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Vueling cancelled flight refund: your rights and how to claim

Vueling Airlines, the Spanish low-cost carrier within the IAG group, is among the most reliable in its segment: its cancellation rate is 0.0%, well below the industry average of roughly 1.6%, and its on-time rate of 89% is one of the very best (average delay 19 minutes). In other words, a cancellation with Vueling is genuinely rare. But should it happen to your flight, the rights the law gives you are identical to those with any other airline.

Refund and compensation: don’t mix them up

These are two separate rights, and in the case of a cancellation you are often entitled to both:

  • Refund: the return of your ticket price, owed when Vueling cancels the flight and you choose not to travel or decline the alternative offered.
  • EU261 compensation: a fixed sum for the disruption, separate from the ticket price, owed when the cancellation is the airline’s fault and you were notified less than 14 days before departure:
    • 250 euros up to 1,500 km
    • 400 euros for 1,500 to 3,500 km
    • 600 euros over 3,500 km

Since Vueling operates almost exclusively European routes, in practice the compensation is 250 or 400 euros. It is not owed in cases of extraordinary circumstances (severe weather, ATC strike) outside the airline’s control.

How to get a refund from Vueling

  1. Go to the customer service / “Manage Booking” section of the Vueling site and open a claim.
  2. Quote your booking reference and state whether you are claiming a refund, EU261 compensation, or both.
  3. Attach your ticket, boarding pass and the cancellation email.
  4. If Vueling rejects or doesn’t respond, you can escalate to AESA (the Spanish aviation safety agency) or to the enforcement body of your departure country.

When EU261 applies

Vueling is an EU carrier based in Spain. EU261 therefore applies to every flight departing from an EU/EEA airport and to every Vueling-operated flight arriving into the EU/EEA from a third country. Given Vueling’s Europe-focused network, EU261 covers almost all of its flights.

FlightGuard lets you check the risk of delay or cancellation for your flight in advance. The data sources are listed at /en/sources/.

Flight cancelled or delayed?Up to €600 EU261 compensation.Check your claim →

Frequently asked questions

Almost never. Vueling has a cancellation rate of 0.0%, well below the industry average of about 1.6%, with an on-time rate of 89% among the best in its category. Cancellations are rare, but when they happen your rights are full.

A refund of the ticket if you don't fly, plus EU261 compensation (250 or 400 euros for typical Vueling routes) if the cancellation is the airline's fault and you were told less than 14 days in advance.

Most Vueling flights are European routes up to 3,500 km, so 250 euros up to 1,500 km and 400 euros for 1,500 to 3,500 km. Compensation is paid in addition to the refund.

Through the online claim form on the Vueling site, quoting your booking reference and attaching the cancellation notice. You can claim a refund, compensation, or both.

Check a Vueling Airlines flight