Cancelled flight or denied boarding in Canada
Two situations, two scales: a cancellation pays like a delay, being bumped from a full flight pays far more and within 48 hours.
Your compensation · YUL · Montréal → YYC · Calgary
$700
per passenger, no deduction · owed
- APPR (Canada)$700 · owed
Large Canadian carrier, cause within its control.
- Great-circle distance
- 3,005 km
- Distance band
- 1,500 to 3,500 km
- Claim to the airline (APPR, one year)
- 22 October 2027
Write the claim letter to the airline
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · law as of October 22, 2026 · 4,008 airports (OurAirports)
Under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, a cancellation within the airline’s control that you learn about 14 days or less before departure gives the same compensation as a delay, measured by how late you reach your destination on the replacement flight: $400, $700 or $1,000 from a large carrier, $125, $250 or $500 from a small one, or a flat $400 or $125 if you choose a refund instead. Denied boarding follows a separate, higher scale that does not depend on carrier size: $900 if you arrive less than six hours late, $1,800 from six to nine hours, $2,400 beyond, to be paid no later than 48 hours after you were refused. Before refusing anyone, the airline must ask for volunteers. In every category, including weather and strikes, the airline still has to rebook you, first on its own or a partner’s flights, then on any carrier, or refund the unused ticket if the new plan does not meet your needs.
Cancellation: what the notice changes
The 14-day line is the first thing to check. Told more than 14 days before departure, you get rebooking or a refund but no compensation. Told 14 days or less before, and the cause is within the airline’s control and not required for safety, the compensation depends on your arrival at the destination on your ticket. The calculator above is set to a Montréal to Calgary flight cancelled two days ahead, reaching Calgary seven hours late on the replacement: $700 from a large carrier.
Cancellation: amount by delay on the replacement flight
Minimum compensation
$400
| Refunded instead | $400 |
| Denied boarding, same delay | $900 |
Cause within the carrier’s control and not required for safety.
Rebooking deadlines
For a cancellation within the airline’s control, a large carrier must first offer the next available flight on its own network or a partner’s, on a reasonable route, leaving within nine hours of the original departure time. If it cannot, it must book you on any carrier, including from a nearby airport. For a cancellation outside its control, the first window is 48 hours. A small carrier has lighter obligations: its own or partner flights first.
Denied boarding: a separate scale
| Arrival delay at destination | Compensation | Payment deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 h | $900 | 48 h |
| 6 h to under 9 h | $1,800 | 48 h |
| 9 h or more | $2,400 | 48 h |
The airline has to look for volunteers first and agree in writing on what they receive. Passengers who are refused against their will must get the reason in writing, the scale above and, depending on the category, rebooking and care. If you volunteered and accepted a voucher, you cannot later claim the involuntary amounts.
Flights leaving Europe
On a cancelled flight from the European Union to Canada, the EU regulation may give more: €600 for Paris to Toronto, 6,020 km, with no compensation if you were told at least 14 days ahead. You can rely on one regime or the other, but not be paid twice for the same event (section 86.11(3)).