Does Cathay Pacific have to pay EU261 for a cancelled flight?

Only for flights departing an EU/EEA airport. A Rome-Hong Kong falls under EU261; a Hong Kong-Rome does not, because Cathay Pacific is a non-EU carrier departing from outside the Union. There the airline's own policy applies.

How much is compensation for a Cathay flight from Europe?

Cathay's routes from the EU to Hong Kong are very long and well over 3,500 km, so the applicable tier is 600 EUR per person, when EU261 applies, the airline is at fault, the cancellation is notified less than 14 days ahead and there are no extraordinary circumstances.

Do refund and compensation stack?

Yes, they are two separate rights. The refund returns your ticket price, compensation is a fixed amount for the disruption. On a flight departing the EU you can claim both.

Can I refuse the voucher and ask for cash?

Yes. If you request a ticket refund you are entitled to money on your original payment method. The voucher is optional and you can refuse it.

Cathay Pacific cancelled flight refund: your rights and how to claim

If Cathay Pacific cancels your flight, it pays to separate two things right away: the refund of your ticket and the compensation set by EU261. Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong’s airline and serves Europe through a limited number of direct gateways, which makes it all the more important to know when your flights do, or do not, fall under EU rules.

Refund vs EU261 compensation: what differs

The refund is the return of the full ticket price when the flight is cancelled and you do not accept an alternative.
EU261 compensation is a fixed amount for the disruption: 250 EUR, 400 EUR or 600 EUR by distance, regardless of the fare paid.

They are separate and stackable rights: on the same cancelled flight you can have both.

When EU261 applies to Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is not a European airline, so EU261 applies only to flights departing an EU/EEA airport. Because Cathay has few direct European gateways, most travellers depart from one of these main hubs, and it is precisely those departures that are covered.

Rome-Hong Kong, Milan-Hong Kong, Paris-Hong Kong, Frankfurt-Hong Kong, Amsterdam-Hong Kong, Madrid-Hong Kong: departing the EU, so covered by EU261.
Hong Kong-Rome, Hong Kong-Milan: departing outside the EU, so not covered. Here Cathay’s policy and local rules apply.

Cathay’s flights from Europe to Hong Kong are among the longest of all and clearly exceed 3,500 km, so when EU261 applies the reference tier is almost always the 600 EUR band. Compensation is due only if the cancellation was notified less than 14 days in advance, is the airline’s fault and is not caused by extraordinary circumstances.

How to get a refund from Cathay Pacific

Go to “Manage your booking” on the Cathay Pacific website, or contact customer service.
State that you decline the alternative flight and request a full ticket refund.
Insist on a cash refund to your original payment method, not a voucher.
For compensation, open a separate claim with the flight number, date, route and amount.
If the flight departed the EU and Cathay does not respond, escalate to the national enforcement body of the departure country (in Italy, ENAC).

Keep the cancellation email, boarding pass and receipts for any expenses incurred.

What FlightGuard does

With FlightGuard you can assess the risk of your Cathay Pacific flight ahead of time based on weather, carrier punctuality, ATC delays and other factors. The data sources are listed at /en/sources/.

In short

For a cancelled Cathay Pacific flight departing the EU you can stack the ticket refund and EU261 compensation, typically 600 EUR on the long routes to Hong Kong. For flights from Hong Kong, EU261 does not apply and the airline’s own policy governs.