Cancelled flight. The refund is the law, not a favour.
When an airline cancels, UK law says the ticket is refunded within seven days unless you chose rerouting — and a voucher needs your signed agreement. Often compensation is owed on top. A letter before action to the airline's registered office is what turns the claims form loop into a payment. Written free, today.
Booked through an agent or as a package? Tell us — the airline usually still owes the refund of the flight, and the organiser the rest.
Alongside the money itself, courts may award simple interest on money you have been kept out of — commonly 8% a year under the County Courts Act 1984 — and the court fee is typically added to a successful claim. Interest is discretionary. The letter sets this out so the other side can see what ignoring it costs.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us.
Your legal rights when an airline cancels and doesn't refund
In England and Wales flight refunds and compensation are set by the retained EU Regulation 261/2004, now part of UK law with the amounts in pounds. The refund is owed within seven days; compensation depends on notice, rerouting and whether the airline can prove extraordinary circumstances.
ActAir Passenger Rights Regulations (retained Regulation (EC) 261/2004), Article 8Refund of the ticket within seven days, or rerouting, when the flight is cancelled.
Article 8 generally requires the airline to offer a choice between reimbursement of the ticket within seven days for the parts not used, or rerouting to the final destination at the earliest opportunity or a later date of the passenger's choosing. Vouchers usually require the passenger's signed agreement.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActAir Passenger Rights Regulations (retained Regulation (EC) 261/2004), Article 5If a flight is cancelled, you can usually claim a refund or rerouting, and often compensation.
Article 5 generally gives passengers on a cancelled flight the choice of a refund or rerouting, plus care, and a right to compensation under Article 7. Compensation is typically excluded only where the airline told them at least two weeks before departure; or told them between two weeks and seven days before and offered rerouting leaving no more than two hours early and arriving under four hours late; or told them under seven days before and offered rerouting leaving no more than one hour early and arriving under two hours late; or can show extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActAir Passenger Rights Regulations (retained Regulation (EC) 261/2004), Article 7Fixed compensation of £220, £350 or £520 by distance, where it applies.
Article 7 generally sets compensation at £220 for flights of 1,500 km or less, £350 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and £520 otherwise, for UK-law claims. It may be halved where rerouting arrives within set time limits. These sums typically apply to cancellations, denied boarding and, following the case law, to long delays of three hours or more at the final destination.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗Case lawContract law — breach of contractFailing to do what was paid for may amount to breach of contract.
A job, a purchase or a loan is typically analysed as a contract. If one side does not perform a central promise — work not done, money not repaid, goods not handed over — a court may find a breach and will then consider what loss flowed from it. The measure is normally the money you are out of pocket, proved with evidence.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
The law says seven. Article 8 of the retained regulation requires reimbursement within seven days. The letter cites it and sets a 14-day deadline of its own.
A voucher needs your signed agreement. Refunds are paid in money unless you agreed to a voucher in writing. If you didn't, the cash is still owed.
That's a defence to compensation, not to the refund. The refund is owed regardless. And the defence is theirs to prove — crew shortages and most technical faults usually don't qualify.
The airline that cancelled owes the refund of the flight. An agent may hold the money briefly, but the obligation is the operating carrier's. The letter goes to the airline; tell us if a package was involved.
Five things worth gathering now
The letter first. Court only if they ignore it.
Your side, your words
What happened, what was agreed, what you are out of pocket. We ask what a court would ask, so the letter says what a court would need to hear.
Written for you, free
A formal letter before action with a 14-day deadline, setting out what is owed and why. You see it at no charge. Posting it by tracked mail and watching the deadline is £15.
Court claim, prepared
If the deadline passes: one tap turns the letter into a small claim, drafted, checked and filed. The £15 comes off our fee. The decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
How long does an airline have to refund a cancelled flight?
Seven days, under Article 8 of the retained regulation, for the parts of the journey not flown — in money, unless you agreed in writing to a voucher. The letter cites this and sets its own 14-day deadline.
Am I owed compensation as well as the refund?
Often. For cancellations with under 14 days' notice, fixed compensation of £220, £350 or £520 by distance usually applies unless the airline offered rerouting close to your original times or can prove extraordinary circumstances. The refund is owed either way.
They gave me a voucher. Can I insist on cash?
Yes, unless you agreed to the voucher in writing. Refunds are payable in money by default.
Which company do I write to?
The operating airline's registered company at its registered office — not the brand name, not a customer-service PO box. We check Companies House before the letter goes; if you booked a package, the organiser may owe the rest.
How much does it cost if it goes further?
If the letter is ignored, a court claim has a court fee set by the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
Is the letter really free?
Yes. Tell us what happened and the letter before action is written and shown to you at no charge. If you want us to post it by tracked mail and watch the 14-day deadline, that is £15, shown before you pay — and it comes off our fee if it later becomes a court claim.
Refund still 'processing'?
Tell us the flight. The letter before action is written free and shown to you today; posting it and watching the deadline is £15.
Write the letter — free →