Reimbursement and Compensation: Cathay Pacific

While Cathay Pacific isn't a European airline, whenever they fly in Europe they comply with European regulations. That is good news for any passenger affected by a flight cancellation, as a last-minute cancellation of a UK or European departure may entitle them to a fair Cathay Pacific compensation payout.

With any Cathay Pacific flight cancellation, you'll be offered an alternative flight to your destination, or a full refund if that's what you'd prefer. But in addition, if your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before you were due to depart EU and UK laws say passengers may be entitled to up to £520 per person in compensation.

If Cathay Pacific was able to offer you an alternative flight that would land at a very similar time to your original, they won't have to pay you compensation. They would also be exempt from paying compensation if there were extraordinary circumstances which made the cancellation necessary. That means anything that is beyond the airline's control, for example, bad weather, a medical emergency, or some form of disruptive event affecting the airport.

Because there are these exceptions, the easiest way to check if you're owed Cathay Pacific cancelled flight compensation is to use our free compensation calculator.

If you've been on a late flight departing from a UK or European airport, it's worth checking if you're owed Cathay Pacific flight delay compensation. That's because under UK law, flights that are delayed by 3 hours or more might be eligible for up to £520 per person in compensation from their airline.

It doesn't matter where you were flying to — what does matter is your arrival time. For compensation, it is the time that you arrived in your destination that's significant, not the time that you took off. So even if you technically departed on time, if you arrived at your destination more than 3 hours late, you may be eligible for compensation.

One important exclusion is for those Cathay Pacific flight delays that are caused by extraordinary circumstances. This refers to situations that are outside of the airline's control. Common examples are delays caused by bad weather or an air traffic control strike. Because the airline cannot prevent these delays, they shouldn't have to pay compensation for them.

But if the delay is due to something they can control — such as a strike by Cathay Pacific staff, or a maintenance issue, then you're entitled to submit a flight delay compensation Cathay Pacific claim.

The UK's air passenger rights, UK 261, which is similar to European regulation EC 261, are among the most comprehensive in the world. They are designed to ensure airlines like Cathay Pacific take appropriate care of their passengers and compensate passengers fairly when their journeys are disrupted by flight delays, cancellations, or overbookings.

All passengers on a flight departing from a UK airport are covered by UK 261, while those departing from a European airport are covered by EC 261. However, as Cathay Pacific is not a European airline, they do not need to pay compensation when they are flying outside of Europe, or even on flights to Europe if the departure airport is outside the EU.

Which Cathay Pacific Flights are Covered by UK passenger rights?

All paying passengers are treated equally by UK air passenger laws. It doesn't matter where a passenger is from, whether they are an adult or a child, or how much they paid for their ticket — the compensation amounts are the same.

As you might expect with any law, there are exceptions and special circumstances that can affect how much compensation is owed in every individual case. AirHelp makes it simple to check what you’re owed with our free compensation calculator.