Wizz Air cancels a flight last minute. What are your rights?
Flight cancellation is a very frustrating experience, especially if it’s a last-minute flight cancellation. It can destroy your travel plans, and cost you a lot of money. It’s especially stressful if you have more than one flight, and you have booked everything in advance. The good thing? In some situations, and when flying with Wizz Air, you are protected under EU law.
There are specific guidelines that Wizz Air has to follow.
First of all, Wizz Air has to take care of you.
1. Wizz Air Last-Minute Flight Cancellation: What Are Your Rights?
When Wizz Air cancels a flight, it has to take care of you.
- If you have to wait a long time at the airport, you have a right to receive care from Wizz Air. If the wait is more than 3 hours, you will get a coupon for a free meal. If you have to wait overnight — a free hotel stay and free airport transfer from Wizz Air.
- If you don’t wish to travel anymore, you have a right to not fly. In this case, you have a right to receive a refund for cancellation. It can be in the form of a money transfer or a refundable Wizz Air voucher exchangeable for cash.
- If it’s a last-minute flight cancellation, you may have a right to compensation. If the flight is cancelled not more than 2 weeks before the departure date, and it’s due to the fault of the airline, you are entitled to Wizz Air cancellation compensation.
This applies to all Wizz Air flights to and from Europe.
With Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, this applies to flights from Europe.
How to get Wizz Air cancelled flight compensation?
You have to submit a claim.
By Europe and EU here on this page we mean all EU Member States, the United Kingdom (UK), Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
2. What to Do if Your Flight Is Cancelled Last-Minute?
It depends on where you are right now — already at the airport or still at home/hotel. These are two of the most likely scenarios, and we go into more details below.
2.1 If You Are Still at Home or Hotel
Your Wizz Air flight is cancelled? Don’t go to the airport just yet.
Call the airport information service or contact Wizz Air customer support service to find out what should you do next. Don’t worry, you will get to your destination. It may take some time, but you will be taken to your destination. According to the EU Regulation 261/2004, Wizz Air must take you to your destination no matter the reason for cancellation, even if it’s extraordinary circumstances.
You have to find out – when are you flying? Today, tomorrow or later?
You have a right to a free alternative flight to your destination or a refund to a bank account (if you don’t wish to travel anymore).
While you wait, you have a right to some free services from Wizz Air.
2.2 If You Are Already at the Airport
Most people learn of the cancellation already at the airport.
What should you do if your flight is cancelled last minute? First of all, don’t go through the airport security just yet. Why? Your flight is cancelled, and there will be a new flight. This means that you will have to get a new boarding pass and check in your bag, and it only can be done before airport security checkpoint.
What if you have already gone through security?
Try to go back to the landside zone of the airport.
Next, try to get in touch with Wizz Air staff.
You have to find out what to do next.
3. Wizz Air Flight Cancellation Compensation
When it comes to flight compensation in the EU, the rules are very specific. If a flight is cancelled less than 2 weeks before the departure date, it’s considered a last-minute cancellation.
And you may have a right to flight cancellation compensation.
Your flight is cancelled 7 – 14 days before the scheduled time of departure:
- You choose a new flight offered by Wizz Air, which departs not more than 2 hours before the original departure time and you reach your destination less than 4 hours after the original arrival time. In this situation, you are not entitled to compensation.
- In other situations, you are entitled to compensation.
Your flight is cancelled less than 7 days before the scheduled time of departure:
- You choose a new flight offered by Wizz Air, which departs not more than 1 hour before the original departure time and you reach your destination less than 2 hours after the original arrival time. In this situation, you are not entitled to compensation.
- In other situations, you are entitled to compensation.
Conditions for claiming last-minute flight cancellation compensation:
- Cancellation must be due to the fault of the airline;
- Your flight must be to/from Europe;
- It must be a last-minute flight cancellation (less than 2 weeks before departure).
Read more:
4. How to Claim Wizz Air Flight Compensation/Wizz Air Refund?
It’s important to separate the two — refunds and compensation.
If you want a refund instead of a new flight, you can request it via your WIZZ account. To get compensation, you must make a compensation claim. There are two ways you can get compensation from Wizz Air.
You can make a claim yourself. Contact Wizz Air customer service, and submit your claim. Keep in mind that you don’t have to accept any travel vouchers. According to EU Regulation 261/2004, your EU flight cancellation compensation has to be transferred to your bank account. Compensation amounts are €250, €400, and €600. The amount depends on the distance travelled.
The longer is your flight, the more you can claim.
You can also take the easiest path — legal representation.
When you choose this option, everything is done by a flight compensation company. You just need to provide them with your passport copy and a boarding pass and sign one form. They file a claim and do all the negotiations on your behalf.
Our partners offer such an online service.
When choosing this option, here is all you will have to do:
And that’s it — the rest is handled by professionals.
* Your boarding pass and passport or ID copy.
5. You Want to Cancel a Wizz Air Flight? It May Be Costly
If you need to cancel a Wizz Air flight, here’s what you should know:
- According to the Wizz Air cancellation policy, you are allowed to cancel your flight. You can cancel your flight on wizzair.com.
- Can you get your money back? It depends on your ticket type and when you cancel the flight. Most tickets have a cancellation fee. This fee is usually lower if you cancel early. If it’s going to be a last-minute flight cancellation, you may not get back anything.
- You can’t get a flight cancellation compensation. Because it’s not Wizz Air’s fault that you are cancelling the flight ticket. You can get flight cancellation compensation only if the airline cancels the flight.
- You can’t get a full refund from Wizz Air. Again, because it’s not the airline’s fault.
Do you still have questions about Wizz Air compensation policies? Ask in the comments.