What to Do if Your Flight Has Been Cancelled

Your Brazil flight is cancelled.

Don’t know what to do?

If your flight to, from or within Brazil is cancelled, the airline has to inform you about flight cancellation immediately. Also the airline has to take care of you. If you have to wait at the airport for more than 1 hour, the airline has to provide you with certain services for free. In addition to that, you must be given a choice between a new flight or a full refund.

Read on to learn more about your rights in case of flight cancellation.

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Planes at Frankfurt Airport

What to Do in Case of Last-Minute Flight Cancellation: A Step by Step Guide

You’ve arrived at the airport only to discover that your flight has been cancelled.

Chances are that you are not going anywhere soon. The delay in your schedule will be at least a few hours long. Also it is quite possible that your new flight will depart only tomorrow. How to make your wait less miserable? The good news is — you are entitled to certain services for free. But first, what you should do when your flight is cancelled?

Here’s a step by step guide.

Contact the airline right away. You need to find out what are your options, and when is the next available flight. You can call or use Facebook Messenger to contact the airline. If you are traveling outside of your country, you might want to use social media to contact the airline. As you might already know that roaming fees are exorbitant. Alternatively, you could use Skype credit to call the airline. But be prepared to wait on hold for some time as it takes time to reach an airline representative. Alternatively, ask at the information counter what should you do in this situation.
If you already have gone through airport security, you will need to go back to the public access area of the airport. You will need to get a new ticket and check in for the new flight. You can only do that in the public access area of the airport.
Most probably, you will need to go to the airline’s office or ground services office to get a new flight ticket. Ask the staff at the information counter what to do. They will give you directions to the office you need.
Head to the the airline’s office or ground services office to get a new ticket, and possibly a new ticket to your final destination (if you have a connecting flight, and you will miss your connection). Alternatively, you can request a full refund.
If there’s a long wait (more than 4 hours) during the night, you are entitled to a free hotel stay and a free transfer to the hotel (and back to the airport).
Ask for a meal coupon if the wait is 2 or more hours (more on that below).
Arrive in time for your new flight.

Keep in mind that you can request the next available flight. It doesn’t matter if this flight is with the same airline or not. If you need to get to your destination ASAP, you have a right to request the fastest option. Alternatively, you can fly later, on a later flight with the same airline.

If you do not wish to travel anymore, you can request a full refund. According to ANAC 400, you are entitled to either a new flight (or another way of getting to your destination) or a full refund.

What if Your Flight Was Cancelled Days or Weeks Before the Departure?

Probably you have received an e-mail notifying you about the cancellation.

You will be given a choice between a:

A new flight to your destination;
A full refund of the ticket.

If you have a connecting flight, you will be given a new flight to your destination as well.

What if You Miss Your Connecting Flight Because of Flight Cancellation?

What to do if you miss your connecting flight because of cancelled flight?

If you have an airline-protected connecting flight, you don’t have to worry. It may be stressful and annoying, but there’s actually nothing to worry about. You will be given a new flight ticket, and, if the wait is long, free meal and free hotel stay.

A new flight to your final destination might be given to you with the replacement flight ticket at the previous airport. If it’s not the case, then follow our this step by step guide on what you should do if you miss your flight.

The situation is somewhat similar to that of the cancelled flight we’ve described above.

Call the airline or ask at the information counter what should you do in this situation. Most probably you will be directed to the public access area of the airport to your airline’s office.
Locate your airline’s office. If you can’t find it, go to any of your airline’s check-in counter. The staff will let you know what to do next. You might be directed to a ground services office if there’s no airline’s office.
Go to the airline’s office or ground services office to get a new flight ticket.
You can request the next available flight. It doesn’t matter if this flight is with the same airline or not. If you need to get to your destination ASAP, the airline has to book you on a flight which departs first.
If you have to spend the night at the airport, you are entitled to a free hotel stay and free transfer (as well as free meals and refreshments).
Find out what will happen to your baggage. Will you need to collect it and recheck it yourself? Or will the airline deal with your luggage?
Arrive in time for your new flight.

Keep in mind that you will be entitled to a replacement flight only if you have an airline-protected connecting flight (multiple flights under one booking reference). And only if you missed your connection through no fault of your own. For instance, your previous flight has been delayed or cancelled. But what if you have missed your connection because you fell asleep or waited at the wrong gate? You won’t be given a new flight. It was your fault you missed it.

