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Flight Cancelled from Portugal: Compensation and Refund
Cancelled with under 14 days' notice? Claim €250–€600 plus a refund or new flight. Check your case and get the letter.
1. Your flight
2. What happened?
Result
Add your route to see your amount
Choose where you flew from and to (or type the distance).
3. Your rights
- ✔Right to care while you wait: meals and drinks, and a hotel plus transport if you're delayed overnight. Keep receipts; reasonable costs can be claimed back.
- ✔Delay of 5 hours or more, or a cancellation: you can choose a full refund instead of flying.
- ✔Compensation is per passenger, including children with a seat.
- ✔Claims companies take 25–35% plus VAT. Claiming yourself is free.
- ✔You can ask for cash: you don't have to accept vouchers.
✉️ 4. Your claim letter
🧭 What to do next
- Send the letter to the airline's customer service or claims form, with your booking reference and boarding passes.
- Wait for the reply (allow up to 2 months). Don't accept vouchers if you want cash.
- If they refuse or don't reply: complain to ANAC (Portugal's civil aviation authority) or the electronic complaints book (Livro de Reclamações). You can also use a consumer arbitration centre (CNIACC handles air transport).
- Still not paid? Go to a justice of the peace court (julgado de paz) or court, or use the European Small Claims Procedure.
General information, not legal advice. 🔒 Everything stays on your device.
✅ Rules last checked:
📚 Official sources: Regulamento (CE) n.º 261/2004 (EUR-Lex) · ANAC
We build every tool from the official rules and re-check them when they change. Always confirm with the official source before you rely on a result.
🛠️ Spotted a mistake or an out-of-date rule? Tell us
Answer: under Regulation (EC) 261/2004, a flight leaving Portugal (or arriving on a European airline) that lands 3 hours or more late pays €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 within the EU over 1,500 km or up to 3,500 km, and €600 over 3,500 km. On long flights 3–4 hours late, the airline can pay half. Nothing is due in extraordinary circumstances (weather, air traffic control).
| Route (example) | Distance | 3 h late | 4 h or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisbon → Porto | 278 km | 250 € | 250 € |
| Lisbon → Madeira (Funchal) | 965 km | 250 € | 250 € |
| Lisbon → Ponta Delgada (São Miguel) | 1449 km | 250 € | 250 € |
| Lisbon → Paris Charles de Gaulle | 1470 km | 250 € | 250 € |
| Porto → Frankfurt | 1652 km | 400 € | 400 € |
| Lisbon → São Paulo | 7934 km | 300 € | 600 € |
| Lisbon → Luanda | 5780 km | 300 € | 600 € |
Per passenger, when the cause is the airline's (fault, crew, overbooking).
Questions people ask
How long do I have to claim?+
Claim as soon as you can. The court time limit depends on the country where you sue; Portuguese courts have allowed several years, but send the airline your claim soon after the flight.
Does a technical fault count?+
Yes. The EU Court of Justice says technical faults are part of an airline's normal activity, not extraordinary circumstances.