Your flight is delayed or cancelled — what to do next

Delays and cancellations are part of flying. What separates a frustrating afternoon from a ruined trip is usually what you do in the first thirty minutes.

A note before the advice: passenger rights depend on where you are flying from, where you are flying to and which airline you are on. Several regions have strong statutory protections and others have none. This is a guide to acting sensibly — check the rules that apply to your specific journey, and ask us if you booked through us.

First, get in a queue — any queue

When a flight is cancelled, every passenger needs rebooking and seats on the alternatives are finite. The people who get the good options are the ones who ask first.

Do all of these at once if you can:

• Join the airline's desk queue, and stay in it
• Call the airline while you queue — the phone line is a separate queue
• Open the airline's app, which sometimes offers rebooking before staff can
• If you booked through an agent, contact them — they can rebook on your behalf

Doing one at a time is how people end up on tomorrow's flight instead of this evening's.

Ask the right question

Do not ask "what happened". Ask:

> "What are my options to reach [destination] today?"

Then, specifically:

• the next flight on this airline
• flights on partner or other airlines
• a nearby alternative airport
• a different routing, even with a connection

Staff work from what they are asked. A specific question gets a specific answer.

What airlines commonly provide

Depending on jurisdiction, airline policy and the cause of the disruption, you may be entitled to some combination of:

• Rebooking on the next available service at no extra cost
• A refund instead, if you no longer wish to travel
• Meals or refreshments during a long wait
• Accommodation and transport for an overnight disruption
• Cash compensation, in some regions, when the airline is responsible and the delay is long enough

The last one is the most jurisdiction-dependent. Disruption outside the airline's control — weather, air traffic control, security incidents — typically removes the compensation element even where duty-of-care obligations remain.

Keep the evidence, at the time

If you may claim later, collect it now. It is far harder afterwards:

• A photograph of the departure board showing the delay or cancellation
• Your boarding pass and booking reference
• Any written notice the airline gives, including SMS and email
• Receipts for anything you are forced to spend
• The reason given, and who gave it

Mistakes that cost people money

• Accepting the first offer without asking what else exists. The first option is rarely the only one.
• Booking a replacement ticket yourself straight away. Once you buy your own alternative, you may forfeit what the airline owed you. Ask first.
• Leaving the airport before your options are confirmed.
• Spending heavily and assuming reimbursement. Keep it reasonable and keep receipts.
• Losing the onward leg. If your itinerary continues, make sure the rebooking protects the whole journey, not just the next flight.

If you booked with us

Contact us before you buy anything. We can see your booking, look at what is available and rebook without you standing in an airport queue — and we can tell you what your particular ticket entitles you to. Get in touch, or find your booking first.