The airline cancels, then offers a seat two days out and treats the matter as closed. It is not. You can take a refund instead, you can be owed compensation even with advance notice, and the costs you absorb in the gap are recoverable.
A common myth is that early warning means the airline owes nothing. The APPR does not work on a fixed notice period. It works on outcomes: how the airline rebooks you, and how late you actually arrive.
If the cancellation is within the airline's control and the replacement flight gets you to your destination 3 or more hours late, cash compensation is owed. Being told days in advance does not erase that. The amount still follows the arrival-delay tiers.
When a flight is cancelled, the airline owes you a real path forward. You decide which one fits.
| Your option | What the airline must do |
|---|---|
| Rebooking | A confirmed seat on the next available flight, including on another carrier where needed, to your destination |
| Refund instead | A full refund to your original form of payment when the rebooking no longer serves your plans |
| Care while you wait | Food, drink, and a hotel if the wait runs overnight, for within-control cancellations |
The gap between the cancelled flight and the rebooked one is where money quietly leaks: an extra hotel night, meals, a missed prepaid night at the other end. Much of it is recoverable.
For within-control cancellations, the airline owes food and an overnight hotel. If they provide nothing, pay reasonable costs and claim them back with receipts.
The Montreal Convention lets you claim actual losses on international flights, such as a non-refundable hotel night you could not use, up to roughly $9,500 CAD. You have two years from your scheduled arrival to file.
Receipts, the cancellation notice, the reason given, and the booking confirmations for what you lost. Documentation is what turns a forced cost into a recovered one.
There is no fixed minimum under the APPR. What matters is the rebooking and, for within-control cancellations, compensation based on how late the replacement flight lands you. A within-control cancellation that delays your arrival 3 hours or more owes cash even with days of notice.
Yes. When the rebooking no longer serves your plans, you can take a full refund to your original form of payment instead, regardless of cause. You do not have to accept a voucher.
For within-control cancellations the airline must cover food and an overnight hotel. If they provide nothing, pay reasonable costs and claim them back with receipts. On international flights you can also claim provable losses under the Montreal Convention.
On one booking, the airline must rebook you to your final destination and compensation is based on your total delay there. On a separate booking, the APPR does not protect the connection and the other airline has no free-rebooking duty.
Come in for a free conversation. We can help you separate what the airline owes from what you can recover, and build the claim.