for you; the number is at the top of every page and the desk is staffed around the clock.
Flights to, from and within the United States
US rules are set by the Department of Transportation and are mostly about refunds and transparency rather than compensation.
- Automatic refunds for cancellations and significant changes. Since 2024, a cancellation or a "significant" change, which the rule defines to include a departure or arrival moved by three hours or more on a domestic flight and six hours or more on an international one, a change of departure or arrival airport, an added connection, or a downgrade, entitles you to a refund if you choose not to travel. The airline must issue it automatically within a set number of days once you decline the alternative.
- Checked-bag and extras refunds. If your bag is significantly delayed, or you paid for Wi-Fi or a seat that was not provided, those charges are refundable too.
- Delays themselves: no federal compensation. US law does not require an airline to pay you for a delay. What exists instead is each airline's written customer-service commitment, which the DOT publishes in a comparison dashboard. Most large US carriers now commit to a meal after a delay of three hours or more that is within their control, and to a hotel for an overnight disruption they caused. "Within their control" means crew, maintenance or scheduling, not weather or air traffic control.
- Tarmac delays. Separate limits apply once you are on board and the aircraft has not taken off, with a right to food, water and the chance to deplane after a defined period.
Flights departing the EU, or arriving on an EU airline
The EU's passenger-rights regulation, usually called EU261, is the strongest of the three. It applies to any flight departing an EU airport, whatever the airline, and to flights arriving in the EU on an EU-based airline. So a Miami to Madrid flight is covered on the way back on any carrier, and on the way out only if the airline is European.
- Right to care. Once a delay passes a threshold that depends on the flight distance, the airline must provide meals and refreshments, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transfers if an overnight stay is needed. This applies whatever the cause, including weather.
- Rerouting or refund. For a cancellation, or a delay of five hours or more, you choose between a refund and rerouting to your destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date that suits you.
- Compensation. If you arrive at your final destination three hours or more late, or your flight was cancelled with less than fourteen days' notice, the airline owes you fixed compensation set by the regulation, scaled by distance, unless it can show the cause was an extraordinary circumstance it could not have avoided. Severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, security incidents and some political events count. Technical faults, crew shortages and most staffing problems do not. The amounts are published on the European Commission's passenger-rights pages.
- Downgrades. If you are moved to a lower cabin, you are owed a partial refund of the fare, on a percentage scale set by distance.
Flights departing the UK, or arriving on a UK airline
After leaving the EU the UK kept the same framework as UK261. Coverage mirrors the EU version: any flight departing a UK airport, and flights into the UK on a UK carrier, so Boston to London is covered on the way home on any airline and on the way out on a British carrier. The thresholds for care, rerouting and compensation are the same; the compensation amounts are set in pounds by the Civil Aviation Authority. Claims go first to the airline and then, if refused, to the airline's alternative dispute resolution body or the CAA.
What to do in the first hour
- Get the reason in writing. Ask the gate agent or the app for the official cause and keep the notification. Whether it was within the airline's control decides almost everything above.
- Ask to be rebooked before you ask for anything else. Seats on the next flight go to whoever asks first. Check the airline app, the desk and the phone line at the same time; our travel desk can hold a seat on another airline while you queue.
- Keep every receipt. Meals, taxis, a hotel if the airline will not provide one. Reasonable expenses are reimbursable under EU and UK rules and under most US customer-service commitments when the cause was within the airline's control.
- Do not accept a voucher if you want a refund. Accepting one can waive the cash refund.
- Note the time you actually arrived. Compensation under EU and UK rules is measured at the final destination, door open, not at the first airport.
Connections on separate tickets
All of the above assumes one ticket. If you booked two separate tickets and the first flight's delay makes you miss the second, the second airline owes you nothing, and the first airline's duty usually ends at the connecting airport. This is the biggest practical reason to keep a trip on one booking; our layover guide explains how protected connections work.
Travel insurance fills the gaps
None of these rules cover the hotel you lost at the destination, the missed cruise or the extra night's expenses after a weather cancellation. That is what trip-delay and trip-interruption cover on a travel insurance policy, or on a premium credit card, is for. Check the delay threshold and the daily cap before you need them.
