Consumer travel advice – Summer 2026

These rights apply regardless of how far in advance of travel your flight is cancelled

If your cancelled flight was booked directly with the airline or via a 3^rd party

Your airline is required by law to offer you the following 3 options to choose from:

• a refund
• an alternative flight (referred to as “re-routing”) at the earliest opportunity
• an alternative flight (referred to as “re-routing”) at a later date at your convenience, subject to availability.

You will be required by the airline to select one of these options. Once you have committed to one of these options with your airline you are unlikely to be able to change your mind. Ensure that you consider all options carefully before selecting the best choice for you.

More information on the first two options is provided below

A Refund 

Do not choose a refund of your flight if you still wish to travel. If you choose a refund, you will not be entitled to re-routing or care.

If you no longer wish to travel you can ask for a refund. 

If you chose this option, you will need to confirm this with your airline.

The airline should provide you with a refund within 7 days. If you booked through a 3^rd party, your refund may take longer.

Your right to a refund applies to all the parts of the ticket you have not used. For example, if you booked a return flight and did not depart, you are entitled to the full cost of the return ticket. If you are part way through your journey and your connecting flight is cancelled you are also entitled to a flight back to your original UK departure airport if you decide not to, or cannot, continue your journey.

An alternative flight (re-routing) at the earliest opportunity

This option requires the airline to find you an alternative flight to your destination as close as possible to the time of your original flight.

If there are lots of flights being cancelled, it may be challenging for your airline to find you alternative flight seats as other flights may already be full. Although we expect your airline to do all it can to offer you an alternative flight (which may mean flying on an alternative airline) and keep you updated while you wait, limited available seats may mean that your airline may not be able to get you to your destination as quickly as you or it would wish. 

If you are already at the airport when your flight is cancelled and you choose this option, your airline should also provide you with care in the form of meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation proportionate to the wait for your alternative flight. You are also entitled a means of communication e.g. two phone calls or emails. 

More advice on cancellations can be found here.

If your airline is unable to proactively offer you care, or offer a suitable alternative flight, we expect it to promptly reimburse you for the costs you incur making your own arrangements.  Make sure you keep itemised receipts and avoid incurring excessive costs.

If your cancelled flight was a component of a package holiday

If your cancelled flight was a component of a package holiday, you benefit from the same rights as if you had booked directly with the airline. Refer to “If you booked a flight directly with the airline or via a 3^rd party” for details of these rights.

In addition, you may also benefit from additional rights under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations.

Your package provider must offer a suitable alternative holiday if it can, or a refund for the full price of your package holiday.

If you booked a flight directly with the airline or via a 3^rd party

If your return flight has been cancelled, you may be covered by UK passenger rights legislation, however this is dependent on which airline is operating your flight. 

The table below illustrates whether your flight is covered by UK passenger rights legislation:

Flight Itinerary	UK or EU Air Carrier	Non-UK /non-EU Air Carrier
Arriving into the UK	✔️ Covered	❌ Not Covered

If UK passenger rights legislation does not apply, we encourage airlines to do all they can to minimise the overall impact to their passengers. You may also have some protection if you booked your flight with a credit card or via your travel insurance. 

If your flight is covered by UK passenger rights legislation your airline is required by law to offer you the following 3 options to choose from: 

• a refund
• an alternative flight (referred to as “re-routing”) at the earliest opportunity
• an alternative flight (referred to as “re-routing”) at a later date at your convenience, subject to availability.

You will be required by the airline to select one of these options. Once you have committed to one of these options with your airline you are unlikely to be able to change your mind. Please ensure that you consider all options carefully before selecting the best choice for you. For most passengers, your choice will be a flight home. 

More information on the first two options is provided below.

A Refund 

Do not choose a refund of your flight if you still wish to travel. If you choose a refund, you will not be entitled to re-routing or care.

If you no longer wish to travel you can ask for a refund. 

If you chose this option, you will need to confirm this with your airline.

The airline should provide you with a refund within 7 days. If you booked through a 3^rd party, your refund may take longer.

Your right to a refund applies to all the parts of the ticket you have not used. For example, if you booked a return flight and did not depart, you are entitled to the full cost of the return ticket.  If you are part way through your journey and your connecting flight is cancelled you are also entitled to a flight back to your original UK departure airport if you decide not to, or cannot, continue your journey.

