Minutes 0–10: three channels, simultaneously
Seats on the next flights are a finite pool being drained in real time. So work in parallel: stand in the rebooking queue (keeps the human option), open the airline app (many airlines push self-serve rebooking within minutes and it is often fastest), and phone the airline — or its overseas contact line, which frequently answers sooner than the UK number during a mass event. First channel to offer a seat wins; abandon the others without sentiment.
Minutes 10–30: your rights, in one breath
On flights covered by UK (and equivalent EU) passenger-rights rules, a cancellation entitles you to a choice of rerouting at the earliest opportunity or a full refund — and, while you wait, to care: reasonable meals and refreshments, communication, and a hotel with transfers if the rerouting strands you overnight. Compensation on top depends on notice and cause (extraordinary circumstances like severe weather exclude it), and claims come later — tonight, focus on the seat and the care. Keep every receipt.
Minutes 30–60: the ground decision
| Your rebooking | The right move |
|---|---|
| Early tomorrow morning | Airport-area hotel (airline-provided if stranded by them); short hop there tonight, short hop back at dawn |
| Tomorrow afternoon/evening | Go home — a fixed-fare car door to door beats a bad hotel night; return run pre-booked for tomorrow |
| Days away / peak meltdown | Consider rail or a long-distance car to an alternative airport your airline can route you from |
Whichever branch you take, pre-book the car rather than joining the on-demand scramble outside arrivals — a cancellation wave is a demand spike, and demand spikes are exactly when summoned prices surge. A RushXO fixed fare is the same number at midnight as at noon, and if your new flight moves again, we re-time the pickup free.
This guide is general information, not legal advice — entitlements vary by route, carrier and cause. The airline’s own conditions and the UK CAA’s guidance are the authoritative sources.