Flight cancelled: the 14-day rule, the 7-day rule and rerouting explained

If your flight is cancelled, you are owed fixed compensation unless the airline told you at least two weeks ahead, or it told you later but offered a replacement flight that left and arrived close enough to the original times, or it proves extraordinary circumstances. This guide sets out the exact time windows, and what counts as a "cancellation".

Last updated: 5 October 2026.

What the Regulation says

Article 5(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 gives you a right to compensation when your flight is cancelled, unless:

When you were told about the cancellation	No compensation if the airline offered you...
At least 2 weeks before departure	Nothing more is required. No compensation is due.
Between 2 weeks and 7 days before departure	Rerouting that lets you depart no more than 2 hours before the original time and arrive less than 4 hours after the original arrival time.
Less than 7 days before departure	Rerouting that lets you depart no more than 1 hour before the original time and arrive less than 2 hours after the original arrival time.

So if the airline tells you with less than a week's notice, even a replacement flight that arrives 2 hours and 30 minutes late does not remove your right. The Court confirmed that passengers told less than 7 days ahead are entitled to compensation if the rerouting they were offered got them to their final destination more than 2 but less than 3 hours after the scheduled arrival (Case C-130/18, flightright).

Who has to prove that you were told?

The airline. Article 5(4) puts the burden of proof on the operating airline for the questions whether and when you were informed. Two points from the Court:

If you booked through a travel agent or online agency, and the agent did not pass the airline's notice to you in time, the airline still has to pay unless you expressly authorised the agent to receive such information (Case C-302/16, Krijgsman; Case C-263/20, Airhelp).
The same applies if the airline sent notice to the only email address it had, which turned out to belong to the agent (Case C-307/21, Ryanair).

The amount

The amounts are those of Article 7: 250 euros up to 1500 km, 400 euros between 1500 and 3500 km (and for intra-EU flights over 1500 km), and 600 euros beyond. If you were rerouted and arrived within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original arrival time (depending on distance), the airline may reduce the amount by 50%. See how the amount is calculated.

What counts as a "cancellation"?

The Regulation defines a cancellation as "the non-operation of a flight which was previously planned and on which at least one place was reserved". The Commission's guidelines list several situations:

The airline's decision is not required. A cancellation exists in principle where the planning of the original flight is abandoned and its passengers join another planned flight. No express decision of cancellation is needed (Case C-83/10, Sousa Rodríguez).
The aircraft returns to the departure airport. If a plane takes off but is forced to return and passengers are moved to other flights, the flight counts as cancelled (Sousa Rodríguez).
A diversion to a different airport is treated like a cancellation, unless the airport serves the same town, city or region, in which case it may be treated as a delay. See diverted flights.
Schedule changes. A flight postponed by less than 3 hours without other changes is not a cancellation. One brought forward by more than 1 hour is. See our guide on schedule changes.
Just a stopover. A flight that operates as scheduled but makes an unscheduled stopover is not cancelled (Case C-32/16, Wunderlich).
Labels do not decide. The Court said it generally cannot be concluded that a flight is delayed or cancelled just because the departures board or airline staff say so. What matters is what actually happened to the flight.

Your other rights when your flight is cancelled

Refund or rerouting (Article 8). A choice between a refund within seven days, rerouting at the earliest opportunity under comparable conditions, or rerouting at a later date at your convenience.
Care (Article 9). Meals, a hotel if needed, transport, two communications.
Information (Article 5(2)). When told of the cancellation, you must be given an explanation of possible alternative transport.

The Commission adds that if the replacement flight you accept is itself cancelled or arrives three hours or more late, you have a new right to compensation (Case C-832/18, Finnair).

When the airline does not have to pay

If the airline proves that the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided with all reasonable measures (Article 5(3)), no compensation is due. The airline must prove it, and the Court reads the exception strictly. See what the EU Court has decided, and strikes.

Frequently asked

My flight was cancelled 10 days before and I was offered a flight 5 hours earlier. Am I owed compensation?

Probably yes. For notice between 14 and 7 days, the replacement flight may leave no more than 2 hours before the original time and must arrive less than 4 hours after the original arrival time. A flight 5 hours earlier is outside the first limit.

The airline told me by email only the day before. Is that enough?

Being told does not remove your right on its own. With less than 7 days' notice, the airline must also have offered rerouting that left no more than 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late.

I chose a refund. Can I still get compensation?

Possibly yes. The Commission's guidelines explain that once you choose refund, rerouting or rebooking, the airline has no further obligations linked to the other options, but the obligation to pay compensation under Article 5(1)(c) read with Article 7 may still apply.

Sources

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Articles 2(l), 5, 7, 8 and 9.
European Commission, Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (OJ C/2024/5687), sections 3.2, 4.2 and 4.4.4 to 4.4.13.

This guide is general information based on the sources above, not legal advice.

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