What if You Have a Self Transfer?

If you have a self-transfer (separately booked flights with different booking references) you won’t be entitled to a new connecting flight for free. If you miss your self transfer, you will need to book a new flight yourself.

But you still will be entitled to a right to care and a replacement flight — replacement for the flight that was cancelled. If your flight was cancelled, and you are stuck at the airport waiting for the new flight, the airline has to provide you with certain services for free. But the airline is not responsible for your next flight (self-transfer) that you are going to miss. Don’t forget about that.

Read more: Missed Connection in Brazil

If your flight departs on the next day, the airline has to offer you a free hotel stay.

Right to Care

If your flight has been cancelled last-minute, and you are stranded at the airport, you are entitled to receive certain services from the airline.

If you experience flight delay, cancellation or denied boarding you have a right to receive care from the airline. The airline has to provide you with certain services in accordance with waiting time.

The services are as follows:

1-hour flight delay – assistance for communication. If you have to wait 1 hour extra, the airline must give you access to internet or phone calls. So, you can get in touch with your relatives or friends, or anyone else whom you might want to inform about this flight cancellation / travel changes.
2-hour flight delay – free food. After 2 hours, you have a right to some kind of food and refreshments from airline. This as well must be arranged for free. Mostly you’ll be receiving a voucher for a meal or some snack, and drink.
4-hour flight delay – free accommodation + free transfer. But only if it’s happening during the night. And only if it is abroad / away from your home. If it’s your place of residence, you’ll be offered only free transfer.
4-hour flight delay – a new flight. If the delay is going to be 4 hours or more, you have a right to an alternative flight to your destination. The same applies both to domestic and international flights to or from Brazil.

How to get these services? Contact the airline. Or find your airline’s office in the airport to ask for assistance and the services you are entitled to. If you can’t find the office, ask the gate agent or airline representative at the transfers desk. They might be able to help you.

What else?

There are a few other things the airline has to do in case of a cancelled flight:

Inform you about flight cancellation immediately.
Offer you a choice between a new flight and a full refund.
Offer you another way of getting to your destination, if possible (by bus, train or other) if you don’t wish to take the alternate flight.

You have a right to choose refund, if you don’t wish to travel anymore.

Right to Flight Cancellation Compensation

In some cases, you can get flight cancellation compensation.

If you don’t get any assistance and care from the airline, you could be entitled to compensation of up to €1500. There are no specific compensation amounts according to the distance and length of the flight. The compensation will depend on each passenger’s circumstances and several factors such as the distance of the flight, the reason why the flight was cancelled or delayed and the type of services (that weren’t offered).

You can get compensation if your flight was:

Within the last 5 years – for domestic flights;
2 years – for international flights.

You can’t get compensation if your flight was delayed or cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances.

Read more: Extraordinary Circumstances

EU Flight Cancellation Compensation

What if your flight to Brazil is cancelled?

You flying from Europe, and your Brazil flight is cancelled.

In this case, you are protected under the EU law. If the flight departs from the UK, you are protected under the UK laws.

In Europe, there are more situations when you can receive compensation from the airline. You are entitled to compensation even if you have received care from the airline.

When you are entitled to compensation in the EU/UK?

If you have arrived at your destination 3+ hours later;
If your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure;
If your flight has been overbooked, and you have been denied boarding.

However, conditions apply to qualify for compensation:

Flight disruption must be due to the airline’s fault (including technical problems).
The flight must depart from a European airport, or land in European airport.
If you are flying from a country outside Europe (EU/UK), your flight must be operated by a European (EU/UK) airline.

If your flight has been delayed or cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances (such as bad weather), you can’t get compensation. But you are still entitled to right to care.

How to Get Flight Cancellation Compensation

There are two options. Number one — you can do it on your own. You can contact the airline, and request a compensation for flight delay or cancellation.

Or you can work with a flight compensation company. At the moment, your best bet would be AirHelp. They are a market leader in both European and Brazilian flight compensation claims. With them, it’s super simple, quick, and — if it doesn’t work out — you don’t pay anything for their legal services. So, it’s also safe.

Have you ever been in a situation like this? Has your flight from, to or within Brazil ever been cancelled? Did the airline offer you assistance at the airport? Did you receive Brazilian flight cancellation compensation?