> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sosflights.help/blog/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Flight cancelled? What to do in the next 30 minutes - URL: https://www.sosflights.help/blog/flight-cancelled-what-to-do/ - Published: 2026-10-11T08:01:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-11T18:26:07.000Z - Description: Your flight was cancelled. Here is what to do right now: rebook first, ask for food and a hotel, keep receipts, and leave compensation for later. - Author: Codeblocks - Tags: Travel Help, Flight Cancelled > **Short answer:** Get in the rebooking queue and call the airline at the same time. In the EU you choose between a refund and the next available flight to your destination, even on another airline. The airline must also give you food and, if needed, a hotel. Keep every receipt. Claim compensation later. Your flight is cancelled. The board is red, the queue is long, and your phone is at 20 %. Breathe. The first 30 minutes decide where you sleep tonight. Here is the order that works. ## Do this now 1. **Join the transfer or rebooking desk queue.** Do not wait at the gate. 2. **While you queue, call or chat with the airline.** Use the app, the website chat, or the phone line. Whoever answers first rebooks you. See how to reach the airline fast. 3. **Take three screenshots:** the departure board, the cancellation SMS or email, and the app status. 4. **Search the alternatives yourself.** Note other flights that day on other airlines and from nearby airports. You will ask for one of them by number. 5. **Ask for food vouchers and a hotel** if you face a long wait or a night. 6. **Keep every receipt.** Food, taxi, hotel, phone. Paper or photo. Do not accept a voucher or a later flight before you know your options. One click can end your refund right. ## What to say at the desk > "My flight is cancelled. Under EU Regulation 261/2004 I am asking to be re-routed to my final destination at the earliest opportunity, including on another airline if that is sooner. I also need meal vouchers and a hotel with transport for tonight." Say it calmly. Have the alternative flight numbers ready. A specific request gets a faster yes than "what can you do for me?" More ready-made lines: what to say at the airline desk. ![Flight cancelled what to do](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/content/images/2026/10/flight-cancelled-what-to-do-inline.webp) Flight cancelled what to do · Illustration: SOS Flights ## Your three options (EU, UK and flights from Europe) | Option | What it means | Pick it when | | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | Re-routing now | Next available flight to your final destination, comparable conditions. Can be another airline or a nearby airport. | You must arrive soon. | | Re-routing later | A later date that suits you, if seats exist. | Your trip can wait. | | Refund | Money back for the unused ticket within 7 days. Plus a flight back to where you started, if the trip no longer makes sense. | You no longer need the trip. | You choose, not the airline. If you are unsure, read [refund or rebooking: which to pick](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/flight-cancelled-refund-or-rebooking/). ## What the airline must give you while you wait Under EU261 the airline owes you care during the wait: - Meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time. - Two phone calls, emails or messages. - A hotel if you must stay overnight. - Transport between the airport and the hotel. This care is owed **even if the cause was bad weather or air traffic control**. "Extraordinary circumstances" can cancel compensation. They do not cancel food and a bed. No desk, no vouchers, no answer? Book a reasonable hotel and meal yourself. Keep the receipts and claim them back later. More detail: [stranded at the airport overnight](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/stranded-at-airport-overnight/). ## The airline offered a flight two days later. Do I have to take it? No. You have the right to re-routing "at the earliest opportunity". If another airline flies tonight, ask for it by flight number. Write down the name of the agent and the time if they refuse. Read [rebooked days later? you can say no](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/airline-rebooked-me-days-later/). ## Can I book another flight myself? Sometimes, yes. If the airline does not offer you a reasonable re-routing, you can book a comparable flight and claim the cost back. This is a risk. Get the refusal in writing or as a screenshot first, and choose a reasonable fare. Full guide: book another airline and claim it back. ## I booked through an online agency or a package holiday The rights stay the same. Who helps you changes. On a package, your tour operator must fix the trip. On an online agency booking, the airline still owes you care at the airport. Ask both. ## Compensation is homework for next week If the cancellation came less than 14 days before departure, you may also be owed €250, €400 or €600 per passenger. The amount depends on flight distance. The airline can refuse when the cause was truly extraordinary, for example a storm. Technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff are usually not extraordinary. Tonight, focus on getting home or getting a bed. You can claim compensation yourself, for free, later. ## FAQ **My flight was cancelled. Do I get a refund or a new flight?** You choose. In the EU you can take a refund within 7 days, the next available flight to your destination, or a later date that suits you. **Does the airline have to pay for a hotel if my flight is cancelled?** Yes, under EU261, if you must stay overnight. The airline also pays transport to the hotel and meals. This applies even when the cause is bad weather. **Can the airline rebook me on another airline?** Yes. Re-routing "at the earliest opportunity" can include other airlines and nearby airports. Ask for a specific flight by number. **What if the airline does not answer and there is no desk?** Book a reasonable hotel and meals yourself, keep every receipt, and claim the costs back from the airline. Screenshot your attempts to contact them. **How much compensation do I get for a cancelled flight?** €250 to €600 per passenger under EU261, by distance. It depends on notice time and cause. Claim it after the trip. **Do I lose my rights if I accept a voucher?** Possibly. A voucher can replace your cash refund. Read the terms before you accept anything. --- Stuck right now and no one is helping? [Get a human on your case now](https://www.sosflights.help/en?ref=sosflights.help). Ryanair passengers: see the quick sheet for [a Ryanair cancellation](https://www.sosflights.help/en/help/ryanair-cancelled-flight?ref=sosflights.help). At Vienna: [flight cancelled at Vienna Airport](https://www.sosflights.help/en/help/vienna-airport-flight-cancelled?ref=sosflights.help). *Advice only, not legal advice. Rights summarised from Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and the European Commission's air passenger rights pages. Updated 10 October 2026.* ## Related guides - [Bumped from an overbooked flight? What to say and what you get](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/denied-boarding-overbooked-flight/) - [Plans changed? Cancel or change a flight and lose the least](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/plans-changed-cancel-or-change-flight/) - [Refund or rebooking after a cancellation: which to pick](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/flight-cancelled-refund-or-rebooking/) - [Rebooked onto a flight days later? You can say no](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/airline-rebooked-me-days-later/) - [Stranded at the airport overnight? What the airline owes you](https://www.sosflights.help/blog/stranded-at-airport-overnight/)