Airline changed your flight time: is it a cancellation or just a delay?

If the airline changes the departure time of your flight, the rules depend on how big the change is and which way it goes. Moving a flight later by less than three hours, with no other change, is not a cancellation. Bringing it forward by more than one hour is. The difference matters because cancellations give you a right to compensation unless you were told early enough.

Last updated: 5 October 2026.

The two rules from the EU Court

The European Commission's guidelines, summarising the case law, give these examples:

Postponed by less than 3 hours. A flight is not regarded as cancelled if the airline postpones the departure time by less than three hours without making any other changes (joined Cases C-146/20, C-188/20, C-196/20 and C-270/20, Azurair). It is a schedule change that can lead to a delay, and you are compensated only if you arrive at your final destination three hours or more late.
Brought forward by more than 1 hour. A flight must be regarded as cancelled if the airline brings the departure time forward by more than one hour (Case C-263/20, Airhelp; Case C-395/20, Corendon Airlines).

The Court has also said that if a flight is brought forward by an amount that gives a right to compensation, the airline cannot reduce the compensation by 50% on the ground that it offered you rerouting without delay at your final destination (Azurair).

Why the label matters

Airlines sometimes describe a change as a "delay" or "re-timing" when it is in fact a cancellation. The Commission explains that a flight may generally tend to be considered cancelled when its flight number changes, but this is not always decisive. A flight that departs the next day with an annotated flight number can still be a delayed flight. Each case is assessed individually. The Court has also said that you cannot conclude that a flight is delayed or cancelled merely because the departures board or airline staff say so.

If your flight is considered cancelled, the notice rules apply (Article 5(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004): you are not owed compensation if you were told at least two weeks before departure, or later with suitable rerouting. See the 14-day, 7-day and rerouting rules.

Examples

Your 10:00 flight now leaves at 12:30, with no other change. It is a postponement of less than three hours. You are compensated only if you reach your destination three hours or more late.
Your 10:00 flight now leaves at 13:00. The postponement is three hours. The case law example concerns less than three hours, so this one needs to be assessed under the rules for long delay or cancellation. Ask the airline for the reason and check the arrival delay.
Your 10:00 flight now leaves at 08:30. It was brought forward by more than one hour, so it counts as cancelled. If you were informed less than two weeks before, and were not rerouted within the Article 5(1)(c) limits, you may be owed compensation.
Your 10:00 flight now leaves at 09:30. Brought forward by 30 minutes. This is not more than one hour, so it is not a cancellation on that ground.

What you can do when the airline changes your flight

Note when and how you were told. The airline must prove whether and when you were informed (Article 5(4)). Keep the email or message.
Compare the new and old times. Look at both departure and arrival times.
Choose your option. If the flight is treated as cancelled, you can choose between a refund, rerouting at the earliest opportunity, or rerouting at a later date (Article 8).
Claim compensation afterwards if the conditions are met.

Frequently asked

Is an earlier departure a delay?

No. If a flight is brought forward by more than one hour, it counts as cancelled. If it is brought forward by one hour or less, it is a schedule change.

The airline gave my flight a new flight number. Does that mean it was cancelled?

Not necessarily. A changed flight number tends to suggest cancellation, but the Commission says it is not always a determining criterion. A flight can get a new number, such as a letter added, if it is so late that it leaves the next day, and still be considered delayed.

If the airline told me early about the change, do I lose compensation?

If the flight counts as cancelled, being informed at least two weeks before departure removes the right to compensation. If it is a postponement of under three hours, compensation depends only on the arrival delay.

Sources

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Articles 2(l), 5, 7 and 8.
European Commission, Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (OJ C/2024/5687), sections 3.2.1, 3.2.2 and 4.4.10.

This guide is general information based on the sources above, not legal advice. The examples are our own illustrations of the rules, not court decisions.

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