# Air France refund: cancelled flights, taxes and vouchers

Source: https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/air-france/refund/

> Air France cancelled your flight? UK261 and EU261 set 7 days for the refund and a voucher is optional. Cancelling yourself, your fare decides.

# Air France refund: when you get your money back, how to ask and how long it takes

An Air France refund returns the ticket money. Air France owes it when it cancels your flight, delays it by 5 hours or more or denies you boarding, and you choose reimbursement over re-routing. If you cancel yourself, the fare conditions in My Bookings decide what comes back; on a non-refundable ticket that means the unused airport taxes, without carrier-imposed surcharges.

## When does Air France have to refund you?

7 days is the limit article 8 of UK261 sets for reimbursing your ticket when Air France cancels your flight, delays it by 5 hours or more or denies you boarding, and you choose the money over re-routing. EU261 article 8 says the same for flights from the EU. Air France's notice covers unused and completed segments.

Source: UK261 art. 8(1), 4(3), 5(1)(a), 6(1) - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05; Air France Passenger Rights notice, section 5 - wwws.airfrance.co.uk, checked 2026-10-14.

The departure airport decides the law: UK261 from a UK airport; EU261 from an EU airport, or into the EU from outside it. A flight into the UK from the EU falls under both.

Compensation, separate from the refund, is £220, £350 or £520 by distance under UK261 and €250, €400 or €600 under EU261. It is owed for an arrival 3 hours or more late (on a UK flight over 3,500 km, 3 to 4 hours late pays £260) or a cancellation with under 14 days' notice, unless Air France re-routed you within the legal windows (with 7 to 14 days' notice: departing up to 2 hours early, arriving under 4 hours late; under 7 days: 1 and 2 hours) or proves extraordinary circumstances. Air France's UK pages quote only the euro scale and never mention UK261; on a UK departure the pound amounts apply.

Air France's compensation page lists 3 criteria: the flight was cancelled or arrived more than 3 hours late; the cause was not something like extreme weather, sudden political instability or "strikes initiated by third parties"; and you were travelling to or from an EU country. Air France's Passenger Rights notice offers the euro amounts as a voucher (€350, €500 or €800) or as cash (€250, €400 or €600). Take the cash: article 7(3) allows vouchers only with your signed agreement. Claim free from Air France; amounts are on the [Air France page](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/air-france/).

Source: UK261 art. 5(1)(c), 7(1); CAA, Delays - both checked 2026-09-15; Air France compensation contact page and Passenger Rights notice - wwws.airfrance.co.uk, checked 2026-10-14.

Keep the cancellation email: its date sets the notice.

## How do you ask Air France for a refund, and how long does it take?

2 online routes lead to an Air France refund: My Bookings, or the refund screen at airfrance.co.uk/refund, which asks for the booking reference and last name. Air France states no processing time on any airfrance.co.uk page we read; article 8 of UK261 and EU261 sets 7 days after a cancellation, a 5-hour delay or denied boarding.

| Situation | What you get | Time limit |
|:--|:--|:--|
| Air France cancels, delays 5 hours or more, or denies boarding | Refund of the ticket, or a voucher only if you agree | Air France states none; article 8 sets seven days |
| You cancel yourself | What your fare conditions in My Bookings allow | Ask within ticket validity: one year from issue or first use |
| You do not travel on a non-refundable ticket | Unused airport taxes; carrier-imposed surcharges are not refunded | Ask within ticket validity |

Source: Air France, contact topic "refund", /refund page and General Conditions of Carriage art. 3.2(a), 14.1, 14.4(a) - wwws.airfrance.co.uk, checked 2026-10-14; UK261 art. 8(1) - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05.

A partial booking, visa denial, denied boarding, downgrade or a paid service not delivered goes through a separate online form linked from Air France's refund contact page. Booking fees, which Air France otherwise keeps, come back if it cancels or the flight is more than 5 hours late and you decide not to travel.

Ask for cash. UK261 article 7(3) allows payment "in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques", and travel vouchers only "with the signed agreement of the passenger". Air France's voucher terms say a passenger who accepts a non-refundable voucher "forfeits the right to request a refund of the original ticket". The voucher covers the full unused ticket, including taxes, and is valid for one year from issue. The [voucher and refund guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/cancelled-flight-refund-voucher/) covers declining one; the [EU261 version](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/cancelled-flight-refund-voucher/) covers flights from the EU.

Request the Air France refund in cash the day the cancellation email arrives and note the date. If nothing reaches you 7 days later, write again citing article 8.

## Can you get money back if you cancel an Air France flight yourself?

2 places show your fare conditions: My Bookings and the confirmation email. Air France says you can cancel in My Bookings and request a voucher or refund "depending on the fare conditions of your ticket". It publishes no fare-by-fare refund table and no 24-hour free cancellation on its UK site.

Source: Air France, contact topic "cancel my booking"; General Conditions of Carriage art. 3.1(d), 3.4(b); Special Conditions - wwws.airfrance.co.uk, checked 2026-10-14.

UK261 gives nothing here: a passenger who decides not to fly on a flight that operates is in none of the situations that trigger article 8.

Service fees, listed in euros on the UK site, depend on the channel. Booking fees, service fees and payment fees are non-refundable "regardless of the conditions of your Ticket"; service fees do not apply to tickets that can be changed and refunded without charge.

| Service fee | Online or kiosk | By telephone | Air France agency |
|:--|:--|:--|:--|
| Refund, ticket bought from Air France | No fee | EUR 20 | EUR 20 |
| Change | No fee | EUR 30 (also social media) | EUR 15 (bought from Air France), EUR 30 (agency or third-party site) |

Tickets bought through an agency or third-party site go back to the seller. The fare's own change fee sits in the fare conditions, not listed by fare on the UK site.

