Last updated: September 15, 2025
Was your flight moved forward by the airline? You’ve had the perfect plan laid out, and suddenly, you get a notification that the airline has moved your flight 2 hours earlier. This can bring a lot of frustration and stress to your travels.
Luckily, under Regulation EC261/2004 and UK261, you are entitled to financial compensation if the airline moved forward your flight by more than 1 hour, as the flight is considered cancelled. Let’s break down your rights in case of an advanced flight.
Yes, airlines reserve the right to move the time of your flight to an earlier hour, even if it’s inconvenient to passengers.
However, if the airline moved your flight by more than 1 hour within 14 days of departure, you might be entitled to compensation. Under Regulation EC261 and its British equivalent, UK261, your flight will be considered cancelled.
This amendment to the law was brought forward by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which ruled that such rescheduling makes the flight non-operational.
The main goal of EU261 and UK261 is to protect the rights of passengers in cases of flight disruption. A flight being brought forward by more than 1 hour severely disrupts the travel plans of the passengers, just like a normal flight cancellation will.
Generally, when you’re planning your trip, you base your arrangements around the departure and arrival times of your flights. A flight leaving earlier might mean that you aren’t able to reach the airport on time, or you have to completely rearrange your transport, accommodation, or connections.
So the effect of moving a flight forward is the same as cancellation — the airline isn’t operating the flight as originally planned, and the passenger is deprived of the service they booked.
If the airline rescheduled your flight for more than 1 hour earlier than the original departure time, you might be entitled to compensation under EU261/UK261. As it’s considered a cancelled flight, your right to compensation depends on the same factors:
Similarly to traditional cancellations, if your flight was moved forward because of extraordinary circumstances like bad weather or airport strikes, you aren’t entitled to compensation.
As with cancellations, the airline has to provide you with a full refund and a suitable alternative flight. You can claim compensation depending on the delay of the alternative flight:
But if you were notified about the change more than 14 days before departure, you aren’t entitled to compensation. Generally, airlines will offer an alternative flight, rerouting, or refund, but it’s up to the carrier’s policies.
As the carrier isn’t lawfully obligated to do so, they might take their time finding something suitable or might refuse.
One tip we always give passengers in these situations is to look up alternative flights themselves. You can either look for flights by the same airline or another airline the original one is in an alliance with. If you go to the airline's help desk at the airport or call them with a list of suitable flights, they might be willing to speed up the process. This way, the representative will only need to find if the flight has available seats and if the airlines work together (in case of the flight being with another airline).
Yes, you have a right to a full or partial refund if your flight has been moved forward by more than 1 hour within 14 days of departure. Considering that an itinerary change on such short notice will negatively impact your travel plans, you can receive a full refund of the price of the ticket and opt out from flying altogether.
The airline is responsible for providing you with the refund, but you can also submit a claim through SkyRefund. Some airlines might dispute your rights in the case of advanced flights and claim that you aren’t entitled to compensation or a refund. This is where our legal team can help you exercise your rights and claim what’s rightfully yours.
Yes, as advanced flights are considered cancelled, you have to be provided with food, drinks, overnight accommodation, and transportation if the alternative flight is for another day. You have a right to care by the airline, regardless of whether the carrier caused the disruption.
Depending on the distance of your flight, your right to care kicks in from a certain time:
If the airline moved your flight by more than 1 hour within 14 days of departure, you’re entitled to financial compensation. You can claim between £220 and £520, depending on the distance of your flight. The table below breaks it down for you:
| -3 hours | 3–4 hours | 4+ hours | Distance | Example flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
£220 | £220 | Under 1,500 km | London → Paris (343 km) |
|
£350 | £350 | 1,500 – 3,500 km | Edinburg → Berlin (1,730 km) |
|
£350 | £350 | Over 3,500 km (in EU) | Lisbon → Stockholm (3,608 km) |
|
£260 | £520 | Over 3,500 km (departing EU) | Frankfurt → New York (6,202 km) |
It’s important to note that if the airline provided you with a suitable alternative flight, your compensation can be reduced by 50%.
Claiming compensation for your rescheduled flight is quite straightforward. Generally, you can claim directly from the airline by filling out their online form. The carrier will email you for your refund and to inform you of your right to care and how to proceed with choosing a new flight.
But claiming compensation for a flight that was moved forward might be a bit more complicated. In these cases, you can rely on a service like SkyRefund, which will represent your rights in front of the airline.
All you need to do is submit a claim for compensation and fill out your details. You’ll need to answer a few questions detailing what happened so that our claim agents can take care of your case.
For advanced flights, you select the option “cancellation” as the answer to “What happened to the selected flight?”. Afterward, you can explain the situation in the “Additional info” box, which shows up when we ask you for more details about your flight. We will take care of the rest.
If your flight was moved an hour ahead, causing you to miss a leg of your journey, you’re entitled to compensation of up to £520. It’s again considered a cancellation according to the CJEU’s joined cases. You have a right to:
For example, you were flying from Amsterdam to New York with a change in London. Initially, your layover was 1 hour at Heathrow, giving you plenty of time to change terminals and go through customs.
But your flight from London to New York gets moved 2 hours earlier than originally scheduled. This leaves you landing at Heathrow at a time you’re supposed to be flying to New York on your second flight.
In this case, you’re owed both an alternative flight and additional compensation for missing your flight.
As in other cases, you’re entitled to compensation if your flight was moved by more than 1 hour within 14 days of departure. The reason for the rescheduling has to be within the airline’s control, such as strikes of its staff.
Your flights also have to be part of the same booking. This often means that they need to be operated by the same carrier. You can easily check if this is the case by checking the booking confirmation email or the itinerary in the app of the airline. If they have the same reference number, you can claim compensation for the missed flight.
With over 8 years of experience and thousands of success stories, SkyRefund is one of the leading companies fighting for air passenger rights. We’ve helped travellers claim compensation for their delayed or cancelled flights, and cases of denied boarding.
Some of our success stories include helping a couple whose flight from London to Paris was cancelled within 1 week of departure. Our legal experts were able to obtain the full amount of compensation for the passengers who used it to travel to Rome for their second honeymoon.
Let us help you claim your compensation! And best of all, we work on a “No win, no fee” basis, so we only get paid if you succeed.
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