
Picture this: you’re at the gate dreaming about tapas in Málaga or a business pitch in Berlin when the screen flips to that dreaded “CANCELLED”. Suddenly the holiday playlist in your head stops and you’re stuck in airport limbo. Breathe. A cancellation is annoying, but for travellers starting or ending in the EU, UK, or neighbouring countries covered by EU-style rules, it can actually turn into a tidy payout of up to €600 per passenger – and that’s before we even talk rerouting, meals, or hotel vouchers. Trouble Flight was built precisely for days like this: we turn cancelled-flight rage into compensation reality, handling all the paperwork while you get back to living your best life.
Sometimes it’s dramatic – volcanic ash, snowstorms, air-traffic-control strikes that grind half of Europe to a halt. Other times it’s an everyday tech hiccup: a warning light the engineers can’t clear, missing crew, or the classic “aircraft out of position” snowball effect after an earlier delay. Low-cost carriers operate tight schedules, so one glitch can ripple across the network. Whatever the cause, if the airline could reasonably have avoided it – think maintenance plans, crew rostering, or swapping aircraft – then Regulation 261/2004 usually says they should pay. Only truly “extraordinary circumstances” let the airline off the hook.
Under EU 261 (and its identical UK twin), EasyJet must offer you a choice between:
Rerouting at the earliest opportunity – that could be their next flight or, if that’s days away, another carrier on a similar route.
A full refund of the unused leg(s) of your journey, plus a flight back to the starting point if the cancellation strands you mid-trip.
Care: free meals and drinks for the wait, two free calls or emails, and a hotel night (plus transport) if the new flight leaves next day.
Tip: if EasyJet’s next option is ages away and the ground staff are swamped, politely ask if they’ll endorse you onto another airline or even a train. Regional rail in mainland Europe is often faster than waiting 48 hours for the orange tail-fin to reappear.
If the cancellation was announced less than 14 days before departure and you reach your final destination more than two hours later than planned, EasyJet owes you flat-rate compensation. The amount depends on distance, not ticket price:
Flight distance | Arrival delay (hours) | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
Up to 1 500 km | 2+ | €250 |
1 500–3 500 km | 3+ | €400 |
Over 3 500 km (EU departure or arrival) | 4+ | €600 |
Even if EasyJet offers vouchers or points, you can insist on cash or bank transfer. The regulation is crystal clear on that.
Relax – the UK wrote the same rules straight into domestic law (nicknamed UK261). Amounts are identical and still quoted in euros for simplicity. So if your cancelled EasyJet hop is Gatwick to Belfast, you’re as protected as someone flying Paris to Nice.
For ultra-long-haul connections that start or finish outside Europe (say, EasyJet to Paris followed by a partner airline to Dubai), the Montreal Convention handles direct costs like hotel nights or lost bags. It doesn’t add extra cash for time lost, but it layers extra protection on top of EU 261 and keeps the pressure on airlines to reimburse your out-of-pocket expenses.
1. Check nearby airports. If Milan Malpensa is a mess, Turin or Verona might have seats the same evening with a different carrier. A short train ride plus a fresh flight often beats two wasted days.
2. Look for spare seats on legacy airlines. Full-service carriers sometimes have last-minute availability when low-cost networks melt down. Remember, EasyJet must refund you if you choose that route.
3. Mix planes and trains. Eurostar, Italo, or Deutsche Bahn can slide you across borders in a few comfy hours. Keep tickets and receipts – they may be refundable later.
4. Stay flexible on city pairs. Flying into Cologne instead of Düsseldorf or Rome Ciampino instead of Fiumicino can salvage a weekend away.
Not at all. In much of Europe you get up to six years to bring a claim. The exact limitation period depends on where the airline is based or where the case is filed, but anywhere from two to six years is typical. So dig out those boarding passes and booking emails – yesterday’s fiasco could still fund tomorrow’s city break.
Jump onto Trouble Flight and pop in your cancelled flight number. In seconds you’ll see an estimated payout figure – handy for deciding whether you want to chase the airline or let us do it. It’s not a binding offer (we’d need your full documents first), but it’s scarily accurate thanks to our nerdy blend of timetable data, weather reports, and historic court rulings. Submit the claim and we’ll verify everything, draft the legal letters, and keep you updated as the case moves.
