Q: I had a flight booked for November 2021 but a few days ago I was informed that my flight was cancelled because the airline is shutting down. The airline offered me a choice between a refund of the flight ticket or changing my flight to an alternative date but before the airline officially shuts down its operations in October.

I would like to know if the airline’s offers are according to my legal rights and whether I can claim some form of compensation for the inconvenience?

A: The Air Passenger Rights Regulations stipulate that when an airline cancels a flight, passengers are legally entitled to a choice between a full refund of the flight ticket and rerouting. In case of rerouting, passengers may be offered rerouting at an alternative date chosen by the passenger under comparable transport conditions and subject to availability. These legal remedies are, in fact, in line with what the airline has offered you.

With regard to financial compensation, you are not eligible for such compensation because the regulations stipulate that when an airline informs its passengers about a cancellation of a flight at least 14 days before the scheduled date of departure, the airline is not legally obliged to provide monetary compensation.