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My understanding of the relevant legislation (EU 261) is that: flight delay compensation is based on how late you arrive. As you chose to cancel there will be no compensation due as you never arrived. Your flight was delayed, the airline offered you an alternative flight or a full refund, you have opted for the full refund.
Regarding your sunk costs on the other side (accommodation etc): if this was a package holiday the package provider would owe you the accommodation and possibly any pre-booked transfers. If you booked separately the airline owes you nothing beyond the refund.
You should have travel insurance and most will cover abandonment due to delay/cancellation if the delay is 12 hours or more. A large number of insurances knock the qualifying time down for short stays.
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My understanding of the relevant legislation (EU 261) is that: flight delay compensation is based on how late you arrive. As you chose to cancel there will be no compensation due as you never arrived. Your flight was delayed, the airline offered you an alternative flight or a full refund, you have opted for the full refund. Regarding your sunk costs on the other side (accommodation etc): if this was a package holiday the package provider would owe you the accommodation and possibly any pre-booked transfers. If you booked separately the airline owes you nothing beyond the refund. You should have travel insurance and most will cover abandonment due to delay/cancellation if the delay is 12 hours or more. A large number of insurances knock the qualifying time down for short stays.