Coronavirus: Can You Get a Compensation for a Canceled Flight?

According to official data, 4.46M lives have been lost to the notorious Coronavirus, with more than 214M confirmed cases worldwide.

As the virus spread to all countries, some airlines have taken extraordinary measures of precaution and canceled a large portion of their flights.

Can you get a compensation if your flight was cancelled because of the Coronavirus?

Generally speaking, while you cannot get compensation for a flight canceled because of COVID-19, you can get a refund, usually as a voucher, sometimes in cash.

The Coronavirus falls under what air regulations refer to as "extraordinary circumstances". The cancellations are the result of security measures that have become necessary, considering the deadly impact of the flu-like virus.

Since airline cannot be held responsible, they are not obligated to pay compensation to their passengers for the cancellation of their flights. Some of them, however, do offer compensation in the form of vouchers or airline miles.

What to do if you have booked a flight during COVID-19?

As safety measures regarding health have tightened, and the vaccination rate keeps growing, it is fairly safe to travel by plane. There is no "risk zero", but all passengers must either provide a proof that they have been vaccinated or done a recent PCR test.

If the airline cancels the flight or changes its schedule, you want to get in touch with them ASAP to get a compensation of some form.

Flight Cancellations and Right to Compensation

As mentioned, the Coronavirus is regarded as an extraordinary circumstance, meaning that passengers whose flight is canceled as a result of it are not entitled to compensation.

That being said, if your flight was canceled for another reason, you may be entitled to up to 600€ in compensation for your canceled flight.

Travel safe!