The airline refunded your ticket. Is that your compensation?
Updated
General information, not legal advice. The outcome depends on the facts of your case.
On this page
Your flight was cancelled. The airline refunded the ticket, and when you asked for compensation it said you had already been paid. A refund of your ticket and EU261 compensation are two different things, and you can be owed both.
What the law says
EU Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) has separate articles:
- Refund (Article 8): after a cancellation or denied boarding you can choose a refund of the ticket price, paid within 7 days, instead of a new flight.
- Compensation (Article 7): a fixed €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, depending on the flight distance, paid on top.
- Money, not credit (Articles 7(3) and 8(1)(a)): both are paid in money. A voucher replaces either one only with your signed agreement.
So a refund settles your ticket. It does not settle the compensation.
What the airline may have paid
- The ticket price back. That is the Article 8 refund. The compensation is still open.
- A goodwill gesture. A small amount, points or a voucher, with no mention of EU261. The compensation is still open.
- Compensation, but too little. Check the amount against the distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500 to 3,500 km, €600 above. The airline may halve it only if it rerouted you and you arrived within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original time (Article 7(2)).
- Your costs. Meals, a hotel or transport you paid during the disruption are the airline's duty under Article 9. Getting them back does not settle the compensation either.
How to answer
Reply in writing in the same case:
"The refund of my ticket was paid under Article 8 of Regulation 261/2004. The compensation under Article 7 has not been paid. Please pay €[amount] per passenger for flight [number] on [date], booking reference [ref], to the bank account below."
Attach the refund confirmation, so it is clear what was paid for. If the airline paid part of the compensation, ask for the difference and show the distance.
When it is worth it, and when it is not
Usually worth it: you only got the ticket price back, a voucher or a goodwill gesture, or compensation in the wrong distance band.
Harder: the cancellation came 14 days or more before departure, or the airline can show an extraordinary circumstance. Then a refund may be all you are owed. See cancelled flight compensation refused.
Appeal My Flight's pack contains a reply to the airline and the board complaint, built from standard texts and your answers, for €29 per booking. You send it yourself and keep the payout. We cannot promise an outcome.
FAQ
The airline refunded me as a voucher. Is that allowed?
Only with your signed agreement. See airline voucher instead of compensation.
I accepted the refund. Did I give up the compensation?
No, unless you signed an agreement saying the payment settles your EU261 compensation. A refund alone does not.
How long do I have to claim the compensation?
It depends on the country. See EU261 time limits.
Got the airline's reply? Paste it into the rejection checker and see what court rulings say about their excuse.