There is no 14-day cooling-off period. Part 3 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 does not apply to contracts for passenger transport services (reg 27(2)(c)), and Air France's special conditions say you have no rights of withdrawal "unless local law states otherwise".

Source: S.I. 2013/3134, reg 27(2)(c) - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05.

Do not skip the outbound and fly the return: except in force majeure, Air France charges a fixed fee at check-in for the next coupon, from €150 in Economy within Europe to €1,500 in Business and La Première on intercontinental routes. The [guide to cancelling a flight](https://airtravelrights.com/cancel-flight-refund/) covers the general rules.

## How do you get taxes back on an unused Air France flight?

1 year from issue or first use is the validity window for a tax refund. If you do not travel on a non-refundable ticket, Air France's conditions let you request "any unused airport taxes"; carrier-imposed surcharges are not refunded. Online, Air France charges no fee; by telephone or at an Air France agency, EUR 20.

Source: Air France General Conditions of Carriage, art. 3.2(a), 4.2, 14.1, 14.4(a); service fees page - wwws.airfrance.co.uk, checked 2026-10-14.

Request the Air France tax refund in My Bookings or at airfrance.co.uk/refund. Air France may refuse a request made after the validity period, so apply soon after the missed flight.

Tickets from UK airports usually include a charge to cover Air Passenger Duty. The duty is charged on carriage, falls due when the aircraft first takes off on the passenger's flight and is paid by the operator (Finance Act 1994 s.28), so none is due for a passenger who does not fly. HMRC says you may be able to get back what you paid to cover it, that you should contact the airline, and that you may have to pay an administration fee. From 1 April 2026 the reduced rate, for the lowest class of travel, is £8 on a domestic flight and £15 on a Band A flight (0 to 2,000 miles). Air France charges no fee for a refund requested online and EUR 20 by phone or at an Air France agency, so request online.

Source: Finance Act 1994, s.28(1), (2), (5) - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05; HMRC, Air Passenger Duty (tax on shopping) and Rates and allowances for Air Passenger Duty - gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05.

## Voucher, compensation form and what if Air France refuses?

28 days is the wait Air France's terms set before it handles a compensation claim from a third party: you first claim through the Air France compensation form at airfrance.co.uk/claim, with your booking reference, first name and last name. Track the claim at airfrance.co.uk/claim/track-a-claim. Its terms say compensation is paid by wire transfer to your bank account.

Source: Air France General Conditions of Carriage art. 12.3, 12.6; claim page - wwws.airfrance.co.uk, checked 2026-10-14.

The clause opens "Subject to applicable law" and promises no reply within 28 days.

> Claimed directly and still waiting after 28 days? [AirHelp (third-party claim service)](https://airtravelrights.com/partner/airhelp?ref=atr-al-air-france-rf) can take the claim on, no win no fee, and keeps a fee from any payout; Air France's own route stays open.

Refund refused or ignored? Write again citing article 8, your booking reference and the date you asked. Next is ADR: Air France is in AviationADR, run by CDRL. The CAA says you can go to ADR after 8 weeks without a reply; Air France's UK terms say 60 days. On a UK departure, use the CAA's 8 weeks and apply within 12 months of the airline's final response. ADR is free and in most cases decides within three months. See [what to do when an airline refuses](https://airtravelrights.com/airline-refused-compensation/).

Source: CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15; Air France Special Conditions, United Kingdom website - wwws.airfrance.co.uk, checked 2026-10-14.

Paid by credit card? Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 gives you a like claim against the card company for the supplier's breach of contract. It does not apply to a single item with a cash price of £100 or less, or more than £30,000. The [Section 75 and chargeback guide](https://airtravelrights.com/section-75-chargeback-flight-refund/) covers the claim.

Source: Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75(1) and (3)(b) - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-20.

**Not your situation?** From an EU airport: [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/). From Canada: [APPR](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/). US routes: [US DOT rules](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/). From the UK: [UK261](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/). Unsure? [Find which law covers your flight](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/).

General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA or a consumer-rights adviser.

## Sources

- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, arts. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/article/8).
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, reg 27 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/27).
- Finance Act 1994, s.28 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/9/section/28).
- HMRC, Air Passenger Duty (tax on shopping) - [gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/tax-on-shopping/air-passenger-duty).
- HMRC, Rates and allowances for Air Passenger Duty - [gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-allowances-for-air-passenger-duty).
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/39/section/75).
- Air France, refund and cancel-booking contact pages - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/contact/topic/refund-compensation/subtopic/refund).
- Air France, General Conditions of Carriage - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/information/legal/edito-cg-airfrance).
- Air France, service fees - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/information/legal/frais-emission-et-service).
- Air France, non-refundable voucher terms - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/information/legal/edito-cg-vouchers).
- Air France, Special Conditions (United Kingdom) - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/information/legal/edito-conditions-particulieres).
- Air France, compensation contact page - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/contact/topic/refund-compensation/subtopic/compensation-disruption).
- Air France, Passenger Rights notice - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/information/legal/assistance-et-indemnisation).
- Air France, compensation claim - [airfrance.co.uk](https://wwws.airfrance.co.uk/claim).
- CAA, Delays - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/flight-delays-and-cancellations/delays/).
- CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/alternative-dispute-resolution/).