Air France Cancellation and Refund Policy (2026)

How we checked: on 31 October 2026 we read Regulation 261/2004 and its 2026 reform, the CJEU judgments C-28/20 (strikes) and C-139/11 (time limits), a 2019 Cour de cassation ruling, Air France's own legal, fee, insurance and US pages, and the French government, DGAC and mediator pages.

What each Air France fare gives back when you cancel

Air France publishes no cancellation table for its fares; the rules below come from the examples on its insurance page and its General Conditions of Carriage.

Sources: Air France, "Get insurance for your trip" (examples 1–3); General Conditions of Carriage, Arts 14.1 and 14.2, version of 28 December 2024. Read 31 October 2026.

A refundable ticket is refunded "on the basis of the total price of the Ticket paid, including taxes" (Art. 14.2). Air France publishes no change-fee amounts on the pages we read, so the fee for changing a Standard ticket is the one My Bookings shows before you confirm.

Terms for Premium, Business, La Première and the Basic fare (named on the booking-fee page) were not on any Air France page we could read, and conditions can differ by route and country of sale. The conditions shown at booking and in My Bookings bind Air France.

Force majeure gets you a one-year credit note for the fare, and "the tax amount may be refunded to the Passenger separately" (Art. 3.3).

Skip a flight and then use the next one on the same ticket, and Air France can charge a flat fee at check-in (Art. 3.4; amounts in the fees table below), a fee the EU reform bans on the return journey from 23 October 2027 (see below).

Fees that affect an Air France refund

Sources: Air France, "Booking fees – Service fees" (fees vary by country of sale and channel) and "Special conditions"; General Conditions of Carriage, Arts 3.4 and 14.1; service-public.fr (Consumer Code Art. L224-66). Read 31 October 2026.

Travel agencies set their own fees, and refunds of agency tickets go through the issuing agency (Art. 14.3).

Booked on airfrance.us? The 24-hour refund

For flights to or from the United States booked on airfrance.us, Air France's US Customer Commitment (effective 22 January 2025) lets you "request a refund no later than 24 hours after completing your booking", together with any paid option bought at the same time.

Refunds due under US rules (14 CFR Part 260) go back to the original payment within seven business days for credit cards and 20 calendar days for debit cards, cash or checks, the same page says. Our guide to US flight refund rules explains when US law requires a refund.

Flying Blue reward tickets

Flying Blue reward tickets on Air France and KLM flights booked from 8 September 2026 come as Light, Standard or Flex, according to LoyaltyLobby (24 August 2026), which reprints Flying Blue's member email, and other travel-press reports; earlier bookings keep their terms. Flying Blue says you can change or cancel a reward ticket "until the latest check-in time limit", that "depending on the conditions of your ticket, a change or cancellation fee may apply", and that nothing can be changed after departure; it publishes no fee amounts there, so check Flying Blue's change or cancel page before you cancel.

When Air France cancels: what you are owed, case by case

Whatever your fare, an Air France cancellation under EU261 gives you the choice of a refund or a new flight. Compensation on top depends on when you were told and why.

Sources: Regulation 261/2004, Arts 5, 7, 8, 9 and recitals 14–15; CJEU C-28/20 (23 March 2021); TFEU Art. 355; Air France General Conditions of Carriage. Read 31 October 2026.

The bands are €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and €600 for all others (Art. 7(1)), measured "by the great circle route method" (Art. 7(4)). Air France may halve them if the new flight lands no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late, band by band (Art. 7(2)).

Air France must prove "whether and when" it told you (Art. 5(4)): keep the message. Our EU261 compensation guide covers every case in depth.

Care means meals in proportion to the wait, a hotel and transport to it if you are rerouted to the next day or later, and two free phone messages or emails (Art. 9). Still at the airport? Our step-by-step guide for a canceled flight covers what to do first.

Worked example: Paris to New York, canceled three days out

An illustration with real distances, not a real case: your Air France flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle to New York JFK (5,833 km by great circle, so the €600 band) is canceled three days out, and the new flight leaves 2 hours later and lands 3 hours 30 minutes after your original arrival time.

