Eight things you must do now if your flight has been cancelled

Last year, the holiday season ended in chaos. Hundreds of flights were cancelled following “a network-wide failure” of the UK’s air traffic control system on one of the busiest days of the year for travel.

This year’s summer holiday season has begun with equally chaotic scenes, with flights around the world disrupted after a massive outage caused Windows computers to suddenly shut down.

If your travel plans are thrown into disarray, the quicker you act, the better the chance of mitigating the consequences. Here is what to do if the worst does happen. Full details on what to do for each step follow. For further advice, see our full guide to flight delays and cancellations here.

Cancellations on the day: outbound

1. Look at alternative flights as soon as possible

Sometimes you can quickly rebook with the same airline – but, to continue your holiday, you may need to make a fresh booking with another. Which? warns that doing this and trying to claim the cost back as an expense “is very risky and may only work if your reason for travel is exceptionally time-sensitive, such as a child’s wedding or job interview, so it’s advisable to only take this step once you’ve exhausted all other options… it’s important not to accept a refund or cancel your existing booking, as this will end the airline’s obligation to get you home and could make it more difficult to claim back the cost of your alternative flight.”

Whatever your strategy, waste no time in getting online before alternatives sell out. For fresh bookings, skyscanner.net is a good starting point because it includes indirect flights, which may be a useful fall back – but book directly with the airline rather than following a link to an online agent.

2. Check your insurance

Does it cover any losses you may face as a result of the cancellation? Some policies do, some don’t. Read more in our guide to travel insurance.

3. Sort other arrangements

If you have booked independently, you need to gauge as quickly as possible whether or not you will be able to salvage or abandon your holiday. Then you will need to warn the following that you will be late, or to try to postpone or cancel the arrangements:

Hotel/villa

It may be tricky to get a refund – that will depend on the terms of your booking. But the sooner you contact the hotel or villa company, the better your chance of rescuing the situation.

Car hire

Contracts vary, you may be able to cancel for a refund or postpone, you may not. If you are going to arrive late, it is vital to let the company know or the car may be reallocated. Read more advice on car hire here.

Transfers

The same applies as to car hire contracts.

4. Contact your operator

If you have booked with a tour operator, all the practical issues should be sorted for you, but do alert the company to the cancellation immediately: it may not know yet.

5. Claim compensation

Airlines are notoriously bad at alerting passengers to their rights. But you may be entitled to compensation for cancellations which occur within 14 days before departure. The rules are complicated and the amounts vary: check our comprehensive guide.

Return cancellations

You have similar rights – including to compensation – on the return flight, but you are in a different situation. For rebooking, see point 1, above. Otherwise:

6. Insist on accommodation

If you need to stay extra nights and the airline staff won’t help, then you will have to arrange the accommodation yourself and claim back the cost. The quickest way of finding somewhere is probably through a site like booking.com. Keep things reasonable – three- or four-star, not five – and be sure to keep the receipt for accommodation and any essential spending on meals.

7. Extend airport parking

If your return is delayed you may be charged premium rates for the extra length of your stay when you exit the car park. It will normally be cheaper to call the booking agent and extend the booking that way.

8. Tell your employer

You probably don’t need reminding to do this, but it’s worth putting in a call or email to explain the situation and arrange to work remotely until you can get back or take additional leave.

Cancellations in advance

If your flight is cancelled in advance of the departure day, you are obviously in a less immediately stressful situation. But you would still do well to react as quickly as possible – especially if you want to rebook a flight or holiday. And (as above) check your compensation rights.

Reader Service: It’s more important than ever to have holiday cancellation insurance. Learn how to get the right travel cover before you go.

This article was first published in June 2022, and has been revised and updated.