We only get paid when you get paid. Standard claims cost 25 % of the compensation plus VAT – that covers our team of aviation geeks, paralegals, translators, and the secure tech that keeps your docs safe. If EasyJet digs in and we need to sue, the Legal Action Commission rises to 50 % (including VAT) because court fees and lawyers are pricey. Still, half of something beats 100 % of nothing – and remember, if we lose you pay absolutely zero.
Most claims settle by email, but occasionally an airline tries to blame “extraordinary circumstances” without proof. That’s when our legal partners step in. We file in the jurisdiction that’s likeliest to move fast (hint: some courts in Germany and the Netherlands are famously passenger-friendly) and front all costs. EasyJet then has to show real evidence – a volcano, a government shutdown, a freak storm. Routine mechanical faults or staff sickness won’t cut it; judges know the rules.
Is bad weather always an “extraordinary circumstance”?
No. Light drizzle or a standard winter fog bank shouldn’t cancel an entire schedule. Only conditions so severe that all airlines are grounded generally excuse compensation.
What if EasyJet offers me vouchers at the desk?
You can take them for immediate care (food, refreshments) but you still retain your right to compensation in cash. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
My cancellation notice arrived 15 days ahead – do I still get money?
Probably not. The airline beat the 14-day window, which normally wipes out the flat-rate payout. You can, however, ask for a refund or an earlier reroute if the alternative schedule doesn’t suit.
We accepted a later flight and arrived only 90 minutes late – are we eligible?
If you reach your final stop less than two hours behind the original arrival time on a short haul (or less than three/four on longer hauls), compensation doesn’t trigger. Keep receipts for meals though; care still applies.
Low-cost options. Another budget airline may have spare seats. Search multi-city and one-way filters – splitting legs sometimes surfaces inventory the airline’s own staff overlook.
Full-service shields. When schedules crumble, flag-carriers often add bigger planes or extra seats. Prices can spike, but remember you can claim the refund from EasyJet and move on.
Trains, coaches, car-shares. Europe’s dense rail network and cross-border coaches like Flix-style lines can rescue tight itineraries. Grab mobile tickets, then upload the PDFs when claiming costs.
Screenshot the cancellation alert or departure board. Time stamps are gold in court.
Ask ground staff to endorse your ticket onto the earliest workable alternative, even if it’s another airline or surface transport.
Keep every receipt – coffee, taxi to your hotel, rail trips. EU 261 obliges airlines to reimburse “reasonable” costs when they fail to offer care.
Save delay metrics: actual departure and arrival times. Flightradar24 or simple photos of airport clocks do the trick.
Submit to Trouble Flight within minutes – we can’t speed up pilots, but we can fast-track your claim.
Portable battery pack – cancellations love draining phone batteries.
Multi-currency card – some budget terminals still refuse certain cards.
Reusable water bottle – fill after security and dodge €5 plastic airport drinks.
Earplugs + eye-mask – essential if the airline’s hotel is next to the runway.
A dash of humour – flight chaos stories make great dinner-party ammunition once the cash lands in your bank account.
We live and breathe aviation quirks: from runway snarl-ups in fog-prone London Southend to curfews at Berlin Brandenburg that force night cancellations, we track them all. Our database cross-checks weather logs, NOTAMs, maintenance bulletins and European Court precedents in seconds. The result? Stronger claims, quicker pay-outs, and far less back-and-forth with airline customer-service bots.
Remember, EasyJet carries nearly 80 million passengers a year. Cancellations are inevitable – but letting the airline keep money legally owed to you isn’t. Let us chase it while you plan your next getaway.
Every cancelled EasyJet boarding pass is basically a lottery ticket that needs validating. Slip your flight details into the Trouble Flight Compensation Calculator now, kick back with a coffee, and watch the orange-tinted chaos turn into crisp euro notes landing in your account. We’ll handle the negotiations, the legal footwork, and the paperwork jungle – you decide where to spend the windfall.
Travelling should be about memories, not migraines. Let’s make sure EasyJet’s cancellation funds your next adventure.