*Please note that this is a press release for the Danish press and the content is accordingly

Flight cancelled or delayed? In these three situations, you are NOT eligible for compensation

Although passengers are often entitled to compensation in the event of a flight cancellation, be aware that there are exceptions in the EU regulation where you as a passenger cannot claim compensation from the airline if your flight is cancelled or delayed. 

For many Danes, the summer holidays have just begun, which may mean a flight is imminent. It's good to know your rights as an air traveller. Because you're not always entitled to financial compensation in the event of delays or cancellations.  

"It's important to be aware that there may actually be situations where airlines are not obliged to compensate passengers if they cancel a flight," says Benedikte Bolvig Lund, lawyer and legal director at Refundmore. 

Here are 3 situations where you as an air passenger cannot claim compensation from the airline. These exceptions are based on EU Regulation 261/2004: 

1: If the flight is cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances 

If your flight is cancelled or delayed due to extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control, you cannot claim compensation. Examples of extraordinary circumstances include bad weather, birdstrike (when the aircraft hits a bird), external strikes (e.g. air traffic control), political unrest, security risks or unforeseeable technical problems.  

"What passengers should be aware of when it comes to extraordinary circumstances is that the airline still has a duty to try to minimise the delay as much as possible, even if the original cause of the delay was beyond their control. If they fail to comply with the duty to minimise, the passenger is still entitled to compensation," says Benedikte Bolvig Lund.  

2: If the flight is cancelled more than 14 days before departure 

If the airline informs you of the cancellation at least two weeks before the scheduled departure date, you are not entitled to compensation for the cancelled flight.  

For all cancellations and all delays over 5 hours, regardless of the reason for the cancellation or when it occurred, passengers must be offered the choice of a refund or a new ticket at the earliest opportunity 

3: If the airline offers alternative transport 

If the airline offers an alternative flight that gets you to your destination at the same time as the original flight, it may also exclude the right to compensation. Depending on the length of the journey and how much the airline manages to minimise the delay, compensation can either be halved or cancelled altogether. 

If you are unsure if you are entitled to compensation for your cancelled flight, you can check your options in 5 minutes at Refundmore.com.