1. Is compensation due? Yes. With less than 7 days' notice, Air France escapes compensation only if the new flight lands less than 2 hours late (Art. 5(1)(c)(iii)).
2. How much? €600, which Air France may halve to €300, because on flights over 3,500 km the new arrival is within 4 hours of the original (Art. 7(2)(c)).
3. Cash or voucher? €300 in cash, or a non-refundable voucher of €400 if you accept Air France's voucher offer (its passenger-rights page applies the same 50% cut to the voucher).
4. If the new flight landed 4 hours 10 minutes late: the full €600 in cash, or an €800 voucher.

Cash or voucher: Air France's two compensation offers

Air France's passenger-rights page lets you choose: cash, or a voucher worth more on paper that is a "non-refundable transportation credit voucher".

Source: Air France, "Passengers rights" (updated September 2024), read 31 October 2026. Both columns can be halved under Art. 7(2).

Article 7(3) of Regulation 261/2004 says compensation is paid "in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques or, with the signed agreement of the passenger, in travel vouchers and/or other services". Air France's own conditions say it pays compensation "by wire transfer directly to the Passenger's or his legal guardian bank account" (GCC Art. 12.6).

Take the voucher only if you are sure you will fly Air France again.

Where Air France's wording and the law differ

Some Air France pages, and two AI answers, differ from the rules that decide your case (compared 31 October 2026).

Sources: Regulation 261/2004, Art. 3(1)(b); Air France "Passengers rights", General Conditions of Carriage, "Booking fees – Service fees", "Special conditions", insurance page and refunds hub ("Refunds, vouchers, and compensation"); Google searches for "air france cancellation policy" and "air france refund" (US), all 31 October 2026.

Air France flights from the UK

Air France flights from a UK airport fall under UK261, the UK's retained version of the regulation: £220 (up to 1,500 km), £350 (1,500–3,500 km) or £520 (longer flights). Because Air France is an EU airline, a London–Paris flight is also covered by EU261 unless you already received benefits or compensation and assistance under UK261 (EU261 Art. 3(1)(b)). A canceled Paris–London flight falls under EU261. UK261 also covers flights into the UK on an EU airline, but not if you "received benefits or compensation and were given assistance" in the country of departure (UK261 Art. 3(1)(b)), so you cannot be paid twice. Our UK261 guide explains UK claims.

What changes from 23 October 2027

Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 was published in the Official Journal on 2 October 2026 and entered into force on 22 October 2026; its Article 3 says: "It shall apply from 23 October 2027." The €250, €400 and €600 amounts stay. For Air France passengers these changes matter most:

• Notice rule. The 7-to-14-day band goes. With less than 14 days' notice, Air France avoids compensation only with a new flight that leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands less than 2 hours later (new Art. 5(5)).
• Halving. Only the €600 band can be halved, when you arrive no more than 4 hours late (new Art. 7(2)).
• Skipped outbound flight. Passengers "shall not be denied boarding and shall not be charged any fee on the inbound journey" because they did not take the outbound journey on the same contract (new Art. 4(5)). That rules out Air France's out-of-order fee (GCC Art. 3.4) on the return journey; in our reading it does not stop a fee for skipping the first flight of a connection and flying the onward one.
• Vouchers. Only with your "explicit consent on a durable medium", for at most 12 months (extendable once by agreement), with unused value refunded automatically within seven days (new Art. 8a). In our reading, Air France's current "non-refundable" voucher would not qualify.
• Strikes. An airline strike is extraordinary only if it originates "from demands that only public authorities can satisfy" (Annex, point 3(h)); air navigation and airport strikes are on the list (point 3(g)).

New claim deadlines, automatic refunds and self-booked rerouting apply to every airline; our EU261 guide tracks them article by article.

Sources: Regulation 261/2004, Arts 5 and 7; Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, Art. 1 (new Arts 4, 5, 7, 8a, Annex) and Art. 3. Distances are great-circle, calculated by us. Read 31 October 2026.