An alternative flight (re-routing) at the earliest opportunity

This option requires the airline to find you an alternative flight to the UK as close as possible to the time of your original flight.

If there are lots of flights being cancelled, it may be challenging for your airline to find you alternative flight seats as other flights may already be full. Although we expect your airline to do all it can to offer you an alternative flight (which may mean flying on an alternative airline) and keep you updated while you wait, limited available seats may mean that your airline may not be able to get you to your destination as quickly as you or it would wish.  

If you are already at the airport when your flight is cancelled and you choose this option, your airline should also provide you with care in the form of meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation proportionate to the wait for your alternative flight. You are also entitled a means of communication e.g. two phone calls or emails. 

More advice on care can be found here.

If your airline is unable to proactively offer you care, or offer a suitable alternative flight, we expect it to promptly reimburse you for the costs you incur making your own arrangements. Make sure you keep itemised receipts and avoid incurring excessive costs.

If your cancelled flight was a component of a package holiday

If your cancelled flight was a component of a package holiday, you benefit from the same rights as if you had booked directly with the airline. Refer to “If you booked a flight directly with the airline or via a 3^rd party” for details of these rights.

In addition, you may also benefit from additional rights under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations.   

Normally your tour operator will contact you in advance to re-arrange your flights back to you UK. However, if you are at the airport, you should contact your package travel organiser to talk through your options.

If your flight from the UK is delayed your airline may be required to provide care in the form of meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation and a means of communication (e.g. two phone calls or emails).

Your entitlement to this care and assistance is dependent on both the length of your delay and the destination you are travelling to. The information below sets out the point at which you become entitled to this care and assistance:

• for a delay of at least two hours for flights under 1,500km (such as Glasgow to Amsterdam);
• for a delay of at least three hours for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km (such as East Midlands to Marrakesh);
• for a delay of at least four hours for flights over 3,500km (such as London to New York).

You can calculate the distance of your flight using the Great Circle Route method by using a third-party website.

The care and assistance provided should be proportionate to the wait for your alternative flight.  

More advice on delays can be found here.

If your airline is unable to proactively offer you care, we expect it to promptly reimburse you for the costs you incur making your own arrangements. Make sure you keep itemised receipts and avoid incurring excessive costs.

If your flight back to the UK is delayed, you may be covered by UK passenger rights legislation, however this is dependent on which airline is operating your flight.

The table below illustrates whether your flight is covered by UK passenger rights legislation:

Flight Itinerary	UK or EU Air Carrier	Non-UK /non-EU Air Carrier
Arriving into the UK	✔️ Covered	❌ Not Covered

If your flight to the UK is delayed and you are protected by UK passenger rights legislation, the airline may be required to provide care in the form of meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation and a means of communication (e.g. two phone calls).

Your entitlement to this care and assistance is dependent on both the length of your delay and the destination you are travelling to.  The information below sets out the point at which you become entitled to this care and assistance:

• for a delay of at least two hours for flights under 1,500km (such as Glasgow to Amsterdam);
• for a delay of at least three hours for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km (such as East Midlands to Marrakesh);
• for a delay of at least four hours for flights over 3,500km (such as London to New York).

You can calculate the distance of your flight using the Great Circle Route method by using a third-party website.

The care and assistance provided should be proportionate to the wait for your alternative flight.  

More advice on care can be found here.

If your airline is unable to proactively offer you care, we expect it to promptly reimburse you for the costs you incur making your own arrangements.  Make sure you keep itemised receipts and avoid incurring excessive costs.

 If UK passenger rights legislation does not apply, we encourage airlines to do all they can to minimise the overall impact to their passengers. You may also have some protection via your travel insurance. 

Delays

In addition to the right to care set out in Delay to a flight departing from the UK under UK passenger rights legislation you may be entitled to claim a fixed amount of compensation.  This entitlement may apply if your flight is delayed and you arrive at your destination airport more than three hours late. Your entitlement depends on your destination and the length of delay.  

You can find more information on compensation amounts for delays here.

