Bulgaria is becoming one of the hottest tourist destinations in Europe. Plovdiv became one of only two European Capitals of Culture, alongside Matera in Italy, with its modern, vibrant city vibes offering an exemplary experience to all its residents and visitors. Of course, there’s also the sunny coast of Varna, which tourists are finally discovering as the hidden gem of European summer travel. However, as interest has scaled-up, there has been an inevitable increase in flight cancellations. So, what are your travel refund rights?

Even now, flight cancellations can happen

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With all of the technology incorporated, from ordering tickets to the flight itself, you would have thought that getting fight cancellations refunded would be an easy process. However, as this often isn’t the case, Flightright has established a platform to help you get to know your rights and get a refund. There are sometimes goodwill gestures put in place by airline companies when your travel is canceled. If you know what you’re entitled to, you can often claim more when flight cancellations occur.

The legal tech firm can help from flight cancellations to enforcing the EU flight delay compensation rule, but it’s useful to know what constitutes a cancellation. So, here are the two key questions and answers to help you establish if you’re entitled to a refund for your canceled travel.

Flight cancellations: what are my rights?

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Flight cancellations enable you to be entitled to compensation. Provided that the airline has informed you of the delay less than 14 days before the scheduled departure, you can claim a full ticket refund or a replacement flight, with compensation being dependent on the flight’s distance. For example, short-distance flight cancellations entitle you to €250, with long-haul travel refunds going up to €600 per passenger. During long waiting periods, you’re also entitled to free refreshments or refunds of purchased refreshments, within reason.

Flight cancellations happen fairly infrequently but occur enough that you should know your rights should your travel be canceled. In the UK alone, flight cancellations went up 86 percent between 2017 and 2018, with only Germany seeing more disruptions to airline travel. Had all of those passengers been flying to Bulgaria, they would have each been due medium distance flight cancellation compensation. For a medium distance flight – which includes flights from the UK, France, or Spain to Bulgaria – you could be entitled up to €400.

Flight cancellations due to weather: what do I do?

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There are instances of so-called “extraordinary circumstances” in which flight cancellations are permitted. This is due to the event causing the disruption, such as bad weather conditions, being beyond the airline’s control. In these circumstances, the company’s aren’t legally obligated to refund your travel or pay any compensation. Still, they do have to prove that they took all reasonable measures to minimize flight schedule disruption.

As such, and because “extraordinary circumstances” can’t be argued as an excuse for not giving you a refund, there may be an avenue for you to get a refund for flight cancellations due to bad weather. In fact, the legal tech of Flightright reports has found that companies don’t often meet this bar to avoid paying compensation.

If flight cancellations have hindered your trip to Bulgaria, be sure to check if you qualify for a refund for your missed or delayed travel – even if the cause is bad weather.