The text we read has no separate rule for tickets bought before October 2027 for later flights.

How to claim a refund or compensation from Air France

Claim directly with Air France first. It is free, and Air France handles a claims company's request only after your own claim has had 28 days for a reply (GCC Art. 12.3).

How long you have: EU261 sets no deadline; national limitation rules decide (CJEU C-139/11). In an Air France case, France's Cour de cassation applied the five-year period of Civil Code Art. 2224, not the Montreal Convention's two years, to a claim based on the regulation (Art. 14, the written notice of rights; 10 October 2019, no. 18-20.491). Other countries differ, so claim soon. Once the reform applies, requests must be submitted within nine months of the actual departure date on your ticket (new Art. 7(9)).

1. Refund of an unused ticket or taxes: open My Bookings or Air France's refund request page. A US booking: My Bookings on airfrance.us.
2. Compensation after a cancellation: use Air France's claim form; compensation "cannot be paid at the airport". Claim from the airline that operated, or was due to operate, the flight. Already filed? Follow it on the track-a-claim page instead of filing again.
3. Say cash. State in the claim that you want payment by bank transfer, not a voucher (Art. 7(3)).
4. Keep the evidence: the dated cancellation message, boarding passes, the new itinerary and receipts.
5. No answer within 60 days, or a refusal? Air France's claims page promises no response time, so these 60 days are the benchmark. Go to the Médiation Tourisme et Voyage, which that page names. It is free; you must have complained in writing first, apply within 12 months of that complaint and not have gone to court.
6. Flights from France: you can also report the case to the DGAC, the French enforcement body, after two months without an answer; it can fine airlines but does not decide individual claims, which go to the courts (DGAC page).

Official channels

Use only Air France's own website or app. Besides the pages in the steps: the refunds hub, the Passengers rights page with the cash and voucher amounts, and the General Conditions of Carriage, the legal terms of your ticket.

Search results for Air France refunds include third-party "helplines"; our guide to fake airline customer service numbers shows how to spot them.

Common questions about Air France cancellations

Can I cancel an Air France Light ticket?

You can cancel it, but you get no fare back: Air France describes Light as "non-refundable and non-modifiable". You can still request the unused airport taxes.

Can I cancel an Air France ticket within 24 hours?

With a guaranteed refund, only if you booked a US flight on airfrance.us and ask within 24 hours. For other bookings we found no 24-hour rule, so the fare rules above decide what comes back.

Does Air France refund taxes on a non-refundable ticket?

Unused airport taxes, yes, on request, for flights you did not take once the ticket is no longer valid; carrier-imposed surcharges and booking, service and payment fees stay with Air France. When Air France cancels, the refund covers the full ticket price.

How long does an Air France refund take?

For taxes and fees on an unused ticket, Air France's Special conditions for France say you are refunded "within 30 days after we have received your request", the same limit French consumer law sets. When Air France cancels a flight covered by EU261, the refund is due within seven days (Art. 8(1)(a)). For airfrance.us bookings, see the US deadlines above.

My Air France ticket is on a Delta or KLM flight. Who owes me?

The airline that operated the flight owes the EU261 rights (Art. 3(5)); Air France's claims page takes Air France, KLM and Delta flights through the same form. Coverage follows the operator: a Delta-operated flight from the US to Paris is outside EU261, because flights into the EU are covered only on an EU airline (Art. 3(1)(b)), while a Delta flight from Paris is covered like every departure from the EU (Art. 3(1)(a)).

Air France canceled my flight because of a strike. Am I owed compensation?

It depends whose staff walked out: an Air France staff strike can still mean €250–€600 with less than 14 days' notice; an air traffic control or airport strike usually does not (CJEU C-28/20). Refund, rerouting and care are owed either way.

What is the Air France compensation form?

It is the claim form on Air France's claims page, for EU261 compensation after a cancellation or long delay. If you already have a claim reference, use the track-a-claim page instead of filing a new one.