Cancellations

In addition to the rights set out in Cancellation of a flight departing from the UK you may be entitled to claim a fixed amount of compensation if you received less than 14 days’ notice of your flight cancellation. 

Entitlement depends on whether you received 7-14 days’ notice, or less than 7 days’ notice, and the timing of any replacement flight. 

You can find more information on compensation amounts for cancellations and examples of how this may relate to your cancellation here.

If your flight back to the UK is delayed or cancelled, you may be entitled to compensation if you are protected by UK passenger rights legislation. This is dependent on which airline is operating your flight.

The table below illustrates whether your flight is covered by UK passenger rights legislation:

Flight Itinerary	UK or EU Air Carrier	Non-UK /non-EU Air Carrier
Arriving into the UK	✔️ Covered	❌ Not Covered

If you are covered by UK passenger rights legislation then you may be entitled to claim fixed sum compensation from your airline:

Delays

This entitlement may apply if your flight is delayed and you arrive at your destination airport more than three hours late. Your entitlement depends on your destination and the length of delay.  

You can find more information on compensation amounts for delays here.

Cancellations

You may be entitled to claim a fixed amount of compensation if you received less than 14 days’ notice of your flight cancellation. 

Entitlement depends on whether you received 7-14 days’ notice, or less than 7 days’ notice, and the timing of any replacement flight. 

You can find more information on compensation amounts for cancellations and examples of how this may relate to your cancellation here.

There are circumstances where, despite experiencing a delay or cancellation, UK passenger rights legislation does not entitle a passenger to receive fixed sum compensation.

UK passenger rights legislation exempts airlines from paying fixed sum compensation for delays and cancellations that they believe were caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. 

Every case is context and fact specific, and airlines must also demonstrate that they took all reasonable measures to prevent a delay or cancellation, or to mitigate its effects. 

Based on examples from air passenger rights legislation, and decisions by UK and EU courts, we have provided examples of events which are likely to be viewed as extraordinary circumstances. Your airline is likely to reject a claim for fixed sum compensation if these caused your delay or cancellation:

• Weather conditions incompatible with the safe operation of the flight
• Strikes (unrelated to the airline such as airport staff, air traffic control or border force)
• Acts of terrorism or sabotage
• Security risks
• Air traffic control management decisions affecting flight scheduling
• Political or civil unrest
• Hidden manufacturing defects (a manufacturer recall that grounds a fleet of aircraft
• Bird strikes
• Tyre damage caused by a foreign object
• Fuel spillage on a runway
• The impact of an unruly passenger

What are jet fuel surcharges?

Jet fuel surcharges are charges that an airline or travel provider may include in the total cost of your flight or holiday because the price of jet fuel is higher than normal.

Can I be required to pay an additional jet fuel surcharge after I’ve already booked and paid for my flight?

No, airlines and travel providers cannot increase the price and apply an additional jet fuel surcharge to your existing flight only booking.

Under UK law, airlines must present the full and final price of a booking upfront, including any mandatory jet fuel charges. All applicable taxes, charges, surcharges and fees must also be clearly itemised. Mandatory charges must not be presented incrementally or misrepresented at any stage of the booking process.

Where these rules are breached, you may have rights to refunds, cancellation or other redress. 

Can I be asked to pay an additional jet fuel surcharge for my package holiday?

You may be asked to pay more in limited circumstances for a package holiday booking in line with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

However, if your travel provider offered a “price promise” or suggested your price will not change after booking, your terms and conditions should reflect this, and a price increase would not be permissible.

For a price to change under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, it must clearly and explicitly state in the contract that a price increase or decrease could happen and set out the limited circumstances in which this is allowed.  Holiday providers can only apply a price increase if they tell you clearly in writing at least 20 days before your departure about the price increase, how the increase is calculated and the justification for it.

If you are asked to pay more, your rights will depend on the amount that you are being charged:

• If the proposed price increase is more than 8% of your total holiday price, the holiday provider must offer you a choice of a full fee-free refund to terminate the contract. If you still want to go on holiday, you may be offered a substitute holiday (depending on your provider), or you can choose to pay the increased amount and proceed with your original plans.
• If the proposed price increase is 8% or less, you do not have the right to a full fee-free refund.

You should carefully review the airline or travel provider’s terms and conditions before you book.