Flight delayed or canceled? What to do before you leave the airport

If your flight is delayed or canceled, solve the trip before you argue about compensation. Get a workable rebooking, save every receipt, and make the airline state the reason for the disruption in writing. The claim can wait until you are moving again.

First: get the trip moving again

Start with the operating airline, even if you bought the ticket through a travel site. The airline controls the aircraft, seats, and immediate recovery options. Use the app while you stand in line: seats can disappear faster than the queue moves.

Do not cancel the booking yourself in the app until you understand the consequences. A voluntary cancellation can be treated differently from an airline cancellation, even when the airline's disruption prompted your decision.

If the flight touches the United States

US rules focus heavily on refunds. The US Department of Transportation says a passenger is entitled to an automatic refund when an airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from, or within the United States and the passenger does not accept the alternative transportation, travel credit, or other compensation offered. Read the current DOT refund rules before choosing between a replacement flight and your money back.

Cash compensation for lost time is not generally guaranteed by US federal law. For disruptions within an airline's control, carriers make different voluntary commitments for rebooking, meals, hotels, and transportation. Compare your airline on the DOT's cancellation and delay dashboard, then ask for the benefits it has committed to provide.

If EU or UK passenger rights may apply

European passenger rights can apply based on where the flight departed, where it arrived, and which airline operated it. Under current EU guidance, reaching your final destination at least three hours late can qualify for compensation unless extraordinary circumstances caused the delay. A cancellation disclosed less than 14 days before departure can also qualify in some cases.

Weather, air traffic management decisions, political instability, and security risks can be extraordinary circumstances. Most routine technical problems and strikes by the airline's own staff generally are not. The airline must support an extraordinary-circumstances defense; the label it uses in the first notification is not necessarily the final answer. Check the European Union's current air passenger rights guidance for the itinerary-specific rules.

UK rules are similar in structure but separate from EU law. For a UK-connected itinerary, verify the current rules with the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

File it yourself or use AirHelp?

Filing directly with the airline is the best financial choice when the facts are clear and you are willing to manage the correspondence. You keep the entire eligible payout, and many airlines provide an online claim form.

AirHelp is a convenience trade. It checks eligibility, communicates with the airline, and can escalate the claim. Its published fee is 35% of successfully recovered compensation. If legal action is required, the published additional fee is 15%, bringing the total deduction to 50%. AirHelp says it covers the legal expenses even if the action fails, but you should read its current fees and terms before assigning or authorizing a claim.

Choose	When it makes sense	Main trade-off
File directly with the airline	Your eligibility looks clear and you can follow up	More of your time, but you keep the full recovery
Use AirHelp	You want eligibility screening and someone else to pursue it	35% standard success fee; another 15% if legal action is needed
Use travel insurance or card benefits	The loss is an expense rather than statutory compensation	Coverage, exclusions, and documentation vary by policy

Decision snapshot

Best for

AirHelp is best for travelers who value time and persistence more than retaining every dollar of a potential payout.

Skip if

File directly when the claim is straightforward and you are comfortable handling the airline yourself.

Bottom line

Secure the trip and preserve the evidence first. Delegate the claim only after you understand the fee.

What evidence to keep

• Booking confirmation and ticket number
• Every boarding pass, including replacement flights
• Screenshots of the original schedule and disruption notice
• The airline's stated cause of delay or cancellation
• Rebooking, voucher, and refund offers
• Itemized meal, hotel, taxi, train, or rental-car receipts
• Your actual arrival time at the final destination
• Messages with the airline, travel agency, insurer, or card provider
• Names or case numbers from airport and phone agents

Store these in one phone folder or email thread. If the claim lasts several weeks, organized evidence is the difference between a ten-minute follow-up and reconstructing the entire trip from memory.

Frequently asked questions

Does a canceled flight always mean the airline owes cash compensation?

No. A refund, reimbursement of expenses, care during the disruption, and cash compensation are separate rights. The answer depends on the itinerary, governing law, cause, notice, and whether you accepted alternative transportation.

Should I accept the replacement flight or request a refund?

Accept the replacement if completing the trip is more valuable than abandoning it. If you no longer want to travel after a cancellation or significant change, US rules may entitle you to an automatic refund when you reject the alternative. Confirm the current rule before accepting a voucher.

How much does AirHelp charge?

AirHelp's current published standard fee is 35% of compensation it successfully recovers, including VAT. If legal action is required, it publishes an additional 15% fee. Its compensation service is no-win, no-fee, although separate products such as AirHelp+ have their own prices and terms.

Can I claim both a refund and flight-delay compensation?

Sometimes. A refund addresses the unused transportation, while statutory compensation can address the qualifying disruption. They are not automatically interchangeable, and eligibility depends on the applicable rules and what alternative travel you accepted.

What if the airline says the delay was weather-related?

Ask for the precise cause and keep the message. Weather can be an extraordinary circumstance under European rules, but a broad weather label does not explain whether your specific flight was affected or whether the airline took reasonable measures. You can still pursue reimbursement, care, insurance, or card benefits even when cash compensation is unavailable.

For the next trip, reduce the secondary damage with our guide to not losing your luggage and the international